The Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) has approved a range of graduate diploma and bridging courses required by financial advisers to meet new mandatory education requirements.
FASEA stated it had approved a first round of courses from 15 higher education providers (HEP), including 13 current graduate diploma courses, 8 historical graduate diploma courses and 11 bridging courses. The approval were also a recognition of the alignment of the listed programs and courses with the authority’s required curriculum and standards.
The 32 courses will be added to FASEA’s degree, qualifications and courses legislative instrument, and will be available on its website, while further applications for the assessment of courses and degrees will continue as applications are received from HEPs.
“The release of the approved list of bridging courses and graduate diplomas gives advisers a clear pathway to meet the education standard by 1 January 2024,” FASEA chief executive Stephen Glenfield said.
FASEA called for education providers to submit applications for the assessment of bridging courses and graduate diplomas in March when it released its program and provider accreditation policy, stating at that time it would assess an initial tranche of courses from providers who made applications by 12 April.
The authority indicated the process would take up to eight weeks and in mid-May released an update stating there had been 14 applications from graduate diploma providers and 11 applications from bridging course providers, and final assessments were to be released in mid-June.
“This would allow accredited providers sufficient time to commence offering accredited graduate diplomas and bridging courses in the second half of the 2019 calendar year,” it said at the time.
Education provider Kaplan Professional indicated it would be taking enrolments into its Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning, which also covers the three stand-alone bridging courses required by FASEA, from 24 June and classes would start on 2 September, and a stand-alone ethics bridging course would start on 8 July.
Kaplan Professional chief executive Brian Knight welcomed the approval, adding: “For those advisers waiting for FASEA approval, this will provide them with the clarity and certainty they need to move forward.”
The list of courses approved by FASEA are:
| Higher Education Provider | Current Graduate Diploma | Historical Graduate Diploma | Bridging Courses |
| Australian Catholic University | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Central Queensland University | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Charles Sturt University | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Deakin University | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Griffith University | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Kaplan Higher Education | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Queensland University of Technology | ✔ | ||
| Swinburne University | ✔ | ✔ | |
| TAFE NSW | ✔ | ✔ | |
| University of Newcastle | ✔ | ||
| University of New England | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| University of South Australia | ✔ | ✔ | |
| University of Sunshine Coast | ✔ | ||
| University of Technology Sydney | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Western Sydney University | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
