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Trades & Apprenticeships

SHB50121 Diploma of Beauty Therapy

Can you see yourself working in a day spa at a tropical resort, as a body treatment specialist on a cruise ship, creating new looks for beauty bloggers, or running your own beauty salon? With this diploma, you'll learn about a huge range of body and facial treatments and will graduate qualified to manage your own beauty salon.

Next intake: February 2027
Learn more

Course essentials

Qualification Code

SHB50121

Entry requirements

See entry requirements

Fees

VET fees

Duration

Full - time: 1 year Part - time: 18 months

Locations

SMB (on campus)

Course overview

The Diploma of Beauty Therapy will teach you a broad range of beauty therapy treatments and services which will allow you to graduate qualified to manage your own beauty salon. These include massage, hair removal, spa treatments, lash and brow treatments, nail technology services, providing advice on beauty treatments and services, selling retail skin care and cosmetic products and many more.

To complete the unit SHBBHRS011 Provide female intimate waxing services there is a minimum age limit of 18 years old. If under 18 an optional elective will be provided. 

Students will require access to a computer with an internet connection for access to online classes.

IT requirements

To do this course you’ll need a fast and reliable computer and access to high-speed internet. Expect to use about 5GB of data per month for every unit you’re doing. Find out more about the minimum IT requirements for studying with us.

Got questions?

Call us on 1800 333 864, start a live chat or submit an enquiry.

Student support

The support we offer is second to none. Need academic help? No problem. Extra access or financial assistance? Let’s see what we can do. View our student services.

The fine print

The commencement of all courses is subject to available funding and enrolment quotas.

Everything in this course overview is correct at the time of being published. However, the University reserves the right to alter any course, procedure or fee. Please check for changes before you apply or enrol.

Federation University uses Victorian and Commonwealth Government funding (for eligible students) to deliver training.

School department

Federation TAFE

I find TAFE is great because it's affordable. It's practical skills, hands on and it's easy to engage with the teachers because they're there if you have any questions; they really guide you through it. And it's a good adult learning environment."
— Thea Tribe, Certificate III in Horticulture

Career paths

  • Beauty therapist
  • Spa Therapist
  • Salon manager
  • Salon owner

Fees and scholarships

Tuition fee information

2026 indicative fees

The fees you pay will depend on your eligibility for a Victorian Government subsidised place under the Skills First Program. The indicative fees displayed below are estimates for the total course and may change depending on individual circumstances at enrolment. 

Fees are subject to change annually.

Concession
Government Subsidised Place		Standard
Government Subsidised Place		Full Fee Place
(Not eligible for government subsidy)
N/A$13,926$23,819

Fee assistance

If you’re eligible for a VET Student Loan, you can defer the payment of all or part of your tuition fee up to a maximum of $19,290. You won’t have to start paying the loan back until your income reaches the compulsory repayment threshold.

Material fees

This covers things like tools, stationery, uniforms, textbooks, excursions and so on. Expect the cost to be around $2,547. 

Other study costs

Students are required to purchase a Beauty Kit Included 
•    Uniform 
•    Name Badge 
•    Make-up kit 
•    Manicure/pedicure kit 
•    Waxing Kit 
•    Eyelash extension kit  

Other important information

If you need help managing your fee payments, you might be eligible for a direct debit payment plan. Students doing certificate-level TAFE courses can access payment plans for both tuition and materials fees. Diploma and advanced diploma students can access payment plans for materials fees only.

If you’re accessing government-subsidised training under the Skills First Program, doing this course might affect your ability to access future government-subsidised training.

If you’re eligible to enrol in a course under the Victorian Government Free TAFE initiative, the tuition would be free but you’d still have to pay the materials fee (if applicable).

Find out more about fees, payments and refunds.

 

Scholarships

There’s a range of scholarships and grants available. Find out what you can apply for.

Course details

Start dates

Semester 1, 2026

Locations

SMB (on campus)

Register interest

Information

  • Our Mt Helen, SMB, Camp St and Gillies St campuses are located in Ballarat.

Contact hours

Full-time students will complete 4 days a week of on-campus study with 6 hours a week for online study. Classes are held face to face on campus, with an online component available to be completed at home.   

Part-time students will complete 2 days a week in the first year and 2 days a week in the second year face-to-face study in the classroom, with 3-6 hours a week of online study at home. 

Additional study time is required to complete assessments, classroom readings, and activities. We recommend that approximately 3-6 hours per week should be put aside for these activities, to cover the online component. 

Sample course structure

This is a list of units available in this course. Which units you enrol in will depend on the course and stream available.

Entry requirements

Learner must have achieved desired LLN score and completed PTR. To complete the unit SHBBHRS011 Provide female intimate waxing services there is a minimum age limit of 18 years old. If under 18 an optional elective will be provided. 

To undertake this course, you must have your immunisations up to date. You will also need to complete a Language Literacy Numeracy review prior to commencement to assess your suitability for this course. Please note: to complete the unit SHBBHRS011 Provide female intimate waxing services, there is a minimum age limit of 18 years old.

Formal interviews are only required for low LLN and underage applicants 

How you apply will depend on your current situation. Visit our how to apply page for options and instructions.

After you submit your application, we’ll get you to do an online literacy and numeracy review to help us understand where you’re at (and if the course you’re applying for is a good fit). We’ll give you feedback and offer you support if needed.

For information about students’ rights and responsibilities, please refer to the VET Information Guide.

Direct application
Yes
Federation University code
LBH
National course code
SHB50121

Alternate entry: 
SHB30121 Certificate III in Beauty Services
SHB20121 Certificate II in Retail Cosmetics

 

Imagine being part of the action at Federation TAFE.

Credit for previous study

You might be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) if you have formal or informal learning, or relevant experience that meets the requirements of your training package or VET accredited course. If you think you qualify for RPL, you can apply at the same time as you apply for your course.

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