The CIO Executive Council, which is a peer based forum for IT professionals launched in Australia last year, is spearheading the introduction of the course and is keen to see academic standards in place for the IT industry.

Council executive director Con Colovos said those with relevant industry experience or maturity can go straight into a graduate diploma or Masters course.

"We are creating a scenario where we will slowly, in a professional manner, put in place the means of giving businesses the opportunity to hire a CIO knowing he or she comes with credentials equal in value to a CPA (Certified Practicing Accountant)," Colovos said.

"We met with the NSW Attorney General's Department to discuss the governance and criteria and they were satisfied with the direction the CIO Executive Council is taking.

"All the information for the courses is put together by academics and the council advisory board, and complies with the business expectation for such a graduate - we won't be teaching programming - the course will be 80 percent business skills with 20 percent technical skills... we are primarily targeting the business component of a CIO."