Graduate Diploma of Counselling
The Graduate Diploma of Counselling is designed for those who wish to exit the Master of Counselling prior to attaining the requirements for that award. Graduates must have completed 72 credit points (8 units) in the Master of Counselling in order to be eligible for the award. The offer of the Graduate Diploma of Counselling recognises that graduates have been equipped with advanced theoretical knowledge and practice-based counselling skills.
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Course Information
Course: Graduate Diploma of Counselling (GradDipCouns)
Accrediting Body: Sydney College of Divinity
Australian Quality Framework Level: AQF 8
School: Stirling School of Community Care
Number of Units: 8 units/ 72 credit points (CP)
Study Mode: Online (with facilitated learning opportunities)
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Course Details
Entry Requirements:
This award is not open to admissions. It is only available as an exit award for students who are enrolled in the Masters of Counselling and have completed 72 credit points of study and who do not wish or are unable to complete the Master of Counselling.
Graduates will have added particular transferable knowledge and skills in counselling to enhance their work in Christian ministry and mission:
Knowledge
Graduates will possess:
- specialised theoretical and technical knowledge related to the practice of counselling which are transferable to a variety of complex client contexts;
- an understanding of the principles of inquiry and methods applicable to counselling theory and their application to real-world counselling practice.
Skills
Graduates will demonstrate specialised cognitive and technical skills in counselling, so that they are able independently to:
- review and synthesize counselling information and identify and reflect on complex client contexts;
- think critically and evaluate complex ideas related to the care of clients;
- demonstrate an understanding of theoretical concepts in the Pastoral Counselling sub-discipline;
- transmit counselling knowledge, skills and ideas to a variety of audiences.
Applications of Knowledge and Skills
Graduates will possess the ability to:
- make high level, independent judgments related to a range of issues pertaining to counselling theory and practice.
Find expanded academic outcomes and regulations in the SCD Handbook.
| All counselling courses will require students to undertake several practicum units that allow them to outwork their skills through reflection and practice. These units will require students to practice counselling, participate in individual or group professional supervision, reflect and interact with fellow students, and work towards a minimum number of supervised counselling hours required for industry development and ongoing accreditation. See schedules or unit descriptions for requirements. |
| Spiritual Formation is foundational to who we are. For ACOM, the learning process is not simply intellectual - it is about spiritual transformation. We care about the individual you are becoming and here’s why: we know that healthy, sustainable and effective graduates will be well grounded spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, physically and socially. Each ACOM course gives students the opportunity to study our Spiritual Formation units either as core or electives. Refer to your course plan to discover how our formation units can be incorporated into your study, or read more about the Spiritual Formation process. |
Students can pay their fees upfront or access the Australian Government’s Fee-HELP system. |
2024 Graduate Level Fees Applicable to courses studied at the Australian Quality Framework level 8-9 (AQF8-9 Graduate Level).
Fees may vary for specialty units including Fieldwork, Mission units, Distinctives, Formation, and Seminars. Maximum costs for all ACOM units can be downloaded here. For more information reach out to our team.
| Unit Type | Audit for Future Credit (Upfront Only) | Single Unit (9 Credit Points) | Double Unit (18 Credit Points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard BTM (Bible, Theology and Ministry areas) | $450 | $2950 | $5900 |
| Research | N/A | $3250 | $6500 |
| Counselling Standard | N/A | $3200 | N/A |
| Counselling Spinal | N/A | $4150 | N/A |
| Students holding a pension card and paying their fees upfront may be eligible for a $200 pension discount per standard 9CP unit at the relevant level of study. To apply for a pension discount simply contact ACOM and provide a current copy of your pension card. Once your eligibility has been confirmed by staff, register for units making a note of your pension discount. |
Note the following definitions:
Census Date: Last date to withdraw from a unit without financial penalty.
Academic Penalty Date: Last date to withdraw from a unit without academic penalty. If a student withdraws from a unit between the Census Date and the Academic Penalty Date, the unit will appear on their transcript with a withdrawn grade.
Check below for the key dates associated with your trimester of study. Note that registering or withdrawing outside of the key dates could incur incidental fees.
| 2024 | Year Long | Trimester 1 | Trimester 2 | Trimester 3 | Summer 2024-2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit Enrolment Deadline | 28/01/2024 | 28/01/2024 | 28/04/2024 | 4/08/2024 | 3/11/2024 |
| Start Date | 19/02/2024 | 19/02/2024 | 27/05/2024 | 2/09/2024 | 25/11/2024 |
| Census Date | 15/04/2024 | 11/03/2024 | 17/06/2024 | 23/09/2024 | 16/12/2024 |
| Academic Penalty Date | 7/07/2024 | 31/03/2024 | 7/07/2024 | 13/10/2024 | 5/01/2025 |
| End Date | 24/11/2024 | 12/05/2024 | 18/08/2024 | 24/11/2024 | 16/02/2025 |
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Studying with ACOM
| Students can choose to study part-time or full-time. ACOM operates on a trimester basis, with formation and other select units, being taken over the course of the full year. A full-time load is considered six to nine units, which is usually two to three units per trimester, with one year-long unit. A part-time load is usually three to four units per year. Each 9 credit point unit requires 143 demand hours of study. The demand hours represents the number of hours needed to meet all the requirements of the unit, including reading, researching and writing assignments and essays, and supervised fieldwork (see Student Handbook for hour breakdown). For each unit we recommend that you allocate approximately 10-12 hours for study per week (with more required during peak assessment periods). |
| To study with ACOM, you will need access to a computer with internet connection. You will also require an email address that we can use to contact you. For assessment writing, we require the use of a word-processing programme such as Microsoft Word. For a full list of hardware and software requirements please see the Student Handbook. |
| Students apply and are admitted to their course, which are made up of both core and elective units. All new students are required to complete Student Orientation, which involves both signing up for a Student Orientation Session, and taking part in a Student Orientation module through the online learning platform. All students have access to personalised support through a dedicated Student Engagement Manager (or SEM). Our awesome team of SEMs bring a personal connection and listening ear to students who are spread the length and breadth of the country. SEMs work closely with each student to provide tailored academic and pastoral support, cheering them on every step of their learning journey. Read more about our Personalised Support. A variety of units will be on offer each trimester for students to view on the unit schedules, and register in for study. All of our courses are flexible for students to choose their units and load according to their time commitments, interests and courseplans. All students study 'online' through our online Learning Platform: Moodle. This is where all study materials, unit information, assessments and learning activities can be found. At the point of selecting to study a unit, you will have the opportunity to register in different types of scheduled facilitated events, or ‘facilitations.’ These facilitations are real-time student events run by staff or faculty, designed to assist you with your learning and the requirements of the unit. Read more about facilitations. |
For more student information see:
| Student Handbook Student Policies |
| ACOM assessments are essay based and do not usually involve exams. Units may include online quizzes and practical assessments that are completed in your ministry setting. Assessment dates are clearly published on our Learning Platform (Moodle) and all tasks must be submitted to pass the unit. Required readings are provided for students with online library access for further research. ACOM is continuously improving its digital library of learning resources. We have thousands of specialist books, articles and journals available to our students through our copyright licensing arrangements. Useful for both research and personal study, our students have access to over 100,000 e-books and journals on the Bible, leadership, pastoral care, theology and more. To read more go to our Digital Learning Systems. Some units may require the student to purchase textbook(s), so please check the textbook lists on the schedules or at the point of registration. |
