Graduate Certificate

This Graduate Certificate can be undertaken over a maximum of 2 years part time. 

Each unit requires 150 demand hours. This includes 36 hours of class time, plus additional time for completing required readings as well as researching for and writing your assignments.

Completed 3 year bachelor degree or equivalent

OR Alternative admission to the Graduate Certificate of Pastoral Care for Mental Health on individual application to the ACT Registrar including 5 years’ ministry or relevant industry experience (paid or unpaid); and written support of a referee who holds a relevant Masters degree from the ACT or equivalent; and successful completion of a previous qualification at AQF Level 5 or above; and being at least 25 years of age. Requirements for demonstration of academic suitability is determined at the discretion of the ACT Registrar, who will only admit applicants on a case by case basis who in the ACT Registrar’s belief are likely to be successful in AQF Level 8 units.

The principles considered in assessing an application under this clause include:

• accommodating student diversity by including the under-representation and/or disadvantage experienced by identified groups and creating equivalent opportunities for academic success regardless of students’ backgrounds; and

• specific consideration for the recruitment, admission, participation and completion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; and

• ensuring that admitted students have the academic preparation needed to participate in their intended study, and no known limitations that would be expected to impede their progression and completion.

IELTS 7.0 overall with a minimum of 7.0 in reading and writing, and 6.5 in listening and speaking OR 10 years in Australia with English being the language primarily spoken both at home and work.

For further information, refer to the ACT’s Coursework Course Enrolment Policy.

Units are taught in hybrid mode, i.e., students can attend class in-person on campus or attend online at the scheduled class times.

Rev. Dr Keith Condie is one of the lead teachers of the Graduate Certificate of Pastoral Care for Mental Health at Mary Andrews College.

Since 2016, Keith has been Co-Director/Founder with his wife Sarah of the Mental Health & Pastoral Care Institute (MHPCI). The MHPCI provides resources and training in mental health and pastoral care for the Australian church. Keith holds a BSc (Psychology) from UNSW, a BTh and MA (Theol) from the ACT and a PhD in History with a focus on pastoral theology from the University of Sydney. He has taught at Mary Andrews College since 2018. Prior to founding the MHPCI, for nearly 20 years, Keith was Dean of Students and lecturer in ministry and church history at Moore Theological College.

Other lecturers in 2024 include Betsy Rodgers and other guest lecturers invited to speak at the ‘Pastoral and Church-Focused Ministry Seminar: Theological and Pastoral Perspectives on Trauma’ unit.

Mary Andrews College is an Affiliated College of the Australian College of Theology (ACT). The tuition fees are set by the ACT on an annual basis. More information about tuition fees is available at: https://www.actheology.edu.au/tuition-fees.

For 2024, Graduate Certificate units cost $2,976 per unit. A FEE-HELP loan may be available from the government to cover the cost of your tuition for each unit counting towards a complete Diploma or Advanced Diploma course. (Note that Single Unit Study for one-off units require upfront fee payments.)

The 2024 fee to audit a Graduate Certificate unit is $450 per unit. Auditing fees are set at a subsidised rate by MAC and require upfront fee payment.

Please enquire you if you need to pay in instalments.

Auditing is where you don’t undertake any of the assessments, nor do you receive a qualification, but you do gain great insights personally and also for your ministry.

A FEE-HELP loan scheme is available from the government for eligible Australian citizens to cover tuition fees. Completion of the entire course is expected, and repayment of the FEE-HELP loan is based on personal taxable income. There is no loan fee on a graduate level course like this. Please read carefully the information about FEE-HELP loans at www.studyassist.gov.au.

Mary Andrews College has an application process before enrolment that involves completing an application form and providing the names of two referees. If you are interested in enrolling, we encourage you to apply to study well before the semester commences.

This course includes digital and online components. You will need access to a device and reasonable-quality internet that allows you to engage on Zoom with audio and video. The classroom component of the subject is live and designed to be interactive, and therefore sound and video make your experience and those of others far richer. You will also need a device to access resources such as class notes and online library resources, including ebooks, and to submit assignments. At Mary Andrews College, we want to assist you at each stage of your learning journey, and we can point you in the right direction for your digital and online experience.

Further information about the Graduate Certificate of Pastoral Care for Mental Health course, including course rationale, course structure, and course learning outcomes, is available on the ACT’s website: https://www.actheology.edu.au/course/GCPCMH20