Graduate Diploma of Community Services
Duration: 1 year (2 semesters)
Intake: February and July
Delivery: Blended
Credit points: 48
CRICOS CODE: 115561M
Available to: Domestic and international
IELTS: 6.5 with no band less than 6.0
AQF: Level 8
Tuition Fee: International students: $20,000
Enquiry form
Course overview
The Graduate Diploma in Community Services (GDCS) is the first course in community services to be offered at postgraduate level in Australia. It is an entry qualification into community services professions. The course is provisionally accredited by Community Work Australia, (formerly known as the Australian Community Workers Association, or ACWA) the national peak body and professional association for community work practitioners. The GDCS is an academic and practice-based course that promotes wellbeing for people of all ages, with a focus on youth. This course aims to produce graduates who are professionally competent and aware of social needs, including client vulnerability and disadvantage, through their understanding of the welfare, youth and human services sectors. Students will also need to display self-awareness. For this purpose, all students in the GDCS program undertake personal counselling (included in the course costs) throughout the course. The course provides students with experiences of both face-to-face and online classes, as well as intensive interaction with fellow students and experienced lecturers and tutors. The learning will be delivered through lectures/seminars; workshops; case studies; in-class exercises; experiential learning strategies; written reports; oral presentations; essays; and research reports.
Where this will take me
Master of Community Services and Youth Work graduates may practise in a wide range of community settings, including community development and care services, volunteer programs, residential facilities, correctional facilities, group homes, community agencies and government departments. Some careers you could consider include:
Community services case manager or coordinator
Often employed by community health centres, non-profit organisations, and government social services departments, these professionals advocate for their clients’ rights, ensuring they receive comprehensive support and guidance.
Aboriginal community care worker
Employed by Aboriginal health services, community-controlled organisations, and government agencies focused on Indigenous affairs, these workers play a vital role in bridging cultural gaps and improving health outcomes through community-focused initiatives.
Welfare support worker
Employed by government welfare departments, social service agencies, and community organisations, these professionals work tirelessly to empower clients, address social inequalities, and promote sustainable livelihoods through access to welfare resources.
Care coordinator
Employed in hospitals, community health centres, residential aged care facilities, and disability support services, care coordinators play a crucial role in enhancing the quality of life and independence of their clients through comprehensive care management.
Youth worker
Found in youth centres, schools, community outreach programs, and residential facilities for youth, these professionals work collaboratively with young people, families, and community stakeholders to promote wellbeing and social inclusion among the youth population.
Mental health worker
Employed in mental health clinics, hospitals, community health centres, and non-profit organisations, these professionals promote recovery, resilience, and improved mental wellbeing through compassionate care and therapeutic interventions.
Corrections officer
Employed in prisons, juvenile detention centres, community corrections facilities, and government correctional services, these officers play a crucial role in maintaining order, promoting rehabilitation, and contributing to public safety through effective corrections management.
Course program
Semester 1
Introduction to Counselling Skills
This unit aims to develop foundational levels of counselling competence, supported by key skills required for effective clinical practice. For example, students will be introduced to core concepts such as transference and counter-transference, which while originating in the psychodynamic psychotherapeutic domain, are now part of broader counselling discourse. In addition to acquiring the core skills, students will learn how the core skills find expression in a range of counselling modalities.
Social and Political Institutions in Australia
This unit introduces students to the key social and political institutions in Australia. While Australia was in essence ‘born’ a modern democracy, becoming a nation on 1 January 1901, it had both a long history of Aboriginal sovereignty and colonial invasion. Australia developed its social and political institutions within the framework of British traditions, laws, and perspectives. Australia also borrowed heavily from other democracies, particularly the USA. The unit will examine the formal political institutions that characterise Australia, focusing on the Australian Constitution, Parliament, the High Court, role of the Governor-General, Federal–State relations, etc. It will also focus on the social institutions that provide the basic framework for our wellbeing – education, health, housing, social security, employment, personal and community security.
Ethics Issues and Practice
In this unit, students learn how to ethically and responsibly manage this position, becoming conversant with all relevant regulatory codes and Australian legislative requirements that govern the health sector. They explore ethical principles in professional decision-making processes, reflect on the benefits of professional association membership, and are encouraged to be aware of and thoughtful about how their personal moral stance and ethical framework informs and influences their professional practice.
Approaches to Mental Health
Employing a biopsychosocial-spiritual framework and associated approaches, students learn about the aetiology, diagnostic presentation, assessment and evidence-based interventions for a range of mental health issues. They reflect on personal assumptions relating to mental illness, including the relationship between spirituality and mental illness, also considering how stress and vulnerability predispose some individuals to mental health episodes. Finally, they explore the role of social and family contexts in the onset of mental health disorders and their management.
Semester 2
Community Services and Welfare Systems
In this unit, students will explore the community services sector and welfare systems in Australia. Students will learn foundational concepts and theories in community service, the role of government and social policy in the provision of welfare and community services, and the important role of non-government/not-for-profit organisations in providing services to the very diverse population groups in Australia. Using a sociological lens, students will investigate and analyse the social determinants of health and wellbeing, and the role of community services in helping individuals, their families and/or kin to achieve the best outcomes possible. Students will learn to identify and research a range of community services agencies and organisations, and to critically reflect on the barriers and opportunities encountered by both service providers and the recipients (clients) of community service and welfare. Students will reflect on the moral, ethical and social responsibilities of community workers and – more broadly – of society as a whole, in relation to vulnerable groups. Students will consider how and why providing service to individuals and communities in need is both essential and rewarding.
Development and Diversity
Employing biopsychosocial and sociocultural lenses, students examine how humans grow and change across the lifespan, considering the contribution of developmental and sociocultural factors to normative outcomes. They examine major theories of human development, including the interface between the individual and their broader historical, sociocultural context. They consider how the spiritual domain affects development for those with a faith world view, and how different experiences of society and culture, including factors such as racism, bias and discrimination, oppression, power and privilege, and prejudice can adversely affect individual development and present as clinical issues. Finally, students develop an awareness of socially and culturally sensitive counselling practice.
Leadership and Community Development
This unit first introduces students to theories and practices of leadership and management, and their application to sound agency management and case management. This unit also builds on the concepts of community services frameworks in Australia. It introduces students to community development principles and the conceptual approaches to building active and sustainable communities for the purpose of enhancing a community’s social, economic and environmental goals. A community development approach can be applied to many areas of community service organisations, including education, health, welfare systems, employment, government legislation, policies and planning, public housing, and disadvantaged groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The topics in this unit critically analyse the key principles and foundations of community development and the concepts of capacity building, empowerment, equal access, equity and how to develop and integrate these into communities.
Research Methods
This unit aims to equip students to become knowledgeable consumers of a professional body of research, and to become aware of key interpretative issues relevant to research more generally. In order to equip students in this way, this unit introduces students to a range of philosophical, theoretical and practical skills and understandings necessary to design, conduct and evaluate research. Further, to be able to critically evaluate the relevance of specific contemporary research findings for professional practice, students need to be conversant with how knowledge is produced and is deemed to be acceptable by a professional community. Thus, acquiring an understanding of the core elements of the research process and research ethics enables students to discern whether and how specific findings may inform their clinical decision-making and client care.
Summary of Assessment Strategies
Assessment practices/expectations
- Academic Essay/report
- Reflective Essay / journal
- Interview & Essay
- Case Study
- Video, Self-critique
- Individual Presentation
- Group Presentation
- Skills Demonstration
- Poster Design
- Mini Thesis
- Research Proposal
- Placement Agreement
- Program Critique
- Online Quiz
- Online Forum
Entry requirements
Educational prerequisites
Applicants may be admitted to the Graduate Diploma of Community Services if they have previously successfully completed a bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an Australian higher education institution or approved international university at AQF Level 7.
International students
International applicants who have not completed an educational qualification in English must provide proof of proficiency in English through internationally recognised tests such as IELTS or through satisfactory completion of an approved ELICOS course at Excelsia or one of the College’s partner language colleges.
Examination Minimum Scores:
- IELTS 6.5 with no band less than 6.0
- PTE Academic 58 with no score less than 50
Overseas students applying for admission to Excelsia University College courses must have reached the age of 18 years by the commencement of their studies. Excelsia will not admit overseas students who have not yet reached 18 years of age.
International students entering the entering the entering the Graduate Diploma of Community Services will be required to complete an extended orientation if their degree was not completed in English.
Additional suitability assessment
- Criminal History Record: Provide a National Criminal History Record check at time of application obtainable from: nationalcrimecheck.com.au
- Working with Children Check: Provide a Working with Children authorisation at time of application obtainable from: https://wwccheck.ocg.nsw.gov.au/Apply
- All students in theGraduate Diploma of Community Services (GDCS) course are required to engage in personal counselling provided by Excelsia (counselling interns who don’t know the GDCS students, or otherwise senior Excelsia counsellors) throughout their course for at least 12 hours (at least six hours of which should be in first year). Students in the Graduate Diploma of Community Services that intend to progress to the Master of Community Services and Youth Work should complete at least six hours of personal counselling prior to commencing their Master’s year.
