Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning

Key Benefits

Meet the FASEA education requirements

This course is suitable for existing financial advisers or new entrants and is the quickest path to meeting FASEA education requirements.

Whether you are an existing adviser* that is required to upskill before 2024 in order to continue to deliver advice, or you are a new entrant (or career changer) wanting to commence a career as a financial planner, this course ticks all the boxes and is approved by the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA). This course is suitable for anyone looking to provide financial advice for retail clients.

*The term ‘existing adviser’ is set out in the Corporations Act under section 1546A. It is a person who is a relevant provider between 1 January 2016 and 1 January 2019 (except a person who has ceased to be a relevant provider). In layman’s terms, a relevant provider must be listed on the ASIC Financial Adviser Register.

Ranked #1 Online University

UNE has ranked number one in an online study by Australia’s Online University Rankings for the past seven years. Join a community of 100,000 proud alumni, that have studied at UNE, the ninth oldest of Australia’s 40 public universities.

Advanced standing (credits) may apply

Depending on what you’ve studied and your previous work experience you may be entitled to receive advanced standing (similar to unit credits).

Practical and relevant learning materials

This course is packed full of advanced-level topics with immediate application for advice professionals. You’ll learn the latest Behavioural Finance theory on how clients make important money decisions and get the most up-to-date superannuation and retirement strategies.

Experience life as a real adviser through UNE’s state-of-the-art financial advice simulation learning tool to help develop critical professional reasoning skills.

FASEA approved

UNE’s Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning has been approved by FASEA as meeting the stipulated education standards to become a licensed Financial Adviser or Licensed Financial Planner.

Study 100% online

Fit study around work, family and life. UNE’s course has been developed to give you absolute flexibility. And ‘online’ doesn’t mean ‘alone’. You’ll be backed by UNE’s expert lecturers and tutors when you require assistance.

Course Accreditation

Depending on your prior qualifications, and if you are an existing adviser or new to the industry, you will need to complete some or all of the following 8 units:

MM467 Professional Ethics
LSSU594 Issues in Commercial and Financial Services Law
FPL550 Behavioural Finance and Investment Portfolio Management
FPL413 Investment Fundamentals and Financial Advice Principles
FPL501 Superannuation and Retirement Planning Strategies and Advice
FPL512 Insurance Advice, Risk Management and Estate Planning
FPL580 Financial Advice Construction and Client Communication Simulation
LSSU595 Taxation Law for Financial Services

Upon completion of the Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning at UNE, you will have met the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) education requirements. This means you will be able to apply to become a licensed financial planner under an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL), after you have sat a FASEA exam.

You must have completed a FASEA approved course (i.e. UNE’s Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning) prior to sitting the FASEA exam. The FASEA exam is 3.5 hours in duration and offered in all major Australian cities, including some regional locations.

Course Assessments

Assessment formats may include:

Case studies
Assignments
Presentations
Online assessment
Exams

Career Opportunities

Are you an Existing licensed Financial Adviser?

Until 1 January 2024, ‘Existing advisers’ on the ASIC Financial Adviser Register between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2018 have a transition period to meet the new education standards.

These new standards stipulate that from 1 January 2019, only ‘relevant providers’ who meet the Financial Adviser Standards and Education Authority (FASEA) education requirements can operate as licensed financial advisers or financial planners.

All new entrants must hold a FASEA approved degree prior to applying to become Financial Advisers.

UNE’s Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning is FASEA approved.

Are you a new entrant or career changer looking for a Financial Adviser career pathway?

If you are thinking about becoming a new Financial Adviser or want to progress towards becoming one, the Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning is the fastest education pathway towards becoming one, as long as you have completed a degree. University of New England (UNE’s) course meets the FASEA education requirements.

Steps to becoming a licensed Adviser

New entrants wanting to become licensed Financial Advisers after 1 January 2019 must meet a number of requirements. These include:

Successfully completing a FASEA approved degree
Successfully completing a FASEA exam
Become licensed under an Australian Financial Services Licensee (AFSL) as a ‘Provisional Financial Adviser’
Successfully complete a Professional Year as a Provisional Financial Adviser of one-year full-time equivalent work which includes direct and indirect supervision by a Supervisor and your AFSL.

Pathways

If you are a career changer and new to the industry but hold a degree or other qualifications, UNE’s 8 unit Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning is your quickest pathway towards becoming a financial planner. The same applies if you are an existing adviser. The alternative is UNE’s Bachelor of Commerce (Financial Planning) which is 24 units.

If you’d like to chat about your pathway options, click here to book a time with Adrian Shaw (UNE Financial Planning Lecturer) or email Adrian at ashaw32@une.edu.au.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements do exist for this course as it is a post-graduate qualification. If you hold an existing bachelor qualification or higher, or are a career changer with a certain level of management experience, or are an existing financial adviser, you will likely meet the entry requirements.

Post-graduate credits for new entrant (career changers)

This is a post-graduate qualification at Australian Qualification Level 8 (AQF8) which is above a bachelor degree (AQF7). If you have post-graduate qualifications in relevant knowledge areas covered in the Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning, you may be eligible for credits.

Credits for existing Financial Advisers

If you are an existing Financial Adviser with an Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning from Monarch Institute, TAFE or other Registered Training Organisation, you are likely to be eligible for FASA approved credits. The Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) has provided guidelines on advanced standing (i.e. credits) available for existing advisers with other qualifications. This means many existing advisers will often be able to complete less than 8 units to still meet the FASEA rules.

Get in touch to discuss your situation and prerequisites for this course and pathway option. Click here to book a time with Adrian Shaw (UNE Financial Planning Lecturer) or email Adrian at ashaw32@une.edu.au.

Course Topics

Course Duration

Each unit runs over a 12 week period.

How it works

More than online.

You’ll get:

Videos and webinars
Support from your course lecturers (phone, email, Zoom)
Online assessments

How does it work?

This course has been designed by practicing financial advisers and is 100% online. Engage with lecturers that have real industry experience in the financial advice industry. Apply your learning using practical case studies, that will allow you to hit the ground running.

Course Price

Meet your trainers

Adrian Shaw
Trainer "To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart"
– Eleanor Roosevelt

Drawing on nearly 20 years’ experience in the financial services sector, I lecture in Investments and Financial Services at the University of New England (UNE) and work with businesses to enhance the way they get things done. As subject coordinator for UNE, I recently developed the first Financial Services Simulator in Australia, and post-graduate subject offering students practical, real-world experience.

I’ve also worked with law firms, financial service providers, accountants and bookkeepers helping them streamline business operations and improve client experience.

What makes me jump out of bed each morning?

My dog and the desire to help my Monarch students!

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Duration	Trimester-based study
How it works	100% online, fee help available
Career opportunities	Licensed Financial Adviser, Licensed Financial Planner or Paraplanner
Units	8 units - approved FASEA credits available for existing advisers
Pathways	Various options. Call us to discuss your specific circumstances
Entry requirements	Prior qualifications and experience are considered for entry
Assessments	Varies depending on which unit you are required to undertake
Start date	March \| July \| November Get in touch about enrolling