Graduate Certificate in Contemporary Mental Health

What you will study

To complete the Graduate Certificate in Contemporary Mental Health, you must fulfil 12 credit points. Each unit is valued at three credit points, unless otherwise indicated.

Core units 

• Contemporary Issues in Mental Healthcare
• Psychological Strategies for Mental Healthcare
• Drug and Alcohol Studies
• Safety and Quality in Health Care

Entry requirements

• A recognised Bachelor of Nursing Degree (AQF Level 7) or equivalent in a health-related discipline.

English language requirements

To study at Murdoch, you must meet a minimum standard in English, which for most courses can be demonstrated by providing evidence that you have completed Years 11 and 12 in Australia at any level if you are a domestic student or through English proficiency tests, university preparation courses, English language courses, previous tertiary study, or vocational education.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Everyone has a different path to university, so if you’ve already completed formal or informal learning, you could receive advanced standing. Also known as recognition of prior learning, advanced standing can reduce the study needed to complete your degree by giving you credit for specific units.

Formal learning can include previous study in higher education, vocational education, or adult and community education. Informal learning can include on-the-job learning and various kinds of work and life experience.

Please reach out to the university for more information.

Outcomes

Career outcomes

The Graduate Certificate in Contemporary Mental Health will start your journey towards specialist practice as a mental health practitioner. The course is designed to teach immediately implementable skills relevant to your role, providing a platform for future development. 

Learning outcomes

• Learning to formulate safe, caring, respectful, responsive and therapeutic relationships with people with mental health issues across a range of healthcare contexts.
• Working to evaluate all accessible evidence to establish person-centred, collaborative decisions that contribute towards providing optimum mental healthcare.
• Creating effective and collaborative interdisciplinary relationships that facilitate evidence-based mental health care implementation.
• Adapting to practising in complex mental healthcare environments whilst acting within appropriate professional, ethical and legal frameworks.

Fees and CSP

Indicative 2025 full course fee: $2,312 (Commonwealth Supported Place)

Indicative 2025 full course fee: $8,640 (domestic full-fee paying place)

All costs are calculated using current rates and are based on a full-time study load of 12 credit points or four units.

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.

Commonwealth Supported Places

The Australian Government allocates a certain number of CSPs to the universities each year, which are then distributed to students based on merit.

If you're a Commonwealth Supported Student (CSS), you only need to pay some of your tuition fees. The student contribution amount is the balance once the government subsidy is applied. This means your costs are much lower.

Limited CSP spaces are offered to students enrolled in selected postgraduate courses.

Your student contribution amount is:

• Calculated per courses you're enrolled in.
• Dependent on the study areas they relate to.
• Reviewed and adjusted each year.

HECS-HELP loans are available to CSP students to pay the student contribution amount.

FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee-paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.