University of Wollongong
Graduate Certificate in Gerontology and Rehabilitation Studies
- Delivery: Online
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 12 months
Equips health professionals with specialised knowledge to support ageing populations through evidence-based, person-centred care in diverse settings.
Course overview
The Graduate Certificate in Gerontology and Rehabilitation Studies is a clinically based program that prepares practitioners for advanced professional practice in the specialist aged care field. You will use work-based learning to enhance client care and service delivery in a multi-disciplinary environment.
The program differs from courses offered by other NSW and Australian universities in that it is underpinned by a rehabilitation approach to developing services for older people.
CSP Subsidised Fees Available
This program has a limited quota of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP). The indicative CSP price is calculated based on first year fees for EFT. The actual fee may vary if there are choices in electives or majors.
Key facts
What you will study
The Graduate Certificate in Gerontology and Rehabilitation requires the successful completion of 24 credit points of subjects as specified below. Each subject is worth six credit points.
Core
Complete this core subject:
- Essential Skills for Health Researchers
Gerontology and Rehabilitation
Complete two subjects from the list below:
- Emotional Intelligence for Leaders
- Policy and Practice in the Care of Older People
- Rehabilitation: Concepts and Practice
- Mental Health in Older People
Elective
Complete one subject from the list below, or any other subjects approved by the Academic Program Director.
- Health, Law and Ethics
- Effective Leadership and Management in Health
- Digital Innovations in Health
Entry requirements
A recognised professional qualification in a health discipline.
Work and life experience
Admission to UOW is primarily based on your academic qualifications, with work or life experience generally not considered. If you do not meet the academic requirements for this course, we recommend exploring recognised pathway programs, such as those offered by UOW College or the TAFE Tertiary Preparation Certificate (TPC).
English language requirements
All UOW courses are taught in English and require varying levels of proficiency. If English is not your first language, you must meet the University’s English Language Requirements, which differ by course.
Recognition of Prior Learning
If you have completed prior studies or relevant professional experience, you can request course credit or subject exemptions to reduce the duration and cost of your program.
Credit for prior learning evaluates your study or work experience related to your chosen subjects.
UOW values lifelong learning and recognises various types of prior learning, regardless of how or where it was obtained. For more information, refer to UOW's Credit for Prior Learning page on their website.
Outcomes
Learning outcomes
Students graduating from this course will be able to:
- Develop specialised person-centred care knowledge for working with older people and their families, particularly with rehabilitation needs.
- Apply person-centred care knowledge of aged care and rehabilitation practices within interprofessional healthcare.
- Demonstrate skills in critically reviewing, analysing and synthesising evidence to identify and solve complex problems.
- Exercise critical thinking and evaluation to develop a new understanding.
- Communicating knowledge and ideas about theoretical concepts related to aged and rehabilitation practices to a range of audiences.
- Demonstrate independent judgments across various aged care and rehabilitation practice-related functions and contexts.
- Initiate, plan, implement and evaluate broad functions within the aged care and rehabilitation practice context.
- Develop a work-based portfolio of evidence to demonstrate how learning gained addressed the constructs of the Person Centred Framework.
Career outcomes
Graduates from this course are clinical nurse consultants, family carers, medical practitioners, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, registered nurses, social workers, volunteers and other roles in aged and dementia care.
Fees and CSP
Total indicative course tuition fee in 2026: From $2,368 up to $2,968 (Commonwealth Supported Place)
Indicative session and total course tuition fee in 2026: $15,203 (domestic full-fee paying place)
Session fees are for one session per year, as shown. The total course tuition fees shown are indicative and based on the normal course length and progression.
Student fees may vary in accordance with:
- The number of subjects studied per term.
- The choice of major or specialisation.
- Choice of subjects.
- Credit from previous study or work experience.
- Eligibility for government-funded loans.
You may also need to pay the student services and amenities fee.
Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.
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'll only need to pay a portion of your tuition fees. This is known as the student contribution amount – 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 the subject 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 program.
