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Graduate Diploma in Palliative Care
Note
This course is not offered to international students. All subjects in the course are delivered online.
This course is tailored for experienced health professionals seeking to extend their palliative care capabilities to become future palliative care experts in their field. The interdisciplinary course will elevate your expertise, allowing you to become a leader in providing compassionate end-of-life care. Its uniqueness lies in the collaboration with industry leaders, ensuring a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application in diverse healthcare settings.
You will acquire advanced clinical skills, critical thinking, and leadership abilities, enabling you to deliver exceptional person-centred care and improve patient outcomes. Learning combines theory with real-world practice, facilitated by industry practitioners and employing interactive methods like online activities, media resources, and case studies.
By the end of this course, you will be equipped to excel as a clinical leader in palliative care, able to navigate the complexities of modern healthcare environments.
This diploma has strong links to industry and is firmly grounded in contemporary and best evidence-based, person-centred healthcare practices. The course closely integrates theory and practice-based learning and assessment in a combination of online learning, classroom, state-of-the-art simulation laboratories and authentic clinical settings. Guest presenters include industry-based health practitioners and other experts from a range of clinical settings to ensure that knowledge and skills are evidence-based and clearly reflect advanced practice as it is today. Presenters adopt a range of teaching and learning strategies to enhance the student experience, such as participatory online and real-time learning activities, communities of practice, media resources, podcasts and case-based scenarios. These course features ensure that graduates are practice-ready, able to work in dynamic and changeable healthcare environments, and prepared to make significant contributions to positive patient outcomes.
Course aims
The overall aim of the course is to prepare graduates to become palliative care clinical leaders.
Study plan
To view the study plan please visit the UTS Handbook.Course fees
For relevant fee information, please choose from the following:
Local student
International student
For this course, the cost per credit point for 2025 is $899. The total credit points are 48.
Careers
The course is ideally suited to health professionals who envisage a future in palliative care and are committed to driving international, national and local palliative carer reforms designed to improve patients' and families' end-of-life care experiences. The interdisciplinary course is nested with the Master of Palliative Care (C04365) and equips health professionals with the necessary clinical capabilities to assess and manage within their scope of practice palliative care patients' and families' complex needs. Bringing together the nursing, medical and allied health disciplines, this course focuses on the effective management of interdisciplinary care in the context of prescribing and referral practices, diagnostic investigations and developing comprehensive treatment plans.
Career options include working in palliative care policy at a state or national level, and providing palliative care in a variety of clinical areas such as emergency, critical care, surgical and medical specialties, community-based care, mental health, specialist palliative care, paediatrics, aged care, chronic disease management and primary health care.
Course structure
To view the course structure please visit the UTS Handbook.Additional information
Course duration
This course is offered on a two-year, part-time basis.
DistanceAdmission requirements
Admission requirements
To be eligible for admission to this course, applicants must meet the following criteria.
Applicants must have one of the following:
- Completed Australian bachelor's degree or higher qualification, or overseas equivalent AND Current registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (APHRA) as a health professional in Australia AND Concurrent employment in or access to the clinical area of study AND A minimum of 1 year full-time, or equivalent part-time, post registration clinical experience
OR
- A minimum of 1 year full-time, or equivalent part-time, recent relevant post registration clinical work experience within the last 5 years AND A general capacity to undertake tertiary education, demonstrated by successful completion of hospital or college certificates and professional or staff development
Applicants’ current nursing registration is confirmed via the National Register of Practitioners. Applicants should ensure that details of their registration are up to date on this register.
Supporting documentation to be submitted with the application
- Curriculum Vitae AND Statement of Service in one of the following formats:
- A 'Statement of Service' provided by the employer
- A completed 'UTS statement of service’ signed by the employer
- A statutory declaration confirming work experience (for Australian Residents only)
- An official letter from the applicant’s accountant or solicitor on their company letterhead confirming the applicant’s work experience or engagement with the business, duration of operations, and the nature of the business
- A business certificate of registration in original language and English (e.g. provision of ASIC documentation or ABN or similar documentation for Australian Businesses)
The English proficiency requirement for local applicants with international qualifications is: IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall with a writing score of 6.0; or TOEFL iBT: 79-93 overall with a writing score of 21; or AE5: Pass; or PTE: 58-64 with a writing score of 50; or C1A/C2P: 176-184 with a writing score of 169.
Eligibility for admission does not guarantee offer of a place.
To be eligible for admission to this course, applicants must meet the following criteria.
Applicants must have one of the following:
- Completed Australian bachelor's degree or higher qualification, or overseas equivalent AND Current registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) as a health professional in Australia AND Concurrent employment in or access to the clinical area of study AND A minimum of 1 year full-time, or equivalent part-time, post registration clinical experience
OR
- Current registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) as a health professional in Australia AND Concurrent employment in or access to the clinical area of study AND A minimum of 1 year full-time, or equivalent part-time, relevant post registration clinical experience within the last 5 years AND A general capacity to undertake tertiary education, demonstrated by successful completion of hospital or college certificates and professional or staff development.
Applicants’ current registration is confirmed via the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Applicants should ensure that details of their registration are up to date on this register.
Supporting documentation to be submitted with the application
- Curriculum Vitae AND Statement of Service in one of the following formats:
- A 'Statement of Service' provided by the employer
- A completed 'UTS statement of service’ signed by the employer
- A statutory declaration confirming work experience (for Australian Residents only)
- An official letter from the applicant’s accountant or solicitor on their company letterhead confirming the applicant’s work experience or engagement with the business, duration of operations, and the nature of the business
- A business certificate of registration in original language and English (e.g. provision of ASIC documentation or ABN or similar documentation for Australian Businesses)
Eligibility for admission does not guarantee offer of a place.
Inherent requirements
Inherent requirements are academic and non-academic requirements that are essential for successfully completing a course at UTS. You can find the inherent requirements for your course via the inherent requirements directory.
Articulation with UTS courses
UTS: Handbook
See the Graduate Diploma in Palliative Care in the UTS: Handbook for comprehensive course details.
Information for international students
Find out about support services, the Australian education system, accommodation and more to help you get the most out of your study at UTS.
Domestic students
How to apply
Domestic applicants can apply via UTS Student Portal.
Intake
Autumn Session 2025
Spring Session 2025
Need more information?
International students
How to apply
This course is not available to international applicants. UTS International has information on all courses available to international applicants wishing to study at UTS.
