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Deakin University

Graduate Diploma of Emergency Nursing

  • Delivery: Online
  • Study Level: Postgraduate
  • Duration: 24 months

Strengthen your clinical judgement, rapid decision-making and leadership capabilities while applying advanced nursing knowledge in a fast-paced emergency care environment.

Course overview

Build advanced capabilities for complex and rapidly changing emergency care with Deakin University’s Graduate Diploma of Emergency Nursing. Designed for registered nurses working in emergency departments, the course supports progression towards more advanced clinical, leadership and education-focused practice.

You will deepen your expertise in patient assessment, triage, evidence-based care and clinical decision-making. The course also strengthens your ability to analyse complex patient information, manage diverse presentations and communicate effectively within multidisciplinary teams to support safe, person-centred outcomes.

Academic learning is integrated with practice in your employing emergency department, enabling you to apply specialist knowledge directly within your workplace. Following the clinical specialty units, you will explore inquiry and advanced concepts in nursing practice, with electives allowing you to extend your expertise in areas such as leadership, education, patient safety or advanced clinical care.

Delivered online over two years of part-time study, the course enables you to continue working while expanding your specialist practice. Graduates may pursue opportunities across advanced practice, leadership, management and education or continue into the Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing.

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

Delivery
Online
Study level
Postgraduate
Course type
Graduate Diploma
Duration
More Information
Not available full-time
24 months (Part time)
Units
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You may be required to complete 0 credit point units throughout your course. The university will confirm this as part of your enrolment.

The unit total reflects the number of units required for course completion, not the total credit point weight. Some units may be double- or triple-weighted, so the number of units you complete may be lower.
8
Fees
More Information
FEE-HELP loans and HECS-HELP loans are available to assist eligible domestic students with the cost of a university program.
FEE-HELP, HECS, CSP
Price per unit
From $3,675
More Information
The estimated fee is determined by individual units of study and the year the course was commenced.

From $614 (CSP)
More Information
You may be eligible for CSP where the government pays part of your fees. Fees are determined by individual units of study and the year the course was commenced.
Intake
February, 2027
July, 2027

What you will study

To earn the Graduate Diploma of Emergency Nursing, you must successfully complete units totalling 8 credit points, as detailed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is worth 1 credit point.

Core units
  • Core Principles of Critical Care Nursing (2 credit points)
  • Emergency Nursing (2 credit points)
  • Inquiry Into Specialty Nursing Practice
  • Advanced Concepts in Specialty Nursing Practice
Electives

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

To be eligible for this course, applicants must meet all of the following requirements:

  • Hold current registration as a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, with no conditions or restrictions.
  • Have independently secured ongoing employment for at least 24 hours per week in an emergency care setting at a collaborating hospital in Australia.
  • Have access to appropriate clinical supervision within their employing hospital.

Selection also considers academic merit, work experience, participation and regulatory requirements, availability of places and the applicant’s likelihood of success. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

Supporting documents

Applicants must submit a completed Applicant Declaration form confirming their employment and access to appropriate clinical supervision and support.

Clinical and practical requirements

Students must independently secure employment for at least 24 hours per week in an emergency care setting within a collaborating Australian hospital.

This is a compulsory employment-based clinical requirement rather than a university-arranged placement. The clinical specialty units include workplace-based assessments and require access to appropriate clinical supervision.

Both the theoretical and clinical components of the specialty units and all compulsory clinical assessment hurdles must be successfully completed.

English language requirements

Applicants must provide evidence of at least one of the following:

  • A bachelor degree from a recognised English-speaking country.
  • An IELTS overall score of 6.5, with no band score below 6.0, or an accepted equivalent.
  • Other accepted evidence of English-language proficiency.

Contact the university for further information.

Recognition of Prior Learning

You may be eligible for recognition of prior learning if you have previously studied or have relevant work experience. This will help reduce the number of units you need to study to finish your course. Contact the university for more information.

Outcomes

Learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate advanced clinical practice commensurate with emergency care nursing theoretical knowledge, evidence-based practice and person-centred care.
  • Demonstrate advanced communication skills to ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality nursing care to patients in the emergency care setting.
  • Evaluate information using digital technologies to effectively disseminate relevant emergency care information to patients and/or the multidisciplinary team.
  • Identify, analyse and evaluate complex data from multiple sources to inform clinical decision-making in the emergency care setting.
  • Apply advanced nursing knowledge to complex problems in the emergency care setting to optimise patient outcomes.
  • Demonstrate professionalism, accountability, reflection and personal autonomy as an emergency nurse.
  • Establish and maintain inclusive, collaborative professional relationships with all multidisciplinary team members.
  • Demonstrate accountability for and sound professional judgement in behaviours that uphold ethical principles of practice within diverse social, cultural and environmental contexts.

Career outcomes

The Graduate Diploma of Emergency Nursing allows you to meet the demand in various roles across advanced practice, leadership, management and education in regional, rural or metropolitan emergency departments.

Fees and CSP

Indicative annual fee in 2027: $4,908 (Commonwealth Supported Place)

Indicative annual fee in 2027: $29,400 (Full-fee paying place)

Indicative annual fees are based on your first year of study.

A student’s annual fee may vary by:

  • The number of units studied.
  • 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 the course you're enrolled in.
  • Dependent on the study areas they relate to.
  • Reviewed and adjusted each year.

Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.

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.