About the programme
The Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology (PGDIT) is an NZQF Level 8 programme at Auckland Institute of Studies (AIS), worth 120 credits and completed in 12 months of full-time study. It was created to help meet the shortage of skilled people in the IT sector.
The diploma is meant for students who already hold an IT or computer science qualification and want advanced skills that let them start above entry level. Students pick one of three specialist topics. Software Development covers requirements analysis, design, implementation, testing and deployment of applications. Information Systems focuses on how businesses acquire, store, transform and analyse data. Networks and Security deals with designing, running and protecting computer networks. The last two topics are offered depending on the intake.
Each topic consists of five courses, followed by one of three completion pathways. The research pathway combines research methods with a research project. The internship pathway involves 390 hours in a workplace (15 hours a week for 26 weeks), or a condensed one-trimester version. The industry project pathway is a supervised two-trimester project for a local company. The course sequence is set by intake and every enrolment needs academic approval.
The research route suits students heading towards an academic career, while the internship and industry project give hands-on experience in New Zealand. Graduate stories on the AIS site credit the internship as a key reason they found jobs soon after finishing.
Entry requirements
- English: IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0, or TOEFL iBT 79 with writing 21 (original test format only), or PTE Academic 58 with no band below 50, or NZCEL (Academic) Level 5
- A bachelor's degree or equivalent in information technology, computer science or a related field
- Or a graduate diploma or equivalent in information technology, computer science or a related field
What you study
- Software Development: SOFT703 Web Applications Development, SOFT708 Mobile Applications Development
- Software Development: SOFT806 Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment, SOFT807 Cloud Application Development, SOFT808 Software User Experience
- Information Systems: INFO712 Management Information Systems, INFO714 E-Business Strategies
- Information Systems: INFO812 Data Mining, INFO813 Artificial Intelligence, INFO814 Enterprise Cloud-based Systems
- Networks and Security: CONE709 Network System Security, CONE710 Advanced Computer Networking, CONE809 Topics in Cloud Computing
- Networks and Security: CONE810 Computer and Communication Network Security, CONE811 Penetration Testing
- COMP801 Research Methods and COMP802 Research Project — research pathway
- COMP803 Internship (390 hours over two trimesters) or COMP806 intensive one-trimester internship
- COMP804 Industrial Project — two-trimester supervised project with a local company
Careers after graduation
- Software and web application development
- Web analytics and data analysis — one internship graduate became a web analytics specialist
- Cyber security and cyber risk consulting — a Networks and Security graduate works as a security specialist
- Network design and administration
- An academic career through the research pathway and further study
Post-study work visa
About 1 year
Depends on the qualification, the length of study and other Immigration New Zealand requirements.
This description is based on the official programme page, checked on 09/09/2026. Ask an NIU adviser about fees and intake dates — the programme page on the AIS website