Qualification details
Title
New Zealand Diploma in Software Development (Level 6)
Version
1
Qualification type
Diploma
Level
6
Credits
240
NZSCED
020103
Information Technology > Computer Science > Computer Applications
and Programming
Qualification developer
Institute of IT Professionals New Zealand (IITP) and NZQA National
Qualifications Services
Next review
2019
Approval date
April 2015
Strategic purpose statement
The purpose of this qualification is to provide Aotearoa New Zealand
with graduates who have attained a range of Information Technology
(IT) knowledge, specialist practices and technical skills in software
development. It will prepare people for employment in an entry-level
developer or tester role in a range of organisational contexts, or to
proceed to further study.
The qualification is designed for people seeking to focus on one or
more application domains, such as general Application
Development, Web Development, Games Development, and Mobile
Applications Development.
Graduates will be capable of operating within applicable professional
standards and practice both as part of a team and independently
under broad supervision. They will contribute to software
development in Aotearoa New Zealand, and be internationally
relevant.
Businesses, organisations and communities will benefit from having
graduates with programming skills including software design, coding,
and testing, in all sectors of the economy and society.
Outcome Statement
Graduate profile
Qualification Reference 2604
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2015
Graduates will be able to:
Technical skills
 Analyse requirements, design and document software solutions
for a range of problems in an organisational context.
 Write and maintain programs using design patterns, data
structures and algorithms to meet specifications.
 Apply a range of software quality assurance techniques to verify
correctness of systems.
 Apply data management and storage technologies to support
the software application and the development process.
 Establish application security by integrating security principles
throughout software development to ensure system integrity.
 Choose, justify and apply architecture, technologies, and tools,
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
to implement the software solution. (15 credits)
Apply IT technical support concepts and practice to manage
hardware and software resources to meet organisational
requirements in a software development context.
Core Skills
 Apply project management tools and techniques to an IT related
project, to analyse and solve problems.
Behave
with integrity as a responsible Information Technology

professional to contribute positively to society.
 Apply communication, information design, personal and
interpersonal skills clearly and professionally to enhance
working effectiveness, efficiency, and quality outcomes in an
organisational environment.
Education pathway
Graduates of this qualification may progress to a computing degree,
or specialised qualification such as software testing or software
security.
This qualification may also equip learners to attempt optional industry
certifications at the appropriate level and area of specialty.
This qualification may provide an education pathway from:
-
NCEA Level 2 or 3 with appropriate credits in mathematics and
digital technologies subjects
New Zealand Certificate in Information Technology Essentials
(Level 4) [Ref: 2594]
New Zealand Certificate in Information Technology (Level 5)
[Ref: 2595]
New Zealand Diploma in Web Development and Design (Level 5)
[Ref: 2598]
Appropriate international certifications in software development
Graduates of qualifications Ref: 2595 or 2598, who go on to further
learning towards this qualification may be granted credit recognition
and may only need to demonstrate competence for the additional
skills and knowledge required.
Employment pathway
Graduates of this qualification will have the skills and knowledge to
enter employment in development or testing roles, in a range of
organisational contexts. These roles may require fundamental
coding, scripting, and testing skills, and are less likely to require
significant architecture and design skills.
Graduates may also be employed in other roles that use programming
skills, such as teaching, small business projects; or be self-employed.
Qualification specifications
Qualification award
Qualification Reference 2604
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2015
This qualification may be awarded by any education
organisation with an approved programme towards this
qualification accredited under section 250 of the Education Act
1989.
The graduate will be awarded the qualification by the education
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organisation when the accredited and approved programme has
been successfully completed.
The formal document certifying the award of this qualification will
display the full qualification title, date of award, the NZQF logo
and may also include the name and/or logo of the qualification
developer or programme owner or other awarding education
organisation.
Evidence requirements for assuring
consistency
New Zealand qualifications can be obtained through different
programmes, pathways, and education organisations. The
process of ‘assuring national consistency of graduate outcomes’
will be coordinated by NZQA, with a focus on comparing
graduates from different programmes and education
organisations in relation to the qualification graduate outcomes.
All programme owners and education organisations arranging
training or delivering approved programmes leading to the
qualification must engage with arrangements for assuring
consistency, including participating in the relevant consistency
review event and covering actual and reasonable related costs.
Detailed information regarding arrangements for managing
consistency will be published and updated via the NZQA website.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/providers-partners/consistency-ofgraduate-outcomes/ and download the guidelines.
Evidence for consistency
Each education organisation is responsible for preparing a
summary self-assessment report which uses evidence to
demonstrate how well its graduates meet the graduate profile
outcomes at the appropriate threshold. Each education
organisation decides what specific evidence it will provide.
The core evidence requirements for assuring consistency must
include:
Qualification Reference 2604
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2015

Effective internal and external moderation systems and
processes, including results relating to graduate outcomes.
This may also include evidence of meeting requirements for
external industry certifications and associated consistency
demands where appropriate
e.g. Certified/Authorised Partner Program (such as Microsoft,
CompTIA, etc.)

Results of end-user surveys and actions taken or proposed
from feedback. This includes consultation with graduates
and employers to obtain destination information and enduser feedback specifically assessing the graduates against
the graduate profile (e.g. employment, progression, further
study)

Samples of assessment materials and learners
assessments/work (e.g. portfolios of work)

Relevant External Evaluation and Review (EER) data,
including programme/qualification completion data and
course results
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
Comparison of the application of credit transfer and
recognition of prior learning arrangements to graduate
outcomes and/or qualifications

Documenting any action taken to improve quality and
consistency of assessment.
The core evidence requirements for assuring consistency may
include:
Credit transfer and recognition of
prior learning arrangements

Consultation with graduates and employers to obtain
destination information and end-user feedback (e.g.
employment, progression, further study)

Evidence of any benchmarking activities.

Consideration of internal quality assurance processes and
external reviews, including relevant feedback from
programme developers (i.e. may include reviewing,
comparing, and evaluating the assessment process, tools
and evidence contributing judgements made by a range of
assessors against the same graduate outcomes; evidence
of appropriate skills and knowledge of staff in relation to the
teaching and assessment)
Education providers must have policies and procedures in place
for managing credit transfer, and assessing recognition of prior
learning and recognition of current competency. These policies
and procedures, and information about associated fees, must be
available to the learner prior to enrolment.
Information on and evidence of the application of the credit
transfer and recognition of prior learning arrangements by
accredited providers must be made available for benchmarking
as part of the evidence requirements for assuring consistency.
The New Zealand Certificate in Information Technology (Level 5)
[Ref: 2595] or the New Zealand Diploma in Web Development
and Design (Level 5) [Ref: 2598] may be recognised for credit
towards this qualification. This diploma may build on Ref: 2595
or Ref: 2598, and some outcomes from Ref: 2595 may be
embedded within the technical outcomes which extend the
learning beyond Ref: 2595. Learners may only need to
demonstrate competence for the additional skills and knowledge
required for this qualification.
Minimum standard of achievement
and standards for grade
endorsements
The minimum standard of achievement required for the award
of the qualification will be the achievement of all the graduate
outcomes in the graduate profile.
There are no grade endorsements for this qualification.
Entry requirements (including
prerequisites to meet regulatory body
or legislative requirements)
There are no mandatory prerequisites for this qualification
Learners enrolling are recommended to hold one of the following
qualifications, or equivalent knowledge, skills and experience.
-
Qualification Reference 2604
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2015
NCEA Level 2 or 3 with appropriate credits in mathematics
and digital technologies subjects
New Zealand Certificate in Information Technology
Essentials (Level 4) [Ref: 2594]
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-
New Zealand Certificate in Information Technology (Level 5)
[Ref: 2595]
New Zealand Diploma in Web Development and Design
(Level 5) [Ref: 2598]
International students must have an appropriate level of English
proficiency for the level at which they intend to study. Details of
English language entry requirements are contained in the NZQF
Programme Approval and Accreditation Rules 2013 (Appendix 2).
E.g. IELTS Academic score of 6, with no band score lower than
5.5; or the New Zealand Certificate in English Language
(Academic) (Level 5) [Ref: 1884].
Qualification conditions
Overarching conditions relating to the qualification
Conditions for programme
structure
This qualification includes the common core of Level 6 skills and may build on
the generalist skills developed at Level 5, or equivalent relevant experience.
Professional practice must be an integral part of the curriculum and delivery. It
is expected that all programmes have professionalism both purposefully
taught and integrated with technical content. Here, professional practice
includes the 'soft skills' of communication, team work, interpersonal skills, and
ethical principles.
Programmes must reflect industry best practice and maintain currency with
amendments to, and replacements of, relevant legislation, regulations,
Australia/New Zealand standards (AS/NZS), and security responsibilities.
Conditions for programme
context

Current legislation and regulations can be accessed at
http://legislation.govt.nz

Current AS/NZS standards can be accessed at http://standards.co.nz

The Information Technology Code of Practice - Guidelines of good and
acceptable practice for IT professionals and organisations operating in
New Zealand can be accessed at http://iitp.nz/about/ethics, as can the
Code of Professional Conduct.
The programme may be designed to focus on one or more application
domains, such as General Application Development, Web Development,
Games Development, and Mobile Applications Development.
Learners are expected to adhere to professional standards for enterprise
software development including code structure, testing and documentation
(including version control).
Programme design, delivery, and assessment, where applicable, will be
conducted in and for the context of real or realistic organisations and/or
settings; and be relevant to current and/or emerging practice.
Programmes leading to the award of this qualification must identify the
context, and must justify the allocation of credits to graduate profile outcomes
within the programme, in light of the requirements of the context and
conditions.
The graduate’s capabilities must clearly align with the definition of a Level 6
graduate on the NZQF. See the NZQF level descriptors for further
information. All programmes are to be developed with level 6 descriptors in
mind – specialised technical knowledge and skills in a field of work, applied
Qualification Reference 2604
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2015
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in specialised/strategic contexts.
Consideration should be given to bicultural, multicultural, and gender issues
when designing programmes, in relation to encouraging a greater diversity
within the professional IT workforce.
Programmes may be developed based on Māori principles and values, and
are intended to enable Wānanga to meet obligations under the Education
Act (1989, section 162(4)(b)(iv)).
Some outcomes include embedded learning from the New Zealand
Certificate in Information Technology (Level 5) [Ref: 2595].
Other conditions
A capstone project is recommended to meet the requirements for this
qualification, in a software development context to appropriate industry
coding standards and principles.
Some programme content could also be aligned with industry certifications.
There is a preference for including open and vendor neutral standards,
protocols and technologies where possible.
Glossary:

Abstract data types (ADT) –extend the set primitive data types (e.g.
integer, real, Boolean) in a programming language to simplify the coding
of complex algorithms, and may be programmer-defined or provided in a
software library.

Agile: development methodologies/framework that promotes iterative
development throughout the lifecycle of the project, encouraging frequent
inspection and adaptation.

Application domain – the specific area of interest such as General
Application Development, Web Development, Games Development,
Mobile Applications Development

Architecture (software) – the high level structure of a software system, the
discipline of creating and documenting these structures

Black box testing: a specification-based testing technique also known as
behavioural testing; a method of testing functionality of a software
application, concentrating on what the software does, not how it does it
i.e. the tester does not inspect the code to predict functionality.

Boundary value testing: a testing technique where test values are
selected to match the upper and lower limits of valid and invalid data, thus
potentially exercising all of the program logic, using a minimum of data
values

Coding: writing statements or instructions in a programming language to
form a program – see object oriented, procedural, functional

Debugging – process of locating and fixing errors in computer code or
hardware devices to make them behave as intended

Declarative programming a style of coding that describes what the
program should accomplish in terms of the problem domain, rather than
describing how to go about accomplishing it as a sequence of
programming language statements. Declarative languages include
database query languages such as SQL
Qualification Reference 2604
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2015
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
Design patterns: reusable solutions to software design problems

Digital asset management: management tasks and decisions surrounding
control over digital assets such as storing, organising, tracking, sharing

Digital storage technologies: computer components, devices, and
recording media for storing and backing up digital data

Functional programming – is a declarative programming paradigm that
treats computation as the evaluation of mathematical functions.

Human Computer Interaction (HCI) – interfaces between people (users)
and computers

Integrated development environment (IDE) – is a programming
environment that has been packaged as a tool to facilitate application
development. It often comprises a syntax-aware text editor,
compiler/interpreter, run-time environment, and a debugging tool.

Information Architecture: is a component of enterprise architecture that
deals with the information component when describing the structure of an
enterprise. In web development; it includes organising and labelling
websites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability
and findability, factoring in user experience issues of information design.

Issue tracking: The process of managing and maintaining lists of issues,
such as software bugs, hardware failures, infrastructure and service
anomalies

Information Systems (IS) – a complementary collection of hardware and
software that people and organisations use to collect, filter, process,
create and distribute data, with the aim of supporting operations,
management and decision making

Information Technology (IT) – the common term for the entire spectrum of
technologies for information processing and related to computing
technology, such as networking, hardware, software, the internet or the
people that work these technologies

Metrics: a technique or measurement tool used in estimating the effort or
time required to develop a software product e.g. lines of code, or function
points

Model view controller (MVC) – name of a methodology or design pattern

Model view presenter (MVP) – displays the user interface of the MVC
pattern

Object oriented programming (OOP) – integrates code and data using the
concept of an "object" (encapsulation). Rather than utilizing database
tables, variables, and subroutines (as in a procedural language), an OO
developer utilizes objects from their application domain.

OWASP - Open web application security project (Refer:
https://www.owasp.org/)

Procedural programming – programming which contain a series of
computational steps to be carried out, as opposed to declarative
programming, or object-oriented programming

Representational state transfer (REST) – architectural style for creating
scalable web services
Qualification Reference 2604
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2015
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
Simple object access protocol (SOAP) – a messaging protocol for
exchanging structured information in the implementation of web services
in computer networks

System testing (also end-to-end testing) covering all the functionality of a
completely integrated system to verify that it meets specification
requirements

Unit tests: also known as unit or component testing, refers to tests that
verify the functionality of a specific block or module of code

User Interface (UI) – everything designed into an information device with
which a human may interact

User experience (Ux) – the overall experience of a person using a
particular product, system or service such as a website or computer
application, especially in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use

White box testing – a technique also known as clear box, glass box, or
structural testing; involves testing internal structures or workings of a
software application by examining the code, as opposed to black-box
testing.
Specific conditions relating to the Graduate profile
Qualification outcomes
Conditions
Technical Skills (210 credits)
1
Analyse requirements,
design and document
software solutions for a
range of problems in an
organisational context.
Credits 55
2
Write and maintain
programs using design
patterns, data structures
and algorithms to meet
specifications.
Credits 60
Qualification Reference 2604
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2015
Programmes must include:

Applying appropriate business process modelling tools to analyse and
document business processes;

Software estimation and metrics;

User experience (Ux) design including user interface (UI), HCI
principles, and universal accessibility;

Systems development paradigms
e.g. Agile, Structured;

Creating accurate and clear technical and user documentation;

Application of the core interaction design concepts and practice,
underpinned in the third outcome of the New Zealand Certificate in
Information Technology (Level 5)[Ref: 2595];

Application of the core information systems skills and knowledge
underpinned in the second outcome in the New Zealand Certificate in
Information Technology [Ref: 2595].
Programmes must include:

Coding – object oriented, procedural;

Facility in multiple common programming languages and integrated
development environments (IDEs), which fosters the ability to migrate
to new languages, tools and systems;

Construct software with complex, multi-element architectures and
abstract data types (ADTs), such as general graphs, trees, tables;

Writing code following design patterns and software development
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standards;

Source and version control;

Optimisation concepts and techniques;

Automated software builds;

Program maintenance techniques;

Application of the core software development concepts and practice,
underpinned in the fourth outcome of the New Zealand Certificate in
Information Technology (Level 5) [Ref: 2595].
Programmes may include:
3
Apply a range of software
quality assurance
techniques to verify
correctness of systems.
Credits 25

Interpreted (scripting) and compiled languages;

Functional programming.
Programmes must include:

Designing a variety of tests including unit and system tests, usability
testing, user acceptance tests; incorporating a range of testing
techniques e.g. white box, black box, boundary-value testing;

Testing on a range of platforms e.g. multiple devices and
environments;

Executing tests using manual and automated software testing, and
documenting results;

Debugging, which includes debugging utilities, managing bug reports
and issue tracking.
Programmes may include:
4
5
6

Performance testing;

Standards compliance testing.
Apply data management
and storage technologies
to support the software
application and the
development process.
Credits 25
Programmes must include:
Establish application
security by integrating
security principles
throughout software
development to ensure
system integrity.
Credits 15
Programmes must include:
Choose, justify and apply
architecture,
technologies, and tools,
to implement the software
solution.
Credits 15
Qualification Reference 2604
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2015

Designing and implementing appropriate application data access,
management, and storage technologies to match the application
domain;

Digital asset management and storage technologies appropriate to
match the application domain
e.g. source and version control, artefact repository.

Application security principles, including current best practices in IT
security e.g. OWASP;

Encryption and privacy;

Protecting data integrity, data validation techniques; data access
permissions;

Authentication and authorization.
Programmes must include:

Tool selection and architecture;

Understanding service orientation and using external services e.g.
simple object access protocol (SOAP), representational state transfer
(REST);

Software architectural patterns including model view controller (MVC)
and model view presenter (MVP).
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7
Apply IT technical
support concepts and
practice to manage
hardware and software
resources to meet
organisational
requirements in a
software development
context.
Credits 15
Programmes must include:

Application of the core IT technical skills and knowledge underpinned
in the NZ Certificate in Information Technology [Ref: 2595];

Installation and configuration of systems and application software;

Foundation networking, including internet concepts;

Hardware and software diagnostic testing, maintenance, technical
and customer support across a range of devices;

Supporting end user requirements;

Security concepts, tools and techniques.
Core skills (30 credits)
8
9
10
Apply project
management tools and
techniques to an IT
related project, to analyse
and solve problems.
Credits 10
Programmes must include:
Behave with integrity as a
responsible Information
Technology professional
to contribute positively to
society.
Credits 10
Programmes must include:
Apply communication,
information design,
personal, and
interpersonal skills,
clearly and professionally
to enhance working
effectiveness, efficiency,
and quality outcomes in
an organisational
environment.
Credits 10
Programmes must include:
Qualification Reference 2604
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2015

Critical thinking, business logic, organisational processes, innovation
and enterprise skills;

Project planning, management and control – cost, risk, quality,
stakeholder, change, configuration, contracts, and maintenance
management.

Application of professional and ethical practice, including
sustainability, equity, social and contemporary cultural issues,
relevant to an IT organisational environment (e.g. Treaty of Waitangi
and accessibility issues);

Organisational implications of managing and complying with legal and
regulatory requirements (e.g. health and safety, contract
management, licensing, privacy; observing security responsibilities
and industry codes of practices, and codes of conduct (e.g. IITP)
relevant to an organisational environment.

Information representation design for multiple situations e.g. data
visualisation; technical writing - help documents, user instructions,
specifications;

Personal and interpersonal skills including customer service,
leadership, teamwork, negotiating, self-management, social and
multicultural awareness, relationship and conflict management.
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