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Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning

Gain a postgraduate qualification that meets ASIC RG 146 compliance faster, with knowledge in investments and personal financial planning.

  • Overview
  • Structure
  • Entry requirements
  • How to apply
  • Student experience
  • FAQs
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Why choose this graduate diploma?

  • Gain the specialist knowledge in investment, financial planning and taxation knowledge to pursue a career in personal financial advisory
  • Be taught by staff from Australia’s leading schools in both banking and finance, and taxation and business law
  • Flexible study mode: Ability to study online or face-to-face, so that you can balance study with your work and personal commitments
  • Professional recognition: Meet Tier 1 requirements of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission's Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146), depending on course selection

Who is this degree for?

  • You’re looking to undertake study in investment, financial planning and taxation to build a career in personal financial advisory
  • You are a professional looking to broaden and develop the skills and knowledge in financial markets, financial planning, investment, taxation law, as well as risk and insurance

Job and career prospects

The graduate diploma meets ASIC’s RG146 Tier 1 requirements, and will prepare you to pursue a career as a personal financial advisor.

The Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning consists of  8 courses (48 UOC) : 6 compulsory core courses and 2 elective courses.

Compulsory core courses

FINS5510 Personal Financial Planning and Management

Provides the knowledge necessary to effectively manage personal financial resources and needs in the context of globalised financial and stock markets. Considers the whole range of personal financial affairs and the planning required to optimise available opportunities to enhance individual wealth.

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Course outline
FINS5512 Financial Markets and Institutions

Serves as an introductory course. Focuses on major financial markets, including the equity, money, bond, exchange rate and derivatives markets. The basics of financial instruments in these markets, such as bank bills, treasury bonds, futures and options are taught. Exposure to the tools of analyses and the roles and innovations of major financial institutions, eg the banks and non-banks, such as finance companies, building societies and credit unions, life and insurance companies and funds management companies.

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Course outline
FINS5513 Investments and Portfolio Selection

Develops a basic conceptual framework to understand modern investments. Students learn to evaluate alternative investment strategies, develop a more complete understanding of the risk-return relation, and discuss recent developments in investment management. Surveys various financial markets and provides a review of the instruments used to allocate capital and manage risk. Topics include measuring risk and return, designing portfolios, pricing risk, valuing equities, valuing fixed income securities, hedging with derivatives. Students are assessed through a variety of means; including quizzes and exams, computer exercises, and case study discussions.

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Course outline
FINS5531 Risk and Insurance

Introduces the discipline of risk management and precedes advanced work in the risk management and insurance major. Focuses on the principles associated with corporate risk management and provides a structured and well-reasoned methodology in the identification and analysis of risk. Investigates the management of identified risk through both risk control and risk financing techniques. Introduces the basic principles of insurance products, as one possible risk-financing tool.

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Course outline
FINS5537 Financial Planning, Advice and Ethics

This course provides students with the knowledge and skills to pursue employment in the rapidly growing financial planning industry. Addresses the important skills required for operating a financial planning practice, taking into account the regulatory and industry frameworks. Topics covered include understanding the client's situation and needs, conducting analysis and research, formulating appropriate financial planning strategies, choosing suitable products, preparing a fully compliant financial plan, implementing the financial plan and providing ongoing review and services to the client. The course also contains in-depth analysis of the importance of ethics in the operation of financial institutions and in the personal conduct of finance professionals based on market best practice.

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Course outline
FINS5539 Estate Planning and Asset Protection

This course provides students with key estate planning knowledge and skills. From a financial planning practice perspective, we address the importance of estate planning issues when providing financial planning advice. This includes fundamental issues related to asset protection and succession planning. The course is practical in nature and is designed to cover the key estate planning elements impacting clients from a financial planning angle. The course will consist of a theoretical element and a practical case study element addressing issues facing clients and practitioners in the advice space.

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Course outline

Elective Courses

Complete 2 elective courses (12 UOC) from the following list:

ACTL5401 Retirement Planning

This course provides the knowledge necessary to provide effective financial advice for retirement planning in the context of increasingly complex financial products and government policies. The course will cover: current and future demographic characteristics with a focus on life expectancies; risks faced in retirement, including longevity risk, inflation risk, interest risk, adequacy risk and contingency risk; current and proposed retirement income products; the public pension, publically provided benefits and their interaction with superannuation and other private benefits; residential options, health and aged care; estate planning; designing a 'retirement plan'; and understanding the consumer.

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Course outline
FINS5543 Aged Care Planning

Australia has the 4th highest life expectancy in the world and the percentage of the population in the 80 plus age group is expected to more than double by the year 2050.

Clients and their families need to navigate through the legal issues of accessing aged care as well as understanding the options for funding fees, the impact on government income support payments and taxation, the emotional aspects, the impact on carers, estate planning aspects and finding the right levels of care.

This course imparts the knowledge necessary to provide effective advice to clients in the later stages of retirement (and their families) who are looking at their current or future care needs. This is a complex area that has recently been the subject of major legislative reforms.

A unique feature of this course is that the course outlines a process to follow for providing advice and integrates the financial considerations with personal and emotional aspects of accessing aged care services. A predominant part of the course covers the issues of moving into residential care, but various topics also cover the issues for the other living options including retirement villages, granny flat rights and home care packages.

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Find the course outline PDF for this course in the archives

TABL5511 Legal Foundations of Business

Law is an increasingly significant factor in business. In any business decision fundamental legal questions may arise about the potential liabilities of the parties, the rights that the parties have and how the business or transaction should be organised. This subject introduces the Australian legal system; outlines alternative forms of business organisation; discusses the legal framework of business regulation; and examines areas of law particularly relevant to business including the law of contract and torts, the laws relating to specialised commercial transactions, the regulation of restrictive trade practices and sales promotion, and intellectual property.

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Course outline
TABL5540 Self Managed Superannuation Funds Law

The number of self managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) is growing at an exponential rate. This course looks at all the regulatory rules for establishing, administering and closing a SMSF.

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Find the course outline PDF for this course in the archives

TABL5901 Principles of Australian Taxation Law

Principles of Australian Taxation Law is intended to provide students with a sophisticated but broad understanding of the Australian taxation system from a legal perspective. In this course, the fundamental elements of the Australian direct and indirect taxation regimes are analysed. The course investigates the principles of the taxation of income and deductions rules, timing issues in taxation and the capital gains tax rules. The course also gives students an understanding of the Goods and Services Tax and as well as an introduction to tax administration.

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Course outline
Program details
View full program details in the UNSW handbookThe official University guide to degree programs and courses offered at UNSW
Class timetable
View more information on the class timetable websiteThe official University class timetable website

To be eligible for the program, you need to have:

Supporting documentation

Applicants need to provide a detailed resume (outlining relevant competencies and achievements) and evidence of other academic and professional qualifications.

The UNSW English Language requirements also apply to this program.

Pathway option

If you don't meet the entry requirements, the Graduate Certificate in Financial Planning is a pathway to the Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning (for domestic students only).

Students who are not graduates of Australian or NZ universities

For students who have studied at overseas universities, the normal minimum academic requirement is the equivalent of a credit average grade (65%) from an Australian university, as determined by the UNSW Postgraduate Coursework Entry Calculator. Details on assessment will be determined by your grading system so it is important that this is attached with your transcript when you apply.

Note: For applicants from non-211 China universities for UNSW Business School Postgraduate Coursework programs, 88 cut off is equivalent to an 85% Australian scaled average using the calculator.

We will use the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR). They are the government body that provides official information on the comparability of overseas qualifications with Australian qualifications using the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) as our benchmark.

In those countries where an equivalent grade has not been established, the following will be taken into consideration:

  • The standard and content of the undergraduate program completed, and
  • The standard of the institution from which the qualifications were obtained
  • Indian universities award different types of bachelor and master degrees, with different requirements in terms of length of study. At a minimum, applicants would be required to have a 3-year bachelor degree or professional bachelor degree and provide all individual marksheets.
  • Iranian universities award different types of bachelor degrees, with different requirements in terms of length of study. At a minimum, applicants would be required to have a 4-year bachelor degree.

Application checklist

Before you apply, ensure that you:

  1. Choose the right program that matches your interests and career aspirations
  2. Meet the entry requirements of the program
  3. Check if you are eligible to apply for credits or advanced standing based on recognition of prior learning (RPL) for this program

    4. Note: You can apply for credits during the online application process

  4. Have the various supporting documentation for your application. E.g.

   a. Official academic transcripts
   b. Proof of completion of qualification
   c. Proof of identity and citizenship
   d. Proof of relevant work experience (if required)

    You can upload the above documentation during the online application process

How to apply

You can apply for this program online:

There are two intakes per year:

  • Semester 1 (March) intake, apply by November 30
  • Semester 2 (July) intake, apply by May 30

Late applications may be accepted after the closing dates subject to the availability of places.

Need help?

Still need help finding the right postgraduate business program for you? Contact us now.

We know you're busy balancing postgraduate study with your personal and other work commitments. So UNSW Business School's dynamic learning spaces, facilities and student support helps you make the most of every day on campus.

Expand your professional network

Your postgraduate cohort is more than a valuable future business network – you'll make lifelong friends in class and at a range of social events. Join a student club – there are more than 180 social, cultural, sports and professional clubs to choose from. The Graduate Student Association is a great place to start.  Find out more

All the support you need to achieve

If it has been a while since you last studied, you may need to brush up on your skills. We'll help with study skills workshops and Career Mentoring programs. Our Meet the Executive series offers unique behind the scenes business insights and the Business School's LEAD Business Leadership program, as well as many other orientation, leadership and mentor programs, can open the door to new opportunities. Find out more

Stay active on campus

Exercise boosts your mental wellbeing and can help you deal with exam or assignment pressures. It's easy to stay fit with state of the art sporting facilities on campus, including a 50m indoor pool, fitness centre, squash courts and a range of competitive sports teams.

Everything you need in one place

The UNSW Kensington campus is like a village hub, with cafes, bars, banks, a post office, medical and dental centres as well as retail outlets. It's a short bus trip to Sydney's CBD, many beautiful beaches, the SCG and Centennial Park, and movie theatres at Fox Studios.

Make the most of every opportunity

Your postgraduate degree is a unique chance to get a new perspective on life. So get involved – as well as student clubs and social activities there are internships, volunteer projects, competitions and international exchanges on offer. It's a great way to further develop your leadership, project management or specialist skills.

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Quick facts for students

Program code
5273
Award
Graduate Diploma
Total Units of Credit (UOC)
48
Study Mode
Face to face
Online
Duration
1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
Commencing semesters
Semester 1 - March
Semester 2 - July
Course fee*
$4,110
Program fee (total)*
$32,880
* Fees are indicative only
Related programs
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​​​​​​​​​Area of Study

Browse the list of study areas available for postgraduate study

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