This programme is designed to meet the needs of graduates who wish to start their own business as well as those who want to learn about entrepreneurship, innovation and business enterprise management in an existing business. Students in the programme will not only be focused on creating new business ventures, but will also have a willingness and commitment to learn about new enterprise creation and development from theoretical and research based perspectives. Career opportunities: Graduates are able to work collaboratively and constructively as entrepreneurs with a range of people, situations and locales. Graduates bring a highly-focused approach to independent investigation and research, and to innovative ideologies and practices. Graduates have expertise in six key areas of business operation: business enterprise management; entrepreneurship and innovation; marketing for business enterprise operations; financing enterprise; human resource management in innovation; and enterprise information communications technology, which are further advanced through a paper in research methodology and a one-year research dissertation in business enterprise. Graduates will be able to work as self-employed practitioners, or pursue national and international professional careers with commercial bodies and agencies. Satisfactory Completion Every candidate for the Postgraduate Diploma in Business Enterprise is required to follow to the satisfaction of the Board of Studies, a programme of study for a minimum period of one and a half years. The overall programme of study for every candidate requires 186 credits. Every candidate is required to: Pass six papers totaling 60 credits. Attend the research methodology classes (six credits) and have an approved research proposal. Pass the research dissertation (120 credits). Qualification Pathways Students from the Post Graduate Diploma in Business Enterprise with B average or above are eligible to enter the Master of applied Management Programme on a Cross Credit Track. The Cross Credit Track pathway includes MGT801 Management Practice (15 credits) and a choice between MGT901 Research Project (45 credits) and MGT 902 Research Thesis (90 credits). SIT has a memorandum of understanding with Auckland University of Technology (AUT), recognising the cross credit transfer for SIT Postgraduate Diploma in Business Enterprise (PG DipBE) students into AUT’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme. The arrangement will give SIT students recognition of their PGDipBE and allow them to finish the MBA in one year. The Nuertingen-Geislingen University, situated in southern Germany, will credit up to half of their Master in Business Administration (MBA) programme to SIT’s Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration graduates. The course starts each year in February and is taught in English. The fee structure is extremely competitive compared to New Zealand education, and Nuertingen-Geislingen University is in the top 10 vocational universities in Germany.