Diploma of Business (Entrepreneurship and Innovation)

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

1-year diploma or pathway to an ICMS Bachelor of Business (Entrepreneurship and Innovation)

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Stand-alone diploma qualification

or your pathway to an ICMS Bachelor of Business (Entrepreneurship and Innovation)

Organisations around the world require people with broad business and management skills. The Diploma of Business (Entrepreneurship and Innovation) allows you to study an innovative blend of business subjects while introducing you to key concepts in entrepreneurship and innovation.

It aims to develop your intellectual, analytical and practical capabilities to support future academic progression or employment in business and entrepreneurial roles. Once you finish the course, you will feel empowered to use these skills to launch your own business or work in a range of early-career business roles.

In the The Diploma of Business (Entrepreneurship and Innovation)  you will learn how to manage people and organisations, marketing basics, and financial and commercial literacy, while also deepening your knowledge of contemporary business practices.

Your core business subjects are enhanced with specialisation subjects in entrepreneurship and innovation so you have foundational knowledge in innovation and venture creation.

The Diploma of Business (Entrepreneurship and Innovation) offers you a stand-alone ICMS qualification delivered through the Aspire Institute or, should you wish to further your studies, you could choose to use your diploma qualification as a pathway into a bachelor program at ICMS, with completed specialisations and subjects counting towards your degree. Upon successful completion of the Diploma of Business (Entrepreneurship and Innovation) you will receive advanced standing for subjects in an ICMS bachelor degree.

Aspire Institute is a trading name of ICMS, International College of Management, Sydney Pty Ltd. All Aspire students are part of the ICMS student community, with lectures held at our Northern Beaches Campus and the City Campus, subject to availability. Aspire students receive dedicated academic support, including study skills.

Course learning outcomes

  • Apply foundational business knowledge an concepts to routine business situations.
  • Identify and use appropriate sources of data to address business problems and inform innovative solutions in an entrepreneurial context.
  • Explain the importance of ethical, sustainable and responsible business practices in a global business environment.
  • Utilise digital tools and technology to demonstrate innovation entrepreneurship in a range of business situations.
  • Communicate and provide information effectively using written, oral and visual formats to suit different business audiences.
  • Apply teamwork and collaboration skills to participate effectively in team activities and achieve improvements with entrepreneurship contexts.

Quick Facts

Course NameDiploma of Business (Entrepreneurship and Innovation)
CRICOS Code0101118
UAC Code530503 (Northern Beaches) | 531017 (Online)
Accreditation StatusSAA Accredited
AQF Level5
CampusNorthern Beaches Campus, Manly , Online*
(core business subjects may be offered in the City Campus, subject to availability.)
Duration1 year (or part-time equivalent)
FEE-HELPDFEE
Study ModeOn campus | Online*
StartMain Intakes: February, May, August
Mid-Term Intakes**: March, June, October & December
Entry RequirementsDomestic Students

International Students

Pathway optionInternational College of Management Sydney (ICMS)

* In accordance with the Australian Government ESOS National Code international students on a student visa can only undertake 33% of their total enrolment load online and must be enrolled in at least one (1) on-campus subject in each compulsory study period. Learn more

** Mid-term intakes are only available to student depending on demand.

Course Structure

TermSubject TypeSubject CodeSubject Name
1COREBUS101BPathway to Success
COREMGT103BContemporary Management
SPECIALISATIONENT101BEntrepreneurship Foundations and Mindset
COREACC101BFinancial and Commercial Literacy
2COREMKT101BMarketing
SPECIALISATIONENT102BVenture Ideation and Validation
COREMGT102BGlobal Citizenship
CORESTA101BData Informed Decision Making

Sample subjects

Entrepreneurship Foundations and Mindset (ENT101B)

The subject aims to introduce the theory and practice of entrepreneurship, the characteristics of entrepreneurs, and the “mindset” of the entrepreneurship in individuals and organisations. Students can gain an overview of the lean business start-up process, assess their own “mindset” for entrepreneurship and map out their journey to develop their mindset and skillset as entrepreneurs. The aim of the subject is for students to learn about themselves as people and thus identify what type of entrepreneur they would be.  

The subject develops capacity to leverage ecosystems to advance venture creation and/or become a catalyst within them. Student entrepreneurs are exposed to various stakeholders and players at a local, national and global level. Student entrepreneurs study the characteristics of leading entrepreneurial ecosystems, entrepreneurial support systems and government policy making. Upon completion of the subject, student entrepreneurs would have developed their confidence in building and expanding entrepreneurial relationships.

The subject also introduces concepts and characteristics of social enterprises. This subject will guide the entrepreneurs to have a deeper sense of moral and social commitment through their entrepreneurial journey.

The subject also provides students different techniques and tools to practise enterprise resilience including internal and external methods.

Venture Ideation and Validation (ENT102B)

The aim of this subject is the brainstorming, researching, ideation and validation of business ideas. It must be both about the development of a viable business but also the market research, testing and feedback to validate and confirm its viability. There is a strong focus on market and customer research towards clarifying the merits of a strong value proposition and minimally viable product.

This subject will also strengthen the grasp of what the student’s business brand is based on their customer/target audience research findings and business purpose, goals and values.
Venture Ideation and Validation is designed to help students navigate the earliest stages of starting a new venture beginning with the identification of a problem in the market that is worth solving. The class teaches students tools and techniques to translate these problems into viable business concepts, with an emphasis on enabling an aspiring entrepreneur to get as far as possible, with as little as possible, as fast as possible.

Student teams begin the quarter with nothing more than a series of hypotheses about a new venture, then design and execute a series of in-market experiments that either validate these assumptions or force them to iterate aspects of their business model in real time. The objective of the course to guide students toward the achievement of “product-market fit” as a crucial first step in the creation of a start-up.

Here students will focus on how to structure a series of tests to gather ‘learnings’ around customer engagement. To accomplish this, students can develop a product/service (wireframe, landing page, video, physical prototype) that tests customer engagement or obtain a sale or commitment to purchase, broker an exchange or partnership, or anything else that indicates that customers value your business concept and mitigates the biggest near-term risks of the venture.

Continue to validate the value proposition, customer funnel, and key metrics of success. Research, define, prototype and implement an MV_ (products, tests, etc. (or a series of MV_s) that demonstrates customer engagement at each step of the funnel. Obtain experiential learning in the process of testing and refining a business concept.

This diploma leads to the following bachelor’s degree:

International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS)
International College of Management Sydney
Bachelor of Business (Entrepreneurship and Innovation)
CRICOS: 101115