Graduate Certificate in Mental Health

For someone who is already a registered nurse they may find careers within a range of mental health settings, clinical nurse, staff development nurse, clinical educator.

Possible future job titles: Mental Health Nurse, Mental Health Clinician, Mental Health Practitioner, Mental Health Educator, Mental Health Nurse Manager, Case Manager

Higher education

The following course-specific admission requirements are mandatory and must be satisfied by all applicants. These requirements are in addition to or supersede the minimum requirements outlined within the Academic admission requirements band section below.

All applicants are required to have a Bachelor degree in a health, counselling, social work, occupational therapy, nursing, midwifery or psychology related subject; or equivalent prior learning including at least five years relevant professional experience in a mental health setting.

Academic admission requirements (Band 6) may be satisfied through completion of:

• Bachelor degree

Work and Life

Equivalent prior learning, including at least five years relevant professional experience.

English Proficiency Requirements

English competency requirements may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:

• IELTS Academic with a minimum overall score of 7.0 and a minimum score of 7.0 in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking);
• Occupational English Test (OET) with a minimum score of B in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking);
• Pearson English Test (PTE) Academic with a minimum overall score of 65 and a minimum score of 65 in each of the four communicative skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking);
• TOEFL iBT with a minimum total score of 94 and the following minimum score in each section of the test:
• 24 for listening
• 24 for reading,
• 27 for writing, and
• 23 for speaking;
• Bachelor degree from an approved country;
• Successfully completed 0.375 EFTSL of study at postgraduate level or higher at an Australian higher education provider (or equivalent); or
• Where accepted, equivalent prior learning, including at least five years relevant professional experience.
• Note: English tests must be completed within 2 years of the proposed course commencement date and additional requirements may apply in relation to acceptable number of test sittings.

If you have completed units of study at University or have relevant professional experience, you may be eligible for Credit and Recognition of Prior Learning (CRPL).

To assess your eligibility for credit, we first need you to apply for and accept an offer in your course of interest with us. You can then submit an Application for Credit and Recognition of Prior Learning via your Student Portal. 

The course enables students to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various management strategies for supporting clients with a mental illness in the community. Providing students from a range of health related disciplines with an overview of contemporary and evidence-based approaches to the delivery of mental health care.

Students will gain an appreciation of the historical context of mental health care and develop a range of assessment and intervention skills that can be applied in a range of mental health settings. The choice of an elective unit offers students the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in a range of specialised mental health care contexts.

Award Requirements

Students are required to complete 60 credit points.