CQUniversity
Master of Clinical Nursing
- Delivery: Online
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 3 Years
Enhance your expertise in your specialised field and improve your clinical decision-making abilities.

Course overview
The Master of Clinical Nursing prepares you to make enhanced clinical decisions and lead clinical practice. You will develop your skills and knowledge in sound theoretical and ethical frameworks that support evidence-based, "person-centred" nursing care.
The Master of Clinical Nursing provides a nursing-specific, high-level, post-graduate qualification. You'll develop clinical decision-making skills through evidence, reflection, discussion and critical review of situations, contexts and resources. You will examine contemporary issues impacting healthcare delivery. Plus, you'll develop your clinical, professional and leadership skills to promote consumer outcomes. As a graduate, many exciting and rewarding opportunities may be available, including promotion.
CSP Subsidised Fees Available
This program has a limited quota of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP). The indicative CSP price is calculated based on first year fees for EFT. The actual fee may vary if there are choices in electives or majors.
Key facts
$482 (CSP)
What you will study
You must complete 12 units (72 credits):
- Six core units (36 credit points)
- One major (36 credit points)
Complete the following units (six credit points each):
- Patient Deterioration in the Clinical Setting
- Nursing and Clinical Governance
- Clinical Learning and Teaching
- Leadership in Healthcare
- Evidence-Based Practice Nursing
- Designing
Entry requirements
To be eligible for entry into this course, applicants must supply:
- Evidence of current registration as a registered nurse with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
- A letter of support from your employer to undertake the course stating that you are currently employed in Australia in your nominated area of specialisation.
Letters of employment must be presented on company letterhead and be signed and dated by a delegated authority. Please ensure the letter contains your full name, position title, duties performed, hours per week, and length of service.
English language requirements
Suppose you were not born in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa or the United States of America. In that case, 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).
- An Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) diploma-level qualification.
- Bachelor-level qualification study for at least two years full-time with a minimum overall GPA of 4.0.
Completed within Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, South Africa, Ireland, or the 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.
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Requires 550 or better overall and minimum TWE score of 4.5 (Paper Based Test), or 75 or better overall and no score less than 17 (Internet Based Test).
- Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) - Requires an overall score of 54 with no sub-score less than 46.
- Occupational English Test with Grades A or B only in the four components.
English test results remain valid for no more than two years between the final examination date and the commencement date of study. They must appear on a single result certificate.
Recognition of Prior Learning
If you have completed prior study relevant to units within this course, you may be eligible for credit for your past studies. Contact the university for more information.
Outcomes
Career outcomes
The Master of Clinical Nursing provides registered nurses with a 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 the competency and confidence to undertake the many nurse leadership positions available within the healthcare industry, including clinical nurse specialist, nurse consultant, and nurse unit manager roles. This qualification will also give registered nurses a competitive edge to apply for promotion. The research component of the course will allow graduates to move into research roles and even lead applied clinical research.
Fees and CSP
Indicative first-year tuition fee in 2025: $3,858 (Commonwealth Supported Place)
Indicative first-year tuition fee in 2025: $28,992 (domestic full-fee paying place)
The indicative first-year fee is the approximate cost of enrolling in this course for one academic year depending on the type of place you are offered, for example, a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) or full-fee paying (FFP) place. For a graduate certificate, this is usually four units studied full-time over one term or part-time over two terms.
A student’s annual fee may vary in accordance with:
- The number of units studied per term.
- The choice of major or specialisation.
- Choice of units.
- Credit from previous study or work experience.
- Eligibility for government-funded loans.
Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.
Commonwealth Supported Places
The Australian Government allocates a certain number of CSPs to the universities each year, which are then distributed to students based on merit.
If you're a Commonwealth Supported Student (CSS), you'll only need to pay a portion of your tuition fees. This is known as the student contribution amount – the balance once the government subsidy is applied. This means your costs are much lower.
Limited CSP spaces are offered to students enrolled in selected postgraduate courses.
Your student contribution amount is:
- Calculated per unit you're enrolled in.
- Depending on the study areas they relate to.
- Reviewed and adjusted each year.
HECS-HELP loans are available to CSP students to pay the student contribution amount.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee-paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.