Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Care

Course Duration
  • 6 months full-time
  • 2 years part-time
Tuition Fees
AU$10,764
at 2027 fees
Next Intake
February, July
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Course Overview

The Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Care is a foundational qualification designed for students who have little or no prior experience or qualifications in spiritual care. Students complete six core units suitable for those working in the field of spiritual care or seeking to enter the field. Units explicitly link theory and practice so that students engage with real world workplace issues and continually address the challenges of working in contemporary spiritual care contexts. The program attains Level 1 in the Spiritual Health Association and Spiritual Care Australia Capability Frameworks.

Course Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Care are able to:

  1. Articulate and evaluate the required foundations and capabilities for the provision of professional spiritual care in both secular and religious contexts.
  2. Evaluate the values of equity, diversity, and dignity of all persons in relation to spiritual care.
  3. Demonstrate initial competence and practical awareness of self-care, self-regulation, critical self-reflection and accountability as they relate to spiritual care.
  4. Participate in elements of continuing education, supervision, and evidence-based research as foundations of professional practice for spiritual care practitioners.
  5. Develop competence in the key skills required for spiritual care practitioners to work within diverse contexts.

Course Structure

The Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Care consists of 72 points.

Course StructureUnit typePoints
 
Program 1: (through Uniting College of Leadership and Theology)
SC8001 Spirituality & Spiritual CareCore12
SC8002 Spiritual Care in PracticeCore12
SC8003 Trauma-informed Spiritual CareCore12
SC8004 Grief, Loss, Dying & DeathCore12
SC8005 Self-care & RitualsCore12
SC8006 Ethical Spiritual CareCore12
 
Program 2: (through Pilgrim Theological College)
DP8011P Spiritual Care: Independent Practitioner
OR
DP9031P Spiritual Care: Senior Practitioner		Core12
DS8021P Spiritual Care: Ritual, Meaning and Reflective PracticeCore12
DP9041P Spiritual Care: Trauma and Moral InjuryElective12
DP9051P Spiritual Care: Grief and ConflictElective12
DP9061P Therapeutic Pastoral Theology and CPEElective12
DP9071P Care at Death’s DoorElective12
DP9072P Care in a Grieving ChurchElective12
DP8600P Life Abundantly in Christ: An Introduction to Pastoral Theology and Pastoral Psychology for Ministry PracticeElective24
DP8500P Theology of Pastoral CareElective24
CP9100Z Clinical Pastoral Education Level 1Elective48
CP9273Z Clinical Pastoral Education Level 2Elective48
CP9170Z Clinical Pastoral Education (Special Focus)Elective48

An undergraduate degree or 5 years relevant work experience.

Probationary admission is not available.

The Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Care requires completion of 72 points (6 non-standard postgraduate units).

Fees for 2027 are $1,794 per unit or $10,764 for the full course.

Fees are subject to change from year to year. For more information about fees, please visit the Fees page.

Credit of up to 36 points may be granted towards this award.

Credit is granted in accordance with the Credit Policy.

Graduate pathways

  • Graduate Diploma in Pastoral and Spiritual Care
  • Master of Pastoral and Spiritual Care

Choose a Home College

Studying on an Overseas Student Visa

This course is not available to Overseas Students on a Student Visa Subclass 500.

Study Modes

Courses can be delivered through a variety of modes, such as:

  • Face-to-face: This is the traditional mode of study where you attend your classes in person at a physical location.
  • Online: In this mode, teaching and learning activities are delivered online.
  • Mixed-modes: This combines both face-to-face and online units throughout your award.
  • Intensive: this involves completing a condensed amount of content over a shorter period of time. Intensives can be face-to-face or online.
  • Supervised Research: This involves independent research, which is supervised by one or more people with expertise in the field.

Course Duration

The Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Care may only be taken part-time for admissions in 2026.

Standard Full-time Minimum Maximum
6 months
6 months
2 years

AQF Level:

Regulation:

Postnominals:

GCSC

Course Code:

GCSC

CRICOS Code:

N/A

The table gives an indication of the likely peer cohort for new students admitted into this course. It provides data on all students who commenced study in the most relevant recent intake period.

Student profile for Semester 2, 2026

Applicant BackgroundNumber of StudentsPercentage of Students
(A) Past Higher Education Study2100%
(B) Past Vocational Education and Training (VET) Study00%
(C) Recent Secondary Education
Admitted solely on the basis of ATAR00%
Admitted where both ATAR and additional criteria were considered00%
Admitted on the basis of other criteria only and ATAR was not a factor00%
(D) Work and life experience00%
International Students00%
All Students2100%

You can compare other institutions with the University of Divinity to help inform your undergraduate study choices. ComparED is an initiative of the Australian Government. It’s powered by QILT (Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching) surveys that draw data from real life student experiences from commencement of study through to employment.

Upon successful completion of all course requirements, students will receive an invitation to graduate. This entitles the graduate to wear the approved Academic Dress at the graduation ceremony, and to use the approved postnominals after their name.

Academic Dress

Gown: Black Bachelor gown

Headwear: Black trencher

Hood: None

Postnominals

GCSC

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