A Professional Supervisor has knowledge, skills and experience to provide a structured relationship of trust and transparency in which supervisees can review their work or ministry in groups or individually, in person or online. The relationship of supervisor with supervisees is intentional and compassionate.
Why become a Professional Supervisor?
Professional supervision is increasingly valued in all the helping professions. Our courses qualify people to become professional supervisors, equipping them to supervise others in a wide range of areas:
- ministry
- chaplaincy
- health
- education
- leadership and governance
- intercultural and mission organisations.
Graduates in Professional Supervision may work for a denomination or organisation, or as an individual practitioner, or both.
Professional Supervision at the UD
Professional Supervision is an area of study offered at the University of Divinity – a national centre of excellence for institutional accountability, personal development, and service improvement in the caring vocations.
Originally created in 2021, in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the program is committed to training specialists who are equipped to help therapists, pastors, chaplains, aged carers, and other caring professionals create environments that are safe and responsive to the needs of their vulnerable clients and communities.
Professional Supervision is essential to the wellbeing of workers and volunteers engaged in caring vocations. Focusing on the supervisee as a person-in-role, qualified supervisors are trained in the art of purposeful interruption and personal reflection to help their supervisees discover and discuss role-related dynamics, and pursue opportunities for personal development, service improvement and sustainable practice. Accountability, mature ethical work practices, self-care and sustainable practice are foundational as the University of Divinity trains supervisors to work with sensitivity, compassion, and clarity of purpose.
Delivered in-person or online via Zoom, the 12-month program is undertaken though the University of Divinity, hosted by Whitley College.
This Graduate Certificate of Professional Supervision is a Registered Supervisor Training Program by the Australasian Association of Supervision (AAOS)
Emmaus Stream for Spiritual Directors
The Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision (Emmaus Stream) is a program of study offered by the University of Divinity in collaboration with Heart of Life Centre for Spiritual & Pastoral Formation. This stream of the Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision has been developed in response to the demand for competent, experienced, and professional supervisors in the field of supervision of Spiritual Directors. The program draws on the encounter of the two disciples with Jesus on the road to Emmaus and is open to those who feel a calling to deepen their accompaniment skills through the ministry of supervision of spiritual directors and contemplative listening. Emmaus is a transformative journey designed to deepen one’s awareness of self and cultivate a deeper connection with wisdom, compassion, and authenticity.
Delivered in-person or online via Zoom, the 12-month program is undertaken though the University of Divinity (hosted by Whitley College) in collaboration with Heart of Life.
The Graduate Certificate of Professional Supervision (Emmaus Stream) is a registered supervisor training program by the Australasian Association of Supervision (AAOS).
Hear from our students
“The teaching staff are warm, caring and creative in their approach. I particularly appreciated that they encouraged us to be creative, and that they valued us as experienced professionals. There was definitely a sense that we were co-creating knowledge in this developing field.”
“The course has been positively life-changing as I have been (safely) challenged out of my comfort-zone and encouraged to go ‘a little deeper’ to think more broadly.”
“This course has reeducated me in education. To participate in the development of the course development, to be held accountable to integrate the theory with my practice, to embrace creative modalities as an equally informing data source as logic and thinking, to take up the role as learner and facilitator – all of this and more…”
Course overview
The four units of the Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision and the first four units of the Graduate Diploma in Professional Supervision are identical and taught together. This enables flexibility of award transfer and also brings diversity and strength to the cohort of students, particularly helpful in the experiential learning and supervision practice sessions. The first four units are available online and in-person. In-person teaching is located at the University’s St Paschal Campus in Box Hill (Melbourne).
Teaching staff are a range of experienced professionals led by Dr Cath McKinney, together with specialist lecturer, professional supervisors and other guest presenters.
Students enroll in the professional supervision courses through Whitley College, the host college. Library Services are provided by the Library Hub of the University of Divinity. Library resources will be available online. Other resources are available through the Learning Management System ARK.
Courses and units
View full details of each course and the individual units for each award using the links below.
Units
The Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision comprises four required units. These units can be completed in one year, or may be completed over two years.
Select the link on the unit code for each unit to view information about the unit content, class times and the census date.
| Unit code | Unit title | Level | Discipline | Points | Proposing college |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS8011Z | Foundations of Professional Supervision | Postgraduate Foundational | — | 18.0 | |
| PS8012Z | People, Ethics, and Practice in Supervision | Postgraduate Foundational | — | 18.0 | |
| PS8013Z | Where Two or More are Gathered: Group Supervision | Postgraduate Foundational | — | 18.0 | |
| PS8014Z | Inclusion, Power and Culture in Supervision | Postgraduate Foundational | — | 18.0 |
Units
The Graduate Diploma in Professional Supervision comprises eight required units. The first four units are the same as those in a Graduate Certificate of Professional Supervision and are studied together with the Graduate Certificate cohort.
Select the link on the unit code for each unit to view information about the unit content, class times and the census date.
| Unit code | Unit title | Level | Discipline | Points | Proposing college |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS8011Z | Foundations of Professional Supervision | Postgraduate Foundational | — | 18.0 | |
| PS8012Z | People, Ethics, and Practice in Supervision | Postgraduate Foundational | — | 18.0 | |
| PS8013Z | Where Two or More are Gathered: Group Supervision | Postgraduate Foundational | — | 18.0 | |
| PS8014Z | Inclusion, Power and Culture in Supervision | Postgraduate Foundational | — | 18.0 | |
| PS9015Z | Critical Praxis: An Intentional Approach | Postgraduate Elective | — | 18.0 | |
| PS9016Z | Integrated Praxis in a Differentiated World | Postgraduate Elective | — | 18.0 | |
| PS9017Z | Special Focus: Advanced Ethical Considerations | Postgraduate Elective | — | 18.0 | |
| PS9018Z | Integrated Professional Encounter | Postgraduate Elective | — | 18.0 |
Learning options
Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision
The four units of the Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision are offered as intensive blocs of study over the course of a year. For each option, you will choose to attend class sessions either in-person (at the campus in Box Hill, Melbourne) or online (synchronous).
Both cohorts (in-person and online) have teaching sessions at the same time. This means the same content is received by all and the combined group benefits from the breadth of participation.
Weekly Intensive Option (Monday-Friday, excluding Wednesdays)
- Choose in-person or online cohort
- 8 weeks per unit to complete reading and assessments at your own pace
- Four day-long teaching sessions per unit
- Peer Group Work outside class for each session
Graduate Diploma in Professional Supervision
The four units of the Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision are offered as intensive blocs of study over the course of a year. For each option, you will choose to attend class sessions either in-person (at the campus in Box Hill, Melbourne) or online (synchronous).
Both cohorts (in-person and online) have teaching sessions at the same time. This means the same content is received by all and the combined group benefits from the breadth of participation.
The final four units for the Graduate Diploma are offered online only (synchronous) over 8 weeks. Classes for these four units are delivered one day per week for five weeks for each unit.
Both courses
Attendance and participation in all sessions is required as they include experiential learning and supervision practice.
Additional details are available in the unit timetables.
Unit timetables for 2025
Click on the links below to view the 2025 timetables for the Professional Supervision awards.
Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision – July 2024 intake (continuing students in 2025)
Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision – February 2025 intake (new students in 2025)
Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision (Emmaus Stream) – February 2025 intake (new students in 2025)
Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision – July 2025 intake (new students in 2025)
Graduate Diploma in Professional Supervision – February 2025 intake (new students in 2025)
Admission dates for 2025
Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision
There will be two 2025 intakes – one for classes beginning on 24 February, and one for classes beginning on 28 July.
GCPS (Emmaus Stream)
There is one intake in 2025, for a retreat beginning 21 February and classes beginning 24 February.
Graduate Diploma in Professional Supervision
There will be two 2025 intakes – one for classes beginning on 24 February, and one for classes beginning on 28 July.
Admission criteria
Applicants must have:
- successful completion of an undergraduate degree or equivalent professional attainment or equivalent professional experience (subject to approval); and
- practical experience in ministry or a caring profession; and
- evidence of current clearances for working with children and vulnerable adults, such as a Working With Children Card; and
- experience of Professional Supervision as a supervisee; and
- completion of at least one year’s full-time study in theology or ministry
Each applicant will also be interviewed prior to admission.
Fees for 2025
The University of Divinity Council sets tuition fees and fees for other services annually.
FEE-HELP is available to eligible students. FEE-HELP students do not pay up-front fees.
Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision
4 units at $3,268 per unit (2025 rates).
Graduate Diploma in Professional Supervision
8 units at $3,268 per unit (2025 rates).
How to apply
Make an enquiry
Use the Enquiry Form to get in touch for course advice and to register your interest.
Interview
Each applicant for a Professional Supervision award must complete a satisfactory interview prior to admission.
Interviews will be conducted via Zoom on a rolling basis.
Applicants will be contacted to identify a mutually suitable time.
To request an interview, please download and complete the Interview Application Form.
Submit your admission form and interview forms directly to the Whitley College team by email to whitley@whitley.edu.au
After a satisfactory interview, you will be contacted and invited to proceed with the course.
Admission Forms
New students please need to complete an Admission Form for Professional Supervision and the Interview Application Form.
Re enrolment Form for continuing students
If you are already a student of the Professional Supervision program and you are continuing your study in 2025, please use the Re-enrolment form for continuing students (not the Admission Form).
Reenrolment Form for Professional Supervision Courses
FAQs
Is the University of Divinity’s Professional Supervision Program different to courses offered by other institutions?
The University’s courses are unique in Australia because they are high quality qualifications. The University of Divinity is the only institution in Australia offering Professional Supervision awards at University level. This makes them a very strong qualification to have, one that will equip you well as a Professional Supervisor in any situation or place. University-level awards entitled you to acknowledge your professional supervision achievement with letters after your name (‘post-nominals’). These are GCPS or GDPS, respectively for the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma.
The University of Divinity is also eligible under the Government’s Fee-Help scheme, which means there are no upfront fees for eligible students. Also unlike some other institutions the University’s awards include both theory and practice. Students will have an opportunity to log a set of supervision sessions as supervisor, and also receive a set of supervision sessions at no extra cost.
What’s the difference between synchronous and non-synchronous online learning?
Synchronous online learning means that everyone in the class is online and on camera at the same time. The class is held in ‘real time’. This enables interaction and discussion, work in small groups in the practice of supervision, working with staff members in shared learning.
Non-synchronous online learning means you access online material at any time that suits you in the week before the synchronous class. This will include some Peer Group work outside of class (online), as well as readings, reflections, and assessment tasks.
Both the synchronous and the non-synchronous sessions are required parts of the course.
Will the University offer support after graduation?
Definitely! The University will continue to support graduates in a range of ways, including ongoing professional development opportunities, networking and pathways into further study or research. Graduates may also apply to be included in the University’s list of Professional Supervisors.
Graduate community
University of Divinity graduates in Professional Supervision will:
- have a multi-faceted skill set gained through immersion in contemporary scholarship, addressing real issues, and practical learning.
- understand and exercise the ‘degree of independence from the institution’ within which the supervisee is in ministry, as called for by the Royal Commission. (RC 16.45)
- be equipped to build their practice supervising ministry workers, both ordained and lay, school principals, teachers, chaplains, denominational leaders and leadership teams, workers in health and faith-based social services, amongst others.
- have the opportunity to apply to be included in the University’s public-facing list of Professional Supervisors.
- have access to post-graduation resources and networks.
- have opportunities to take up further learning at a Master’s level with pathways to research.
AAOS
There is no official registration process or accrediting peak body for Supervisors/Professional Supervisors in Australia.
However, the Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision and the Graduate Diploma in Professional Supervision align with the standards and recognition requirements of the Australian Association of Supervisors (AAOS).
The University of Divinity and the Professional Supervision awards are recognised by AAOS as a Recognised Supervision Training Program (theory).
AAOS offers a range of levels of recognition.
Individuals apply for their own recognition by AAOS.
Meet the team
A team of academic associates and consultant practitioners is led by Dr Cath McKinney.
Host College
The Professional Supervision area of study is hosted by Whitley College.
Contact for more information and course advice
Professional Supervision Team
Email: whitley@whitley.edu.au
Phone: 03 9340 8100
(The Professional Supervision courses are hosted by the admin team at Whitley College).
Professional Supervision Program Director
Email: cmckinney@divinity.edu.au