Deakin University
Graduate Certificate of Diabetes Education
- Delivery: Online
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 12 months
Explore diabetes prevention, management and person-centred education through an ADEA-accredited course that provides an academic pathway towards becoming a Credentialled Diabetes Educator.
Course overview
Deakin University’s Graduate Certificate of Diabetes Education is designed for health professionals seeking specialist knowledge in diabetes education and management. The course examines diabetes as a complex chronic condition and develops capabilities for supporting people across diverse healthcare and community settings.
You will explore the pathophysiology and management of diabetes alongside its social and psychological impacts. Study also covers lifestyle and medication approaches, person-centred education, self-management, interdisciplinary care and strategies for adapting support to individual and population needs.
The course is accredited by the Australian Diabetes Educators Association and provides the required graduate qualification for eligible health professionals pursuing recognition as a Credentialled Diabetes Educator. Students following this pathway must complete a 40-hour clinical placement while enrolled. Additional ADEA credentialling requirements apply after the course.
Delivered online over one year of part-time study, the course includes an optional three-day workshop at Deakin’s Melbourne Burwood Campus. Graduates can apply their learning across hospitals, community health, primary care, private practice, government, education and health-related organisations.
Key facts
What you will study
To complete the Graduate Certificate of Diabetes Education, you must successfully complete units totalling 4 credit points, as detailed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is worth 2 credit points.
Core units
- Pathophysiology of Diabetes (1 credit point)
- Diabetes in Social and Psychological Contexts (1 credit point)
- Management of Diabetes (1 credit point)
- Contemporary Approaches to Diabetes Education (1 credit point)
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
To be eligible for this course, applicants must have:
- A bachelor degree in a related health discipline.
Related disciplines may include nursing, midwifery, nutrition and dietetics, pharmacy, exercise physiology, optometry, podiatry, medicine, physiotherapy and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practice.
Professional and placement requirements
Applicants undertaking the 40-hour clinical placement must hold current Ahpra registration or accreditation with the relevant professional body.
Applicants with another health-related degree may be eligible to complete the course but may not qualify for the pathway to become a Credentialled Diabetes Educator. Contact Deakin or the ADEA to confirm your professional eligibility.
Clinical placement requirements
Students completing the placement must provide:
- A police check.
- A Working with Children Check.
- Evidence of required immunisations.
- Evidence of current professional registration or accreditation.
English-language requirements
To meet the English-language proficiency requirements for this course, applicants must provide evidence of at least one of the following:
- A bachelor's degree completed in a country recognised by Deakin as English-speaking.
- An IELTS overall score of 6.5, with no individual band score below 6.0, or an accepted equivalent test score.
- Another form of English-language evidence accepted by Deakin University.
Contact the university or visit its website for further information about accepted tests, qualifications and equivalent scores.
Recognition of Prior Learning
You may be eligible for recognition of prior learning if you have previously studied or have relevant work experience. This will help reduce the number of units you need to study to finish your course. Contact the university for more information.
Outcomes
Learning outcomes
- Apply diabetes-specific knowledge and understanding of evidence-based practice to diverse clients, populations and clinical settings.
- Communicate complex knowledge and ideas to clients and their families, health professionals and the wider diabetes community, demonstrating understanding of person-centred care, empathy, appropriate language and methods to promote active engagement and empowerment.
- Utilise and evaluate digital technologies to facilitate learning, teach and support diabetes self-management.
- Critically identify, analyse, evaluate and apply research knowledge and skills for all aspects of diabetes education and care.
- Apply diabetes-specific knowledge and skills to adapt diabetes education and management plans to specific client needs and in varied contexts.
- Demonstrate autonomy, well-developed judgement, adaptability and responsibility as a learner and diabetes educator within their scope of practice.
- Apply the principles of collaborative, interdisciplinary practice to work with health professionals and clients to achieve mutually agreeable outcomes.
- Demonstrate understanding and respect for all cultures, diverse populations and perspectives and promote inclusivity and equity.
Career outcomes
Your understanding of diabetes, prevention strategies and management approaches will be highly sought-after in:
- Public Hospitals
- Community Health Centres
- Primary Care
- Private Practices
- Government and non-government Organisations
- Universities
- Health Funds
- Pharmaceutical Companies
Fees and FEE-HELP
Indicative annual fee in 2026: $14,400 (Full-fee paying place)
Indicative annual fees are based on your first year of study.
A student’s annual fee may vary by:
- The number of units studied.
- Choice of units.
- Credit from previous study or work experience.
- Eligibility for government-funded loans.
Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.
