The Basics

Students apply and are admitted to their course, which is 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 our 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.

A variety of units will be on offer each trimester for students to enrol in. All of our courses are flexible for students to choose their units and study load according to their time commitments, interests and course plans.

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. 

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 represent 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).

See below for the key dates associated with your trimester of study. Note that enrolling in or withdrawing from units outside of the key dates could incur incidental fees (see Student Handbook for more information).

Note the following definitions:

• Enrolment Deadline: Last date to enrol in units or withdraw/change submitted unit enrolments without incurring incidental fees.
• Census Date: Last date to withdraw from a unit without incurring the full cost of the unit (incidental withdrawal fees may still apply).
• Academic Penalty Date: Last date to withdraw from a unit without receiving a Fail grade. The unit will appear on the student’s transcript with a Withdrawn grade.

Students have the option to pay fees upfront or utilise the Australian Government’s FEE-HELP system, deferring tuition costs to assist eligible students in managing higher education expenses.

At ACOM we ensure our students are provided with high quality and digitally rich learning resources. The majority of your study with ACOM centres around the use of our digital systems and services, such as our Learning Platform, Moodle. Find out more about the different systems our students interact with below.

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. Some classes will require online attendance via Zoom. In order to fully participate, ACOM recommends using a device with microphone, speaker and video capacity. 

For a full list of hardware and software requirements, see the Student Handbook.

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. 

Some units may require students to purchase textbooks. This information can be found on the Unit Description. 

We want our students to be doers, not just hearers.

Student Vocational Placement

ACOM students studying units in the subdisciplines of Mission (M) or Pastoral Theology (P) will be required to undertake 30 hours of placement. Student vocational placement provides an opportunity to link academic work into practice through a process of instruction (online readings, facilitations, and other learning activities), action (localised ministry) and reflection (thinking about your practice to understand how to improve it).

Vocational placement will require students to identify and recruit a local supervisor in their environment (e.g. a church, work, school, chaplaincy, volunteer, or welfare organisation), and engage with them to help you reflect and integrate your learning into your place of practice.

If you are uncertain if your unit of interests will require placement, please check the unit descriptions or contact your SEM.

Counselling Course Practicum

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 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.

ACOM courses give students the opportunity to study Spiritual Formation units either as core or electives. Contact your SEM to discover how formation units can be incorporated into your study.

For more information on all aspects of studying at ACOM, please see our Student Handbook.