Master of Mental Health Nursing

Duration1.5 years full-time, 3 years part-time
Location
Online
Next start termAnytime
Study modeOnline
Course codeCL24
First-year fee
$16,836 (Indicative) (FFP)
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Overview

Study CQUniversity's Master of Mental Health Nursing and equip yourself with advanced knowledge and skills in mental health nursing. Benefit from a flexible course structure where you can develop your nursing credentials to practise as a specialist mental health nurse and enhance your research skills relating to your practice.

If you would like to gain the knowledge and skills to practise as a mental health nurse and develop your research skills, our Master of Mental Health Nursing is the ideal course for you. Offering opportunities to enhance your research capabilities and complete a small research project, the Masters prepares you to become a leader in advancing the discipline through scientific inquiry. 

Developed with industry and lived experience academics, our mental health nursing courses are evidence-based and clinically relevant. Offered as part of a suite, the Master of Mental Health Nursing has a nested Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma. The first four units of the Masters make up the Graduate Certificate and allow you to build your skills and knowledge in undertaking mental health assessments, diagnostic formulations and risk assessments, along with psychotropic medication, and recovery. The next set of four units completes the Graduate Diploma and extends on the first four units with a focus on the provision of safe, person-centred, recovery-orientated mental health care. Particular attention is given to exploring a range of therapeutic interventions that you can use to enhance your practice. The last four units of the Masters, prepare you to practise and research within the specialist field of mental health nursing. You’ll extend on your learning of therapeutic interventions that you can use, while you develop your research skills to undertake a research project that addresses an issue in mental health nursing practice. The assessments that you complete as you progress into the Graduate Diploma and Masters need you to be working in mental health so that you can employ your mental health nursing skills and apply your learnings to your own clinical practice.

You will study via our ultra-flexible Be Different learning platform giving you the freedom to structure your study in a way that suits you. Benefit from the flexibility to access course content on any device with internet access and have no assessment or unit deadline constraints, making it ideal for busy, self-motivated learners. The flexible nature of our Be Different courses also means that you have plenty of time to complete your studies. You have up to five years to complete the Masters.

Career Opportunities

The Master of Mental Health Nursing provides Registered Nurses with a mental health nursing specific high level post-graduate qualification. This qualification has the potential to create many exciting and rewarding opportunities for graduates including increased financial remuneration from some employers. Graduates will attain competency and confidence to be able to undertake the many nurse mental health nursing leadership positions available within the health care industry; Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Consultant and Nurse Unit Manager roles. This qualification will also provide registered nurses with the competitive edge in order to apply for promotion.The research component of the course will allow graduates to move into research roles and even lead applied clinical research.

Structure & Availability

Course Structure

The Master of Mental Health Nursing is comprised of 12 core units.  The first eight units make up the Graduate Diploma, with the final four units being research-based.

The units within the Master are six credit points. Each unit is designed to require a time commitment of a total of 144 hours. If you study at a typical university term full-time rate of four units over a six-month duration, you will complete the course within 18 months. However, you will have up to five years from enrolment to complete the Master of Mental Health Nursing.

After enrolling, you’ll have access to the first four units, and you can work through these in any order. After you complete these, you will have access to the next four units. We offer these units in this way to ensure you gain the foundation knowledge that later units draw from.

The final four units of the Masters will become available once you have completed the first eight units.

Assessments

Assessment in the mental health nursing courses ranges from portfolios, online quizzes, case studies, videoed presentations, reports and essays, with all being based around your mental health nursing practice – the difference is there are no deadlines or due dates. Additional activities are available for those who wish to explore topics further; however, they are not mandatory.

 

The final four units within the Masters of Mental Health Nursing are heavily research-based and involve literature reviews, reports, practical assessments, a research proposal and a research project.

Unit Information

To view the units that sit within the Master of Mental Health Nursing, visit our Student Handbook, and select the Course Structure tab.

 

Online Availability

IntakeLocations
Hyperflexible Annual Term, 2023Available Online
Hyperflexible Annual Term, 2024Available Online
Hyperflexible Annual Term, 2025Available Online

 

When you study via our flexible online Be Different learning platform, not only will you study high-quality course content delivered by supportive mental health nursing educators, but you also get to set the pace. This means that you choose when you submit your assessments and complete the unit requirements, you are not required to follow our traditional term dates, such as Term 1 (March) or Term 2 (July). 

The course is open for applications all year round so you can start your studies anytime.

Once enrolled, you will have up to five years to complete this course.

Majors and minors are not applicable to this course.

This course has no residential schools.

Professional Practice - Australian College of Mental Health Nurses

Core

The ACMHN offers accreditation to education providers who provide postgraduate mental health nursing programs that align with the National Framework for Postgraduate Mental Health Nursing Education. This accreditation is consistent with the Australian Standards for Professional Processes (2008) and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) Quality Framework for the Accreditation function.

Requirements

Recommended study

NA

To be eligible for entry into this course, applicants must supply:

· Current Registered Nurse (Division 1) registration with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority (AHPRA); and

· A letter of employment demonstrating current employment in a setting which requires the use of mental health nursing skills.

Letters of employment must be presented on a company letterhead as well as signed and dated by a delegated authority. The letter must contain your full name, position title, duties performed and length of service.

English Language Proficiency Requirements:

If you were not born in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa or United States of America you are required to meet the English Language Proficiency requirements set by the University. Applicants are required to provide evidence of completion of:

A secondary qualification (Year 11 and 12, or equivalent), or

An Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) diploma level qualification, or

Bachelor level qualification study for a period of at least 2 years full time with a minimum overall GPA 4.0

Completed within Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, South Africa, Ireland, or United States of America, which will meet the English proficiency.

If you do not satisfy any of the above you will need to undertake an English language proficiency test and achieve the following scores as below:

An International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic) overall band score of at least 6.0 overall with a minimum 5.5 in each subset; or

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Requires 550 or better overall & minimum TWE score of 4.5 (Paper Based Test), or 75 or better overall and no score less than 17 (Internet Based Test); or

Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) - Requires an overall score of 54 with no sub-score less than 46; or

An Occupational English Test with Grades A or B only in each of the four components.

English test results remain valid for no more than two years between final examination date and the date of commencement of study, and must appear on a single result certificate.

If you are an International student please visit International Students English requirements for further information.

Each student will be assessed individually.

NA

NA

You will have to meet this course's inherent requirements by demonstrating essential skills and attributes.

Fees & Scholarships

2024 Indicative Fees

Fee TypeFees
Domestic Full Fee Paying – Indicative First Year Fee$16,836

Indicative first-year fee

The fees listed are indicative only and based on enrolling in a full-time study load for one academic year (generally, this is four units for a graduate certificate or eight units for a graduate diploma or masters degree). Your fees may vary depending on the units you select and the number you study per term. Fees are reviewed annually and are subject to change. Understanding your fees.

Government assistance loans

You may be eligible for FEE-HELP, an Australian Government loan scheme that helps eligible students pay their tuition fees. Provided you meet the FEE-HELP eligibility criteria, you can choose to use FEE-HELP to cover all or part of your tuition fees. Learn more about paying for university or view the FEE-HELP information booklet on the Australian Government’s Study Assist website.

Other study costs

There may be additional costs as part of your studies, such as technology expenses. Learn more about other study costs.

At CQUniversity, we believe higher education should be for everyone. No matter your situation, we know that everyone needs a helping hand from time to time, and we are proud to offer a wide range of scholarships, bursaries and stipends.
Our scholarships could help you pay for things like relocation, living on campus, laptops and technology, childcare, study and living expenses, travel and more. 

How to apply

If you have decided what you would like to study and are ready to apply, we’re here to help you along the way.  Before you apply, you will need to have a Unique Student Identifier (USI).  If you do not have a USI, creating one is quick and easy.  Simply visit usi.gov.au to create one.

Want to know more about application dates and other admission information?
View our important dates information and read about other admission considerations such as information for domestic students with overseas qualifications, indigenous support, and elite athlete, coach and performer support.

APPLY DIRECTLY TO CQUNIVERSITY
To apply for this course, submit your application directly to CQUniversity using the Apply button below.