Having completed the foundation course, students will have some idea whether they wish to pursue further study to become a celebrant.
Students may elect to study the diploma over one two or three years — please let us know if you wish to extend the course when enrolling.
The course consists of units of distance learning, working journal, essays, attendance at diploma weekends, attachment to a celebrant or interactive worker (mentor) and a self-placement with a suitable organisation e.g. crematorium, funeral directors, hospital, hospice etc
Assessment will be by written work – working journal, log book (resource manual), distance learning and essays, Case study, placement report, practical tasks, mentors report and viva.
As for the foundation course.
The log book should contains addresses, resources, information and strategies for creating ceremony and working with clients.
Min 30 hrs
Placement should be found by student and the details fed back in order that contact can be made by assessors and report paperwork forwarded. The arrangements to fulfil the 30 hrs should be between the student and the placement manager – either in 2-3 hour blocks weekly or by a full week or whatever permutation is suitable to both. The placement manager will forward an initial report and a finalisation report to the assessors at the end of the placement.
The proposed placement details should be available at the commencement of the course in order that administration of the placement can be arranged.
Students will be attached to a celebrant as an assistant for some ceremonies or visits through out the year to gain experience taking more responsibility as they progress.
Two practical study weekends. A short introductory weekend Friday evening to Sunday pm and the diploma long weekend (arrive Thurs leave Monday) plus an assessment weekend. The weekends consist of specialist lectures by guest and in house lecturers, discussion groups and practical tasks
Unit 1 Creating a ceremony - components –creating a cohesive whole from fragments etc.
Unit 2 Pastoral Care within the role of celebrant
5,000 words
The role of the celebrant
Title to be chosen to reflect work at placement.
A case study of a single client from beginning to end of the contact (clients from the placement or attachment may be used with the permission of the placement manager/celebrant and the subject)
This will be provided by the placement manager’s report and practical task set on long weekend
30-45 minute viva covering essays, case study practical task and placement
Module 1: January – deadline for submission Feb 28th
Essay 1: deadline 31 March
Placement: to be completed between February and July
Four-day long weekend of appropriate lectures, discussion groups and practical tasks
Module 2: Received May deadline 1st July
Essay 2: deadline 31st July
Case Study, Log book and Journal: deadline 1st September
2nd weekend in September.
Arrival between 6pm- 8pm
8pm Supper
Vivas – to cover placement, essays, case studies etc
Debrief and feedback.
Graduating Diploma students will be expected to attend the professional development weekend lectures and invited to receive their diplomas in the graduation ceremony
The working journal is one means of meeting the criteria required by the course. It is a student’s personal response to the course – the issues raised in modules and in essay research, personal issues raised by the course and the student’s experience of it.
The student should endeavour to use the journal to illustrate criteria both from experience of the course and by personal experience, using episodes from their life experience. This journal is confidential and will only be read by the facilitator and a sample by an external assessor, if one is used. Any external assessor will be bound by the same confidentiality. It is up to the individual student as to how open they are within their journal, but it should be noted that self awareness and a willingness to examine their own process is invaluable in meeting the criteria. A preliminary submission of the first month’s journal should be submitted with the first essay in order that style and content may be adjusted, if needed, early in the course.
The log book should make up a resource folder/electronic data base for the student to include names and addresses of other agencies both nationally and locally, contacts within these agencies, other useful addresses, hints, tips, examples and other resources
A complete account of the contact with client from beginning to the end of the assignment. To include reports of interviews, proposed strategies and their effectiveness in hindsight
The student will choose their own essay title within these areas to reflect an area of interest to them. There will be opportunity to discuss possible titles and approaches with both the facilitator and the student’s mentor.
The essay should show evidence of personal research and experience and illustrate the course criteria. It should be noted that not every criterion may be met in an individual essay and that the student may elect to meet some of the criteria in each.
The content of the essay should have direct relevance to the chosen title and should contain both introduction and summary.
Each essay must be no more than 5,000 words and must be accompanied by a bibliography of all research material.
All direct quotes from research material should be indented left and right within the body of the text and annotated by author, publication and page number.
It may be useful for the student to consider which areas and approaches they may choose for their essays before the start of the course to give them ample time for research.
Assessment will be partly by the placement manager’s report on the student’s work within the placement and partly by the group presentation on the Diploma long weekend. It is suggested that students may wish to bring such items and artefacts/props/garb they may deem appropriate for inclusion in a ceremony. Please note that robes and ritual artefacts are not compulsory
Deadlines must be adhered to and lateness of receipt will be taken into account on assessment, unless prior arrangement for extension has been made.
Some students may, through time constrictions, life, the universe and everything, feel that you may not be able to fit all the components into one year. In such case it is recommended that the practical study, placement and case study are completed in one year, (those components covered by the viva) and the distance learning and essays in another. Students may wish to spread study over three years, in which case it is recommended to follow practical study the first year, placement and case study the second year and distance learning and essays in a third year. This would result in two vivas, one in the first and one in the second year
Please also let us know if you wish to extend the course when you enrol.