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
From $614 (CSP)
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 Principles of Critical Care Nursing (2 credit points)
- Emergency Nursing (2 credit points)
- Inquiry Into Specialty Nursing Practice
- Advanced Concepts in Specialty Nursing Practice
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.