Griffith University
Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning
- Delivery: Online
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 12 months
- Course Type: Graduate Diploma
This Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning provides essential knowledge and skills needed by modern financial advisors to begin and advance their careers.
Course overview
This includes the practice and theory of financial planning including financial markets, risk management and taxation.
For experienced advisers holding a related degree, the Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning provides an opportunity to meet the new regulatory requirements and advance knowledge in areas such as finance, leadership, consumer behaviour and more. A choice of electives is packaged with the Financial Adviser Standards (FAS) bridging courses into a program of study.
Key facts
2nd November, 2026
What you will study
There are 4 pathways available. Your eligibility for a particular option depends on your previous qualifications and relevant work experience.
- Pathway 1 (For those who are not an existing adviser)
- Pathway 2 (Existing Adviser: No degree)
- Pathway 3 (Existing Adviser: Non-relevant/other degree)
- Pathway 4 (Existing Adviser: Relevant degree/related university program)
To complete the Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning, you must earn 80 credit points (CP). Each course is valued at 10 CP, unless otherwise indicated.
Complete 80 credit points comprising:
- 30 credit points for all Core Courses
- 50 credit points for Flexible Options
This pathway is for those who are not an existing adviser who may or may not have completed a related degree and/or prior study.
Core courses
Complete the following courses:
- Ethics and Professionalism
- Behavioural Finance and Wealth Management
- Principles of Business and Corporations Law
Flexible Options
Complete 50 credit points for one of the following:
- 50 credit points from Listed Electives
- 50 credit points for all Modularised Financial Planning Curriculum
- 50 credit points from Listed Electives and/or Modularised Financial Planning Curriculum
Listed Electives
Complete exactly 50 credit points from the following:
- Corporate Communications
- Income Tax Law
- Forensic Accounting, Fraud and Investigation
- Applied Taxation
- Retirement and Estate Planning
- Financial Markets
- Case Studies in Financial Planning
- Investments
- Equity Investments
- Fixed Income Investments
- Derivatives and Risk Management
- Portfolio Management
- Ethics and Alternative Investments
- Financial Statements Analysis
- Planning Fundamental
- Applied Financial Planning
- Personal Risk Management
- Student Managed Investment Fund
- Economics
- Community Internship and Partnerships for SDG
Modularised Financial Planning Curriculum
Complete 50 credit points for ALL of the following:
- Modularised Financial Planning Curriculum 1
- Modularised Financial Planning Curriculum 2
- Modularised Financial Planning Curriculum 3
- Modularised Financial Planning Curriculum 4
- Modularised Financial Planning Curriculum 5
Listed Electives and/or Modularised Financial Planning Curriculum
Complete exactly 50 credit points from the following:
- Corporate Communications
- Income Tax Law
- Forensic Accounting, Fraud and Investigation
- Applied Taxation
- Retirement and Estate Planning
- Financial Markets
- Case Studies in Financial Planning
- Investments
- Equity Investments
- Fixed Income Investments
- Derivatives and Risk Management
- Portfolio Management
- Ethics and Alternative Investments
- Financial Statements Analysis
- Financial Planning Fundamentals
- Applied Financial Planning
- Personal Risk Management
- Student Managed Investment Fund
- Economic
- Community Internship and Partnerships for SDGs
- International Financial Transactions and Taxation
- Modularised Financial Planning Curriculum 1
- Modularised Financial Planning Curriculum 2
- Modularised Financial Planning Curriculum 3
- Modularised Financial Planning Curriculum 4
- Modularised Financial Planning Curriculum 5
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
To be eligible for admission to the Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning, a student must have one of the following:
- A bachelor's degree (or higher) from a recognised university (or another tertiary education institution of equivalent standing) with a minimum GPA of 4.0 (using a 7.0 scale).
- A minimum of five years of equivalent full-time professional work experience in a relevant field.
- A combination of alternative admission criteria such as formal, informal and non-formal learning deemed to be equivalent to either of the above.
- Meet the definition of an 'existing provider' as detailed in the Professional Standards legislation.
AMP student cohort
Students wishing to complete this program under the conditions of the AMP Services Limited partnership and affiliation with Griffith University are required to complete a consent form providing Griffith University with permission to share their student information with AMP Services Limited in relation to the program.
English language requirements
English language requirements apply to international applicants and other applicants whose previous study was undertaken in a language other than English. The minimum English language requirements for such applicants for entry to this program are as follows:
- A minimum overall band score of 6.5 on IELTS (Academic) with no sub-score of less than 6.0.
- A minimum score of 575 on TOEFL.
- An internet-based (iBT) TOEFL score of 79 (no sub-score less than 19).
- No score less than 3+ in each skill of the ISLPR (conducted by ISLPR Language Services only).
- A minimum overall score of 176 (no score less than 169) on C1 Advanced (formerly Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English) or C2 Proficiency (formerly Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English).
- An overall score of 58 in the Pearson Test of English (Academic) with no score less than 50.
English test results must be no more than two years old.
If you do not meet the university's specified English language requirements, you may wish to contact the Griffith English Language Institute to increase your eligibility for entering a Griffith University program. This institute offers a number of English language and other courses at both its Brisbane and Gold Coast branches.
Recognition of Prior Learning
Griffith University grants credit and recognition of prior learning which may relate to prior formal learning or prior informal and non-formal learning. The university's Credit Precedent Database allows you to find out what credit decisions have been made in the past. These precedents will give you an idea of what you can expect. Contact the university for more information.
Outcomes
Career outcomes
Upon completion of this graduate diploma program, you may find career opportunities in the financial services industry (namely, banks, funds management and financial planning companies) in various roles such as client services officers, business development, client administration officers and trainee para-planners.
Fees and FEE-HELP
Estimated first-year tuition fee in 2026: $34,000 (domestic full-fee paying place)
All costs are calculated using current rates and are based on a study load of 80 credit points (normally eight units) per year.
A student’s annual fee may vary in accordance with:
- The number of courses studied per term.
- The choice of major or specialisation.
- Choice of courses.
- Credit from previous study or work experience.
- Eligibility for government-funded loans.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.