Program summary
Program title: Graduate Certificate in Futures Studies
Award abbreviation: GCFuturesStud
Degree type: coursework
Study mode: on campus; online
Duration: Program only available part-time. Not all courses available concurrently.
Commence: Semester 1 or Semester 2
Fee type 2012: postgraduate coursework places
Total courses: 4
USC program code: AR510
CRICOS code: Not available to international students on a Student Visa
Learn how to anticipate and effectively manage change.
Futures Studies is a powerful tool for managing institutional dynamics and negotiating periods of change. It seeks to empower you to identify and engage with the forces that shape your operational and working contexts. It has strategic value to anyone working in business and government where change is rapid and creative open-ended thinking a necessary tool for negotiating turbulence and rapid change. It is therefore a vehicle that develops personal and social adaptive capacity, and can contribute substantially to social and economic wellbeing.
The Graduate Certificate in Futures Studies provides you with a sound foundational knowledge of the futures field. It introduces a range of futures methods, concepts and tools designed to help you better understand your working context and future proof your organisation. The program hones leadership skills, covers a wide range of facilitation techniques, links personal and organisational values to actions and their outcomes, and stimulates creative engagement that generates a range of alternatives to business as usual for you and your organisation.
Futures Studies is therefore about the present. The present reinvented in the light of probable, possible, and preferable futures that may occur as a result of social, technological, environmental, economic or cultural change. It hinges on flexibility of thinking, the ability to reframe context and critically assess our role in its maintenance, and to identify points of leverage that, when addressed, can lead to new possibilities. It is increasingly becoming a frame of reference for government, business, education and community development. The core business of all such sectors is an ability to manage change, anticipate, and align strategy with desired outcomes.
This program fosters strategic foresight, which is of key relevance to emerging issues facing our region and the planet. It draws on the innate capacity of the human mind to engage in foresight or futures thinking. You learn to clarify values and develop effective strategic processes to navigate a turbulent environment where success and failure impact on both present and future generations. Courses blend academic and action-based learning to bridge the divide between theory and practice. All courses are offered in both face-to-face on campus or fully external (online) modes; with the exception of FUT700 Applied Futures Studies: Methods, Values and Strategy, which is only available online.
Admission requirements
A student entering the Graduate Certificate program will normally be required to hold an undergraduate degree, or equivalent, from a recognised higher education institution.
Enquiries
Faculty of Arts and Business
Tel: +61 7 5430 1259
Program Leader
Dr Marcus Bussey
Tel: +61 7 5459 4889
Email: mbussey@usc.edu.au
Study Plan
This Study Plan is valid from Study Period 1, 2011.
For students who commenced study in this program prior to Study Period 1, 2011:
- Find the Student Handbook for the semester in which you commenced.
- Select the program in which you are enrolled.
- Scroll down to your relevant Program Structure.
Program requirements and notes
- Students are required to successfully complete the 4 required courses as listed below.
- This program is only available part-time.
- FUT700 is only available online.
- Not available to international students on a Student Visa.
Program structure
Required courses: (4)
| Course | Usual teaching session of offer | Requisites | Units |
|---|
| FUT101 Futures 101: Futures Methods and Techniques | Semester 1 | | 12.00 |
| FUT200 Strategic Foresight Leadership | Semester 2 | Pre: FUT101 or enrolled in Program AR510 | 12.00 |
| SUS302 Sustainable Futures | Semester 2 | | 12.00 |
| FUT700 Applied Futures Studies: Methods, Values and Strategy | Semester 1 | Pre: Enrolled in Program AR510, AR704 or AR705 | 12.00 |
TOTAL UNITS 48
Why choose USC?
It’s the best of both worlds. Students choose USC for its industry focused degrees, experienced academics, student support, overseas study opportunities and relaxed campus atmosphere.
Am I eligible for university study?
Find out what qualifications you need to apply for entry into your proposed study program. If you don’t have the required qualifications, there may be alternative pathways you can take to gain entry to USC.
If you have previously undertaken university or TAFE studies, you may be eligible for credit transfer.
If English is not your first language, you need to meet the minimum English language requirements for your chosen program. This requirement applies to all students intending to study at the University.
How do I submit an application?
When should I apply?
Check if the program is offered in Semester 1 and / or Semester 2, then follow the deadlines on the application calendar. The academic calendar provides all the key dates you need to know as a student at USC.
What happens next?
Accept your offer with QTAC (if applicable) and USC, enrol in your classes and attend Orientation.
Where can I ask more questions?
If you have more questions about how to apply:
- Online: find answers to commonly asked questions in the Student FAQs
- Email: information@usc.edu.au
- Phone: Student Administration on +61 7 5430 2890
- In person: Student Central, Building C
If you have questions about your program:
As a USC student, you will need to refer to your study plan to enrol in the appropriate courses each semester or session.
Find out more about how to enrol or follow these steps:
- Check the open enrolment dates and the academic calendar for key dates
- Refer to your Study Plan to plan your courses for the study period
- Find your courses and decide on your classes in the class timetable
- Log on to USC Central and enrol in courses and classes
- Register your major or minor with your faculty (if applicable)
- Apply for credit transfer or cross-institutional study (if applicable)
- Pay required study fees by the fee due date
Useful links
Where can I ask more questions?
If you have more questions about how to enrol:
If you have questions about your program: