The Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) is a 54-unit course offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences in conjunction with participating hospitals and health agencies.

Admission requirements

In accordance with the Australian Nursing Midwifery Council Standards and Criteria for the accreditation of Nursing and Midwifery Courses Leading to Registration, Enrolment, and Authorisation in Australia - with Evidence Guide, applicants must:

  1. Have current registration as a nurse in Australia;
  2. Have a minimum of five years full-time equivalent (FTE) experience as a Registered Nurse, including three years FTE as a Registered Nurse in a specialty and one year FTE at an advanced practice level in the relevant specialty area of practice;
  3. Hold a Bachelor of Nursing or equivalent and a postgraduate qualification in a specialty field that has prepared the student for advanced practice;
  4. Demonstrate professional activity in professional organisations and contribution to the ongoing development of the profession;
  5. Provide documentation of employer support necessary to undertake the extended clinical practice components of the course within their workplace or related agencies.

However, the Board may, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature.

Course aims

This course aims to meet the needs of extended practice nurses working in a range of health care settings, by developing skills and knowledge that prepare them for their advanced practice role, within their scope of practice and the context of that practice.

Learning outcomes

Graduates of this course are expected to be able to:

  • have developed extended nursing knowledge and clinical practice skills necessary for the management and provision of effective comprehensive health care to particular populations of health consumer;
  • integrate and apply the interdisciplinary skills and knowledge that are required to participate effectively in the planning, implementation and management of health care programs and service;
  • have developed an advanced level of understanding in the legal, ethical and political dimensions of practice within the discipline and specialty area of practic; and
  • apply research skills to the resolution and improvement of health outcomes for consumers of clinical and community nursing practice.
Nurse Practitioners will integrate their learning with the Nursing and Midwifery Board's requirements for endorsed Nurse Practitioners by meeting the required national competency standards for practice.

Program of study

To qualify for the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner), a student must complete 54 units with a grade of Pass or NGP or better in each topic, according to the program of study below.

The award of a grade of Fail (F) in the same topic on more than one occasion or in 12 units or more, or failure to complete the course within three consecutive years may constitute prima facie evidence of unsatisfactory progress for the purpose of the University's Policy on Student Progress.

Except with the permission of the Faculty Board:

  • no topic may be attempted more than twice  
  • a student may not include a topic which repeats work previously undertaken
  • the program must be completed full-time in three consecutive semesters or part-time in six consecutive semesters.

Not all topics are necessarily available in any given year.

Core - Year 1 & 2 topics

49.5 units comprising:

MMED9110 Principles of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (4.5 units)
MMED9111 Pharmacology for Advanced Professional Practice (4.5 units)
NURS9017 Extended Nursing Practice (9 units)
NURS9027 Diagnostics for Nurse Practitioners (9 units)
NURS9028 Transition to Nurse Practitioner (9 units)
NURS9120 Evidence-based Clinical Practice (4.5 units) 
NURS9125 Population Health (4.5 units)
NURS9621 Epidemiology for Health Care Practice (4.5 units)

Elective - Year1 & 2 topics

plus 4.5 units selected from:

NURS9126 Leadership in Health Studies (4.5 units)
NURS9518 Independent Study (4.5 units)
NURS9707 Policy and Political Context of Health and Ageing (4.5 units)
NURS9708 Social Context of Health and Ageing (4.5 units)
NURS9709 Advanced Nursing Assessment (4.5 units)
NURS9710 The 3 Ds: Dementia, Delirium and Depression (4.5 units)
NURS9711 Advanced Communication (4.5 units)
AGES8024 Medication and Ageing (4.5 units)
AGES8025 Best Practice in Dementia Care (4.5 units)
PALL8430 Communication at the End of Life A (4.5 units)
PPHR9711 Ageing of Populations - Causes and Consequences (4.5 units)
HACM9201 Health Law (4.5 units)
MHSC8112 Perspectives on Chronic Diseases Management (4.5 units)

Students may, in consultation with the Course Coordinator, select other postgraduate topics offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences as their elective. These need to be appropriate to the student's intended area of advanced practice.

Upon completion of the course, graduates are eligible to apply to nursing regulatory authority to practice as a Nurse Practitioner.