Diploma of Ministry (Korean)

The Diploma of Ministry (Korean) is a one-year course for people who want to lead, teach and serve in Korean-speaking churches and Christian organisations in Australia. You study the same core ground as any ministry diploma, biblical studies, theology, church history, pastoral care, preaching and mission, but you do it in Korean, with English used where the material or the setting calls for it. That matters in a country where hundreds of Korean congregations run services, youth groups, aged-care visits and community programs, and where many of the people doing that work have never had formal training in it.

How the course is structured

Australian diplomas are made up of units of study, each carrying a set number of credit points. A full-time load is usually spread across two semesters or trimesters in the year, and you need to pass a set number of credit points to graduate. The exact unit list, the credit point value of each unit and the semester sequence are set by the institution, so confirm them on the official course page before you apply. Expect a mix of lectures, tutorials, small-group discussion and assessment through essays, exegesis papers, sermons and reflective journals. Because this is a diploma rather than a degree, the focus stays practical: you are training to do something, not to write a thesis.

Where the course includes supervised ministry or field placement, you spend time in a real congregation or ministry setting under a supervisor, then reflect on it in class. That is standard in Australian ministry training, and it is often the part students say changed how they preach and how they pastor. Assessment of your placement is usually done against a set of competencies rather than a single exam.

What you actually learn

You come out able to read and interpret Scripture carefully, explain Christian doctrine clearly, prepare and deliver a sermon, lead a small group or Bible study, offer basic pastoral care and understand how a church or ministry organisation is run. You also build the habits of theological reflection, asking what a passage means, what it meant then, and what it asks of a congregation now. For Korean-speaking students, there is a second layer: learning to move between Korean and English theological language, which is a real skill in multicultural ministry.

Who it suits

This course fits people already serving in a Korean church who want training behind what they do, lay leaders, Sunday school teachers, worship leaders, small-group coordinators, chaplaincy volunteers. It also suits someone sensing a call to ministry who is not ready for a three-year bachelor degree, or who wants a qualification they can build on later. Australian qualifications sit on the AQF: a diploma is a shorter, more applied qualification than a bachelor degree, and credit from a diploma can often be counted towards a degree if you continue. If you are an international student, the Student visa generally allows you to work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available after you finish, depending on your circumstances. English proficiency is required for entry, IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the usual coursework standard, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the institution's own English programs accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the visa itself. The published tuition figure sits on the CRICOS register, check there and on the official course page for current fees, intake dates and unit details.

• Lay pastor or ministry assistant in a Korean-speaking congregation
• Small-group or Bible study leader
• Youth or children's ministry coordinator
• Worship or music ministry leader
• Chaplaincy assistant in aged care, hospitals or schools
• Community outreach or mission worker with Korean-Australian organisations
• Church administrator or ministry program coordinator
• Pathway into further study, credit towards a bachelor degree in ministry or theology

These roles sit mainly in religious organisations, Korean-Australian community groups, aged-care and hospital chaplaincy services, and not-for-profit community programs across Australia.