Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Communications

Course code: 2410 + Course abbreviation: PGradDipDigComm + Total credit points required: 48 + 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time

Study mode and course location

On-campus (Clayton)

Course description

Monash’s digital communications program covers a broad range of courses ranging from the short graduate certificate up to the masters degree by coursework in digital communications. The courses have been structured to provide an integrated program of postgraduate education in digital communications.

The aims of the digital communications program are to provide: a thorough understanding of the central communications and networking technologies – transmission systems, local networks, protocols; practical and theoretical foundations to enable graduates to design, develop, specify, select, install and operate communications facilities in a wide range of applications areas; a foundation of theory from which trends and future technologies can be evaluated.

The course currently draws students from a wide range of employment backgrounds including programming, systems analysis, engineering, management, consultancy, auditing, marketing and teaching. The program is designed to provide graduates in fields such as computing, computer science or electrical engineering with specialist graduate-level education in topics such as digital communications technologies, communications architectures, protocols and network design.

The initial units introduce underlying principles and technologies, and the later units go more deeply into the underlying theoretical and technological foundations of digital communications systems. They also examine the social and political aspects of communications networking, and the management structures for communications networks.

Students may also take out this award by exiting the Master of Digital Communications after completing 48 points of graduate study.

Entry requirements

The normal entry requirement is a degree that is equivalent to an Australian bachelors degree in a discipline that provides a suitable basis for the course, eg computer science, data processing or electrical, electronic or communications engineering.

Applicants with a degree or diploma in a discipline not directly related to the course will be considered if they have relevant work experience in computers or communications.

Applicants without degree qualifications may apply for the Executive Certificate in Information Technology, indicating their preference in the Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Communications. Applicants should note that demand for this course usually exceeds the quota of places available and consequently not everyone qualified for entry to the course can be admitted. Applicants are therefore advised to present their cases strongly when applying for the course.

Course structure

The course consists of eight 6-point units*, selected as follows:

(a) at least six units from the list of approved digital communications graduate units (group 1 and group 2) listed below

(b) up to two units which may be drawn from any postgraduate program of the university with the approval of the school or nominee.

Students who complete the postgraduate diploma and wish to undertake further studies will be granted up to 48 points of credit in the Master of Digital Communications program. The number of points subsequently required to complete the masters will depend on the units taken within the postgraduate diploma.

Group 1

CSE4400 Systems programming 1
CSE4881 Internet architecture and protocols
CSE4882 Digital communications technologies
CSE4883 Communications software
CSE4884 Network design and management
CSE4885 Communications practical
CSE4886 Communications project
CSE4890 Proprietary network architecture
CSE4891 Public telecommunication networks
CSE4892 Information security

Group 2

BUS5150 Project management
CPE5002 Network security
CSE5000 Distributed object technology
CSE5020 Distributed computation and simulation
CSE5210 Advances in information security
CSE5302 Digital video coding and compression
CSE5303 Advanced digital signal processing
CSE5501 Mobile and distributed computing systems
CSE5802 Distributed systems
CSE5803 Advanced internet protocols and applications
CSE5804 Protocol engineering
CSE5805 Advanced network design
CSE5806 Telecommunications policy and management
CSE5807 Wireless and personal communication systems
CSE5808 Quality of service in digital communication networks
CSE5811 Digital communications project
ECE5203 Antennas and propagation
ECE5204 Microwave/RF devices, circuits and communications
ECE5205 Electromagnetic compatibility
ECE5403 Signal processing
ECE5404 Digital signal processing
ECE5405 Optical communication systems
ECE5406 Digital transmission
ECE5410 Software engineering for telecommunications
ECE5411 Internet architecture and protocols
ECE5412 ATM and ISDN networks
ECE5413 Mobile communication systems and networks
ECE5414 Performance of telecommunication networks
ECE5416 Application of high-speed telecommunication networks
GCO5805 Multimedia computing and communications
GCO5807 Project management
IMS5007 Electronic commerce

Note that not all units are available in any one year.

*During 2007 some of the above units will be replaced by equivalent FIT coded units. (see entry for Master of Digital Communications – 2406); students should check the faculty website for more information.

Exit awards

Students may choose to exit this program with the Postgraduate Certificate in Digital Communications, after successfully completing four specific units.

Professional recognition

The Faculty of Information Technology has applied for accreditation in 2007 for the Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Communications from the Australian Computer Society (ACS) which may enable graduates of the course to be eligible for professional-level membership of the ACS.

Contact details

Course coordinator

Associate Professor Bin Qiu

Previous page | Next page | Section contents | Title and contents