Course information for
2027 entry
- 2026 entry
- 2027 entry
- 2026 entry
- 2027 entry
- Duration
- 1 year full-time or equivalent part-time
- ATAR
- N/A
- Fees (first year)*
- Start dates
- ACU Term 1, ACU Term 3
- Commonwealth Supported Places are available for this course. See the course costs section below, under Fees.
- This course is available to international students not seeking to study on a Student Visa.
Overview
If you’re a health or human services professional looking to build advanced capability in contemporary mental health practice, the Graduate Diploma in Mental Health is designed with you in mind. You’ll develop your practice through recovery‑oriented, trauma‑informed and person‑led approaches, with a strong emphasis on ethical, collaborative and culturally responsive work across diverse mental health contexts.
Throughout the course, you’ll integrate theoretical, practice‑based and interdisciplinary knowledge to support your work with people experiencing mental ill‑health, psychosocial disability and complex, co‑occurring needs. A strong focus is placed on partnership with people with lived and living experience, families, carers and communities, and on exploring ways to enable participation, inclusion and social justice within mental health services and systems.
You can tailor your learning through differentiated foundational and advanced practice pathways, aligned to your prior mental health experience and professional goals. Core areas of study include recovery‑oriented practice, co‑design, enabling participation for people with psychosocial disability, culturally responsive practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, leadership and supervision, and integrated mental health practice across service systems.
You’ll choose either a project or research stream, allowing you to focus on service improvement, policy development, leadership or research‑informed practice. Flexible study options are supported through a nested exit award at Graduate Certificate level.
By the time you graduate, you’ll be equipped to apply advanced recovery‑oriented and person‑led approaches in complex mental health settings; critically interpret and apply evidence to ethical practice; work collaboratively to address systemic barriers to participation and wellbeing; practise with cultural responsiveness and reflexivity; and contribute to mental health system improvement through leadership, co‑design, evaluation and research‑informed practice.
Commonwealth Supported Places are available for this course. See the Courses costs section below, under Fees.
Professional recognition
This course meets the requirements for a postgraduate qualification to support employment in roles beyond entry level in mental health settings.
Careers
Who this course is for
The Graduate Diploma in Mental Health is designed for health and human services professionals who work alongside people experiencing mental ill‑health, psychosocial disability and complex needs.
It is suitable for professionals such as occupational therapists, social workers, psychologists, counsellors and related professionals who want to strengthen their mental health capability, deepen recovery‑oriented practice, or progress into more specialist, coordination or leadership‑focused roles within mental health and related service systems.
Graduates work across a range of mental health and related sectors, including:
- public and private mental health services across inpatient, community and outreach contexts
- child and adolescent, adult and older person mental health services
- primary mental health care, disability and NDIS interface roles, and community‑managed organisations
- inclusive education and student mental health support services
- justice and forensic mental health contexts, including youth justice and correctional settings
- consumer and carer organisations, lived‑experience‑led services and peer‑led programs
- mental health research, service development, evaluation and quality improvement roles
Roles you may step into
Depending on your professional background, scope of practice and workplace context, this course can support progression into roles such as:
- mental health clinician or practitioner within allied health or multidisciplinary teams
- care coordinator, key worker or case manager roles
- community‑based psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery practitioner
- intake, triage or assessment‑focussed mental health roles, including crisis‑response contexts
- program, service or quality improvement coordinator, including roles with leadership or team‑based responsibilities
Industry partnerships
Your learning in the Graduate Diploma in Mental Health is shaped by ACU’s strong relationships with the mental health sector. Course content is informed by experienced mental health professionals, service leaders and sector experts, ensuring what you study reflects contemporary practice, policy and system priorities. You’ll also engage with curriculum developed in partnership with people with lived experience and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Advisors, who contribute directly to teaching and learning focused on culturally responsive, ethical and person‑led mental health practice.
Course details
Course structure
To complete the Graduate Diploma in Mental Health, a student must complete 80 credit points (cp).
Graduate statement
AQF framework
Entry requirements
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
Applicants require an academic IELTS minimum overall score of 6.5 (with a minimum score of 6.0 in all bands), or an equivalent acceptable test score as outlined in the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy (see English Language Proficiency).
Articulation arrangements
Applicants who have completed the ACU Graduate Certificate in Mental Health, can articulate into the ACU Graduate Diploma of Mental Health. Applicants who have completed the ACU Graduate Diploma of Mental Health can articulate into the ACU Master of Mental Health.
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 the 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
Pathways into course for applicants with previous study and/or life experience
Usual university credit and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) processes apply.
Further study
Graduates may progress to a Master of Mental Health or other postgraduate programs at ACU.
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.
A 10% rebate on fees will be offered to domestic ACU graduates (from any faculty) enrolling in full fee-paying postgraduate studies in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Conditions apply.
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. Find out more about deferment.