New Zealand Certificate in Information Technology (Level 5)

Academic Requirements

Applicants under 20 years of age

• Achievement of NCEA Level 3 (60 credits at Level 3 or higher and 20 credits at Level 2 or higher) including
• A minimum of 14 credits at Level 3 or higher in each of three subjects from the list of approved subjects
• A minimum of 10 credits at Level 2 or higher in English or Te Reo Maori made up of 5 credits in reading and 5 credits in writing.

AND

• A minimum of 10 credits at Level 1* or above in Numeracy, made up of achievement standards – specified achievement standards available through a range of subjects, or unit standards - package of three numeracy unit standards (26623, 26626, 26627- all three required).

*for the list of Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 standards that contribute to University Entrance requirements, please visit the NZQA website www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea

OR 

• Any qualification (New Zealand or overseas) recognised by NZQA as being equivalent to achievement of NCEA Level 3
• A qualification considered to be equivalent to the above

Applicants aged 20 years or above:

No academic qualifications are required. Evidence to support an applicant’s ability to successfully undertake the Programme with a reasonable likelihood of success may be requested.

English Language Requirements

All applicants must have a level of English sufficient to be able to study at this level. Those students whose first language is not English should have:

• An international English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall academic score of at least 6.0 (with at least 5.5 in each band) issued within the last two years

OR

• A qualification considered to be equivalent to the above.

Other requirements

Students will require access to a recent model computer and a fast internet connection.

Special Entry

In exceptional circumstances an applicant who does not meet the entry requirements may be granted entry to the Programme where they supply evidence to satisfy the Head of Department or delegate of their ability to succeed on the Programme.

You are required to have your own laptop with these minimum specifications(external link).

This programme is made up of four individual courses.

These are also the same four courses that students on NMIT’s Diploma and Bachelor qualifications take, making it easy for you to decide later to study beyond this certificate level.

Communication for IT

• Identify and explain how personal factors and behaviours can influence the communication process in business situations. 
• Apply effective interpersonal communication skills in business situations. 
• Demonstrate appropriate written and oral and visual presentation skills that are clear, concise, courteous and correct, using currently recognised business formats. 
• Discuss the influence of culture on communication in an IT context. 
• Demonstrate an understanding of the professional, legal, and ethical principles and practices required to act in a socially responsible manner as an emerging IT professional.

Computer Systems Architecture

• Explain the principles of computer systems architecture. 
• Discuss the principles of operation of system hardware and software components for a current generation personal computer and explain how these components interact. 
• Construct a current generation PC-based computer system that satisfies the requirements of a case study. 
• Explain and apply safe working practices for computer systems construction. 
• Identify and apply problem solving processes relevant to troubleshooting for PC-based hardware and software components. 
• Use appropriate diagnostic tools, procedures and benchmark standards to optimise the configuration of components for a PC-based computer system. 
• Describe and implement protocols used in basic foundation networking including internet concepts.

Design and Develop Concepts

• Explore the operation of IT businesses. 
• Identify a range of development life cycles used in IT. 
• Describe the importance of information management for an organisation and implement a solution for a specific case study. 
• Investigate the User experience (Ux) and usability concepts in IT and apply to a particular web case study using effective interface design.

Introduction to Software Development

• Outline the software design and development process. 
• Select and apply a suitable design methodology to the development of a software application to satisfy set requirements. 
• Select, explain and use number systems and data types in the design of software for set requirements. 
• Use a programming language correctly and effectively to develop software applications for set projects. 
• Compare and contrast selected examples of procedural and object oriented programming.