Graduate Diploma vs the Six Core Units: Which Path Fits You?

Here is a side-by-side summary, using FCI’s current course information. It is a starting point for orientation, not an eligibility decision.

The Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution is the full, nationally recognised qualification. It is made up of ten units, the six core family dispute resolution units plus four further units covering areas such as parenting arrangements and responding to family violence. It is designed to take someone with no prior mediation study through to the point where they can apply for accreditation.

Because it is the complete qualification, it assumes no existing mediation training, and it is the route most career changers and new entrants take. Like all FCI programs, it is delivered online and self-paced through Archer Institute (RTO 45020), and it includes a supervised work placement.

The six core units are the compulsory family dispute resolution units drawn from the Graduate Diploma. They cover the same core competencies, without the additional units that make up the full Diploma.

This option exists for people who have already completed closely related study, or who hold qualifying mediation accreditation, and so do not need the complete qualification. It is not a ‘lite’ version for anyone who simply wants to spend less, it is the right fit only when your background supports a pathway that uses the core units. It is also delivered online and self-paced through Archer Institute, and it carries the same supervised placement requirement.

The full Graduate Diploma is generally the right starting point if you:

• are new to mediation and family dispute resolution
• do not hold a bachelor degree or higher in a closely related field
• do not hold qualifying mediation accreditation

In other words, if you are entering through the full-qualification pathway (Pathway 1), the Graduate Diploma is the program built for you. For the bigger picture of how this pathway leads to accreditation, see How to Become a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner in Australia.

The six core units may suit you if you already hold either:

• a bachelor degree or higher in a field relevant to family dispute resolution; or
• current mediation accreditation under AMDRAS that you have held for the required period.

The key word is ‘may’. Holding a related degree, or being an accredited mediator, does not by itself qualify you, the Attorney-General’s Department assesses whether your specific qualification or accreditation meets the requirements. The Three Pathways to FDRP Accreditation, Explained sets out exactly what Pathways 2 and 3 involve.

Your existing study and experience are what decide which program fits, so it is worth being specific about them. FCI lists several backgrounds that can open the shorter route, including degrees in family law or a related field of law, psychology, social work, conflict management, mediation, or dispute resolution.

The Graduate Diploma recognises a wider set of entry routes, including a relevant degree, qualifying mediation accreditation, the Mediation Skill Set, or documented evidence of relevant dispute resolution experience. Whether any prior study counts toward, or gives credit within, a program is best confirmed directly with the FCI team, because it depends on the detail of what you have already completed. Do You Meet the Entry Requirements to Train as an FDR Practitioner? goes deeper on qualifications, overseas study and experience.

Both programs include a supervised work placement of 50 hours. The hours must be completed with an accredited FDR practitioner listed on the Attorney-General’s register, recorded in a logbook signed off by your supervisor, and placement generally begins once you have completed half of your program.

For the Graduate Diploma, FCI lists optional placement-related fees: a placement fee that applies only if you ask FCI to source a placement for you, and a higher hosting fee if you cannot find a host and FCI provides one. These are payable to Archer Institute. Placement-fee arrangements for the six core units are best confirmed with the FCI team, as they sit outside the course fee and can depend on your circumstances.

Both programs are delivered fully online and self-paced through Archer Institute, so you can start at any time and study around work. FCI allows up to two years to complete either program, which gives you room to pace your study, particularly while you are also arranging and completing your placement.

The difference in workload follows the difference in size: the Graduate Diploma covers ten units, while the six core units option covers six. If you already hold relevant qualifications, the shorter program reflects learning you have effectively done already, rather than a lower standard.

The current course fees are $8,950 for the Graduate Diploma and $6,000 for the six core units, and FCI offers monthly payment plans for both. Beyond the course fee, the main additional costs to be aware of relate to placement, as set out above, so factor those in for the Graduate Diploma in particular.

It is worth resisting the temptation to choose on price alone. The six core units are only an option if your background supports the relevant pathway; if it does not, the lower fee is not a saving, because that program would not meet your accreditation requirements. The useful question is not ‘which is cheaper?’ but ‘which one matches my pathway?’.

Whichever program you choose, completing it is not the same as being accredited. FCI’s programs are delivered and assessed through Archer Institute (RTO 45020); accreditation is a separate step, granted only by the Attorney-General’s Department once you meet all of its requirements.

On top of your training, accreditation generally calls for things such as professional indemnity insurance, a satisfactory national police check, meeting working-with-children requirements, being assessed as a fit and proper person, and access to an approved complaints body. Finishing the Graduate Diploma or the six core units takes you to the point of applying; it does not by itself grant accreditation.

A few honest questions usually make the choice clearer:

• Do I already hold a bachelor degree or higher in a field related to family dispute resolution?
• Do I hold current AMDRAS accreditation, and have I held it for at least two consecutive years?
• If neither, am I comfortable that the full Graduate Diploma is my pathway?
• Have I factored in the placement requirement, and any placement costs, for the program I am considering?
• Am I choosing based on my pathway, or just on price?

If you can answer the first two with a clear ‘yes’, the six core units may be open to you. If not, the Graduate Diploma is usually the starting point.

Because the right program depends on the detail of your qualifications and experience, the safest step before enrolling is to have your background checked against the current requirements. FCI’s team can talk through your situation and point you to the program that matches your pathway, and the Attorney-General’s Department remains the authority on whether you ultimately meet the accreditation criteria.

If you also want to weigh these two against the Mediation Skill Set and Property Settlement Mediation, our guide to choosing your FCI training program compares all four side by side.

If you are weighing up the Graduate Diploma against the six core units, the most useful thing you can do is confirm which one fits your background before you enrol, so you pay for the program you actually need.