Course information for - 2026 entry
- Duration
- 0.5 year full-time or equivalent part-time
- ATAR
- N/A
- Fees (first year)*
- Start dates
- ACU Term 1 , ACU Term 2 , ACU Term 3, ACU Term 4
Please confirm your specific accreditation requirements with your local diocese/employer as each diocese has slightly different requirements.
Overview
ACU is the leading provider of religious education for teachers in Australia.
(Department of Education Higher Education domestic student commencing enrolments 2023)
Take the next meaningful step in your teaching journey. Build on your primary or secondary education qualifications and gain the confidence, skills and accreditation required to teach Religious Education (RE) in Catholic schools and church organisations.
From planning and running RE lessons aligned to diocesan frameworks, to confidently teaching scripture, Catholic beliefs, ethics and faith traditions. You’ll gain the language and skills to lead values‑based and ethical discussions, support students’ spiritual development, and help respond thoughtfully to conversations around justice, inclusion, identity and belonging. The course includes four units, to be completed over one year to help you integrate faith into everyday classroom practice, and lead prayer, liturgy and faith experiences with confidence and authenticity.
Developed in close partnership with Catholic dioceses and education offices across Australia, this course ensures your learning is relevant and applicable in your classrooms. This course is accepted by all dioceses in QLD, NSW, ACT, and Victoria. In the Archdiocese of Melbourne, accreditation is provided through the Graduate Certificate in Catholic Studies, which was developed to meet the requirements of the Catholic Education Commission Victoria (CECV) Accreditation Policy.
The Graduate Certificate in Religious Education can be accepted in other dioceses/states - please contact your local diocese/employer to confirm the specific accreditation requirements to ensure you meet eligibility.
Note: This course, on its own, does not lead to a teaching qualification. If you do not have a teaching qualification, you may be interested in the Master of Teaching (Early Childhood and Primary)/Graduate Certificate in Religious Education or the Master of Teaching (Secondary)/Graduate Certificate in Religious Education.
REGISTER NOW TO JOIN OUR UPCOMING RE ACCREDITATION INFORMATION SESSION ON WEDNESDAY 27 MAY AT 3:30pm.
Professional recognition
The Graduate Certificate in Religious Education contributes to the accreditation to teach religious education for qualified and eligible primary and secondary teachers. Please contact your local diocese/employer to confirm the specific accreditation requirements to ensure you meet eligibility. Academic and non-academic requirements to teach religious education can vary across dioceses.
Do you want to teach religious education in Victoria? The Graduate Certificate in Catholic Studies has been developed to meet the specific requirements for accreditation in accordance with the Catholic Education Commission Victoria (CECV) Accreditation Policy.
Careers
Our graduates possess the necessary skills and knowledge to teach religious education in primary and secondary Catholic schools. In addition, this may help support further leadership roles in these settings.
Course details
Course structure
To complete the Graduate Certificate in Religious Education, a student must complete 40 credit points (cp).
Course map
Graduate statement
AQF framework
Entry requirements
An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.
To be eligible for admission to the course, an applicant must have completed a Bachelor degree in Education or an equivalent, or recognised teaching qualification.
Disclaimer: The course entry requirements above are for 2026 Admission.
Applicants with higher education study
You will need to meet the minimum entry requirements and subject prerequisites for your chosen course.
If you have completed at least two units of AQF-recognised study at bachelor level or above, we’ll assign you with a new selection rank that reflects your study level, duration, and grade point average.
If your prior study or relevant work experience has provided you with knowledge, skills or experience aligned with the learning outcomes of units in your new course, you may be eligible to gain credit for study or have your prior learning recognised. This means you may be able to complete your ACU course in a shorter timeframe.
You can use our credit search tool to see what you might be eligible for. For more information about credit and recognition of prior learning at ACU, follow the link below.
English language requirements
Overall score: 6.5 Individual score of: 6.0 in all tests
Adjustment factors
If you’re currently completing Year 12 you may be eligible for adjustment factors that can boost your rank and help you get into your desired course.
Adjustment factors may be applied to your TAC application if you study particular subjects, attend schools geographically close to our campuses or in certain regional areas, apply as an elite athlete or performer or meet certain other criteria.
Inherent requirement
There are essential components of a course or unit that demonstrate the capabilities, knowledge and skills to achieve the core learning outcomes of that course or unit. You will need to be able to meet these inherent requirements to complete your course.
Learn more about inherent requirements for your course and how they affect you
Pathways
Further study
The Graduate Certificate in Religious Education provides entry, as well as advanced standing (up to four units of credit), into the Master of Religious Education.
Fees
Course costs
*This is an indicative first-year fee based on the tuition fee rates for a full-time student, using unit enrolment data from domestic students who studied the course in the previous year.
A student’s annual fee will vary depending on factors including:
- Number of units studied per year
- Choice of major or specialisation
- Elective units
The University reviews fees annually.
You can view current course costs and domestic tuition fee rates by unit.
Payment options
You should be able to concentrate on getting good marks instead of worrying about how you’ll pay your fees. We have a number of options that can help you ease the financial burden, including government assistance, scholarships and income support.
Scholarships
You could be eligible for one of the hundreds of scholarships we award each year to help students from across the university with the cost of studying, accommodation or overseas study opportunities. Some of our scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit, but these aren’t just for the academically gifted; ACU also recognises excellence in community engagement and leadership. We also offer a range of scholarships for those who may be struggling financially or who have faced other barriers to accessing education.
Apply for this course
ACU Online Applicants
Deferment
Deferment is available for one year. If you wish to defer please speak to your course consultant.
Staff Profile
Dr Peter Ivers
Senior Lecturer, Religious Education
Dr Peter Ivers is based on the McAuley (Brisbane) campus of Australian Catholic University (ACU) and has experience in a variety of leadership roles in different settings.
Before coming to ACU on a full-time basis, he worked as the Assistant Principal (Senior Years) at St Eugene College (a prep to Year 12 college) in the Archdiocese of Brisbane. He also worked for many years as the Assistant Principal (Religious Education). At the diocesan level, Peter has held senior roles in Brisbane, Rockhampton and Sydney, working both with Catholic schools and in contexts beyond Catholic schools.
In 2010, Peter completed his doctoral studies through the Centre for Innovation in Education at the Queensland University of Technology. His doctoral work investigated the emergence of educational discourses on religious education in the Archdiocese of Brisbane between 1984 and 2005.
Peter worked as a sessional lecturer at ACU for a number of years and has interests in both religious education and leadership studies. He has a particular interest in online learning platforms.
He currently teaches graduate and postgraduate units in religious education in the following areas: history and theories of religious education, religious education curriculum, social justice, spirituality and partnerships in religious education
Dr Janine Luttick
Lecturer, Biblical Studies
Dr Janine Luttick is a lecturer in biblical studies at Australian Catholic University (ACU), in the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy. Much of her teaching is with pre-service education students and post-graduate students, particularly teachers as well as other professional people working in and for the Church. Her current research interest is the representations of children in the Bible and in the material culture and literature of the ancient world. Janine also undertakes research in the field of biblical hermeneutics, including its application in the formation of teachers for Catholic schools.
Before taking up this teaching role, Janine completed a PhD at ACU. Her dissertation considered the story of the raising of Jairus’ daughter in Mark’s gospel by examining the role of the body in Mark’s gospel and the function of depictions of females’ bodies in Judaism and Greco-Roman culture in the first century CE. Prior to the PhD, Janine completed a research masters degree at Monash University, at the Centre for Jewish Civilization, in which she studied the understanding of ancient Jewish purity law in modern interpretations of the healing of the leper and the bleeding woman in Mark’s gospel.
In addition to undertaking academic studies, Janine has worked in various roles within Catholic education in Melbourne for the past twenty-eight years, in schools and education offices. She has recently completed a role in the governance of a Catholic secondary school for a girls’ school.