GradCertArts Award Summary

Graduate Certificate in Arts (GradCertArts)
CRICOS : 082669J

AQF Level 8 Graduate Certificate
Entry Requirements A three-year AQF Level 7 award or equivalent in any discipline
Duration 6 months full-time or 1.5 years part-time
Mode Full-time, part-time
International students on an Australian Student Visa are required to study full-time.
Structure 36 credit points (4 units).
The course may be taken with or without a concentration.
A concentration in the GradCertArts comprises 18 credit points in a sub-discipline.
English Proficiency Applicants whose entry qualifications were obtained in an institution where English is not the language of instruction normally require a minimum IELTS (or equivalent) score of 7.0 in all bands of the test.

Admission

Contact the Registrar of the teaching college for enrolment and fee details.

Graduate Certificate in Arts (GradCertArts) is offered at:

Graduate Profile and Rationale

The Graduate Certificate in Arts course is designed for those who hold a tertiary qualification in a non-theological discipline, who wish to pursue a graduate qualification in theology, and who are seeking skills in theological studies to enhance their professional work. Graduates will be able to apply a body of theological knowledge in a range of contexts relating to ministry and/or further learning.

Outcomes

Knowledge

Graduates will have:

    • An advanced understanding, within a coherent body of knowledge, in one or more theologically-related disciplines or areas of practice
    • potential acquisition and application of knowledge and skills in a new or existing discipline or professional area.

Skills

Graduates will have cognitive and technical skills in a theologically-related body of knowledge, so that they are able independently to:

    • review and synthesize theological information and identify and reflect on complex problems;
    • think critically and evaluate complex ideas;
    • demonstrate an understanding of theoretical concepts in one or more theological disciplines;
    • transmit theologically-related knowledge, skills, and ideas to a variety of audiences.

Applications of Knowledge and Skills

Graduates will have the ability to:

    • make high-level, independent judgments related to a range of issues pertaining to Christian living and/or ministry.

Assessment

Graduate students are expected to give evidence of the breadth and depth of understanding beyond that of an undergraduate student. In particular, their work should manifest the higher order skills of:

    • Analysis – the ability to recognize the distinctive aspects of a topic, and the inter-relationships between them;
    • Synthesis – the ability to integrate the various aspects of a topic and see them in the light of the whole;
    • Evaluation – the ability to think critically and originally, making judgments based on relevant evidence and methods.

Articulation to Other Awards

Students are eligible to articulate to the Graduate Diploma of Arts, on completion of which students are required to surrender their Graduate Certificate.

ACADEMIC REGULATIONS for the Graduate Certificate in Arts

1 Admission to Candidature
1.1 An applicant for admission to candidature for the Graduate Certificate in Arts will:
1.1.1 have qualified for a three-year AQF Level 7 award from an accredited Australian tertiary institution; or
1.1.2 hold, from a university or other tertiary institution, qualifications approved by the Student Support and Administration Committee as equivalent to such an award.
1.2 Notwithstanding the provisions of this regulation, the Student Support and Administration Committee may require an applicant to demonstrate fitness for admission as a candidate for this degree by carrying out such work and/or sitting for such examinations as the Student Support and Administration Committee may determine.
1.3 In exceptional cases, an applicant may be admitted as a candidate for a Graduate Certificate in Arts if the applicant submits evidence of other academic and professional attainments to the Student Support and Administration Committee.
1.4 A Candidate for the award will be designated as full-time or part-time. A student is designated as full-time if enrolled in 27 credit points or more in a semester or part-time if enrolled in less than 27 credit points per semester.
1.5 No candidate for the award may be concurrently enrolled in any other undergraduate or postgraduate course within the Sydney College of Divinity or any other tertiary institution unless approval has been granted by the Academic Board.
1.6 Applicants whose entry qualifications were obtained in an institution where English is not the language of instruction will normally be required to demonstrate competency in English by an IELTS (or equivalent) result of 7.0 in all bands of the test and may be required to attend such English language courses as prescribed by the Sydney College of Divinity.
1.7 Application for admission to the Graduate Certificate in Arts program is made to the Registrar of the appropriate Teaching Body offering the program.
2 Course Structure
2.1 The Graduate Certificate in Arts requires the completion of 36 credit points (4 units).
2.2 All course units will be taken from the Sydney College of Divinity Schedule of Units of Study in the 8100 and 9200 series.
2.3 The course may be taken with or without a concentration. A concentration in the Graduate Certificate comprises 18 credit points in a subdiscipline.
2.4 Units coded “A” are not counted towards a Concentration or Specialisation in any discipline or subdiscipline.
3 Period of Candidature
3.1 The period of candidature for the award will normally be 0.5 year full-time and up to 1.5 years part-time.
3.2 In certain circumstances, the Student Support and Administration Committee may grant extensions.
4 Leave of Absence
4.1 The Student Support and Administration Committee may grant leave of absence from the Graduate Certificate in Arts. The period of leave will not be counted as part of the period of candidature for the award.
4.2 The period of leave will normally be one semester, after which a candidate may apply for a further period of one semester, or will be required to complete candidature.
5 Assessment
5.1 The assessment of course units shall be in the manner approved by the Academic Board in line with the College’s established guidelines.
5.2 Students may be required by the Academic Board to present themselves for oral examination.
5.3 Academic and non-academic misconduct will be penalised in accordance with the regulations of the Sydney College of Divinity, whose stipulations are severe.
6 Credit
6.1 A candidate may seek credit up to a maximum of 18 credit points in the Graduate Certificate in Arts.
6.2 Credit can only be granted for units that are from an equivalent award or institution and have outcomes, content, demand hours, and assessment equivalent to that of units in the SCD award.
7  Saving Clause
7.1 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Academic Board of the Sydney College of Divinity may, in any case in which it may deem it appropriate to do so, vary, dispense with or suspend any requirement or prescription by these regulations, and report forthwith to the Council of the Sydney College of Divinity.

 

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