The Diploma asks for four HR units (or equivalent competencies) or two years’ equivalent full-time relevant work experience, confirmed before enrolment. If you have neither, the Certificate IV is the place to start: it has no prerequisite, and its core includes all four units.
Check the rule before you enquire, so your first conversation with us is about the right course.
Hader Institute of Education (RTO 45162) delivers both levels online as nationally recognised qualifications, studied from anywhere in Australia. BSB40420 and BSB50320 are both listed as current on the national register, training.gov.au.
What are the requirements for an HR Diploma?
Entry to the BSB50320 Diploma of Human Resource Management, an AQF level 5 qualification, is limited to people who meet one of two conditions. We confirm which one applies to you at your Pre-Training Review interview, before you enrol.
Either you’ve completed these four units, or equivalent competencies:
- BSBHRM411 Administer performance development processes
- BSBHRM412 Support employee and industrial relations
- BSBHRM415 Coordinate recruitment and onboarding
- BSBHRM417 Support human resources functions and processes
Equivalent competencies are predecessors of these units that have been mapped as equivalent.
If you’ve completed these four units (or equivalent competencies) at another registered training organisation, they can meet the unit part of the entry rule. We check your Statement of Attainment or USI VET transcript at your Pre-Training Review.
Or you have two years’ equivalent full-time relevant work experience. At your Pre-Training Review, we assess whether your work experience is relevant.
Roles such as HR coordinator, payroll officer, or office manager with HR duties may count. So may work in the areas the four units cover, such as recruitment and onboarding, performance conversations, or employee relations. These are examples, and none guarantees entry.
The rule belongs to the qualification. Its entry requirements are set out on training.gov.au, the national register, so they apply at any provider that delivers it.
Entry steps for both levels
To enrol in either course, you must:
- be 18 or over
- be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident, or hold a visa with full work and study rights
- have the language, literacy and numeracy skills to read learning materials, read and write workplace reports and documents, interpret policies and procedures, and report hazards
- be assessed at or above the course’s entry profile (the Diploma’s is higher than the Certificate IV’s) in a language, literacy, numeracy and digital skills (LLND) assessment before you enrol, with each skill assessed separately
- have intermediate Word skills
- have a computer and reliable internet access
- complete a Pre-Training Review interview.
If you’re assessed below the entry profile, we’ll advise you before you enrol, and we’ll enrol you only where we can provide the support you need and we’ve agreed it with you. The Diploma adds the entry rule above to these steps.
Do you qualify for the Diploma? Three questions
Answer them in order and stop at the first yes.
- Have you completed BSBHRM411, BSBHRM412, BSBHRM415, and BSBHRM417, or earlier units mapped as equivalent, with us or another provider? If yes, you may meet the entry rule for the BSB50320 Diploma of Human Resource Management.
- If not, do you have two years’ equivalent full-time relevant work experience? If yes, you may meet the entry rule for the Diploma; we confirm it at your Pre-Training Review.
- Neither applies? Start with the BSB40420 Certificate IV in Human Resource Management. Its core includes all four units.
This check informs; it does not decide. Entry is confirmed at your Pre-Training Review, before you enrol. If you can’t answer question 1 or 2 with confidence, our team can talk you through the Diploma’s entry rule on (03) 8362 3113.
Can I start without any HR experience?
Yes. The BSB40420 Certificate IV in Human Resource Management, an AQF level 4 qualification, has no prerequisite beyond the entry steps above. Getting an HR job is a separate step, and our guide on how to get into HR covers the first roles and how people reach them.
How the Certificate IV leads into the Diploma
The Certificate IV has six core units, and four of them are the units the Diploma’s entry rule names: BSBHRM411, BSBHRM412, BSBHRM415, and BSBHRM417. Completing the Certificate IV therefore meets the unit part of the rule. You can then apply for the Diploma, and we confirm your entry at the Diploma’s Pre-Training Review.
Fees and loans. Payment plans keep running after the course ends until the full price is paid. A Certificate IV isn’t eligible for a VET Student Loan at any provider. The Diploma is an approved course for VET Student Loans at an approved provider, subject to student eligibility and a loan cap. Hader isn’t an approved VET Student Loans provider, so a loan isn’t available for either course here.
For what each level covers, see the Certificate IV and Diploma course pages. Our guide to how HR careers progress shows the roles each can lead toward. Our guide to what an HR manager does covers the senior role. Our HR courses page sets the two side by side. Our guide to choosing an HR degree or diploma covers university study.
Refunds. You get a full refund if you cancel within 3 calendar days of being accepted into the course. After that, the full course fee is payable, except in the circumstances our refund policy sets out. Your rights under Australian Consumer Law also apply.
Our learner support page explains the learning and wellbeing support you can reach while you study.
Your next step
BSB40420 Certificate IV in Human Resource Management
A nationally recognised qualification, studied online. No work placement is required; career support comes through our Job-Ready Program.
AU$4,995 total · AU$4,495.50 upfront · or from AU$48/week over 105 weeks, interest-free
Explore the Certificate IV in Human Resource Management
Talk to a course advisor: (03) 8362 3113
Hader Institute of Education · RTO 45162
Related Courses
Recent Articles
Do you need an HR degree? Choosing your route into HR
What does an HR manager do?
