Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing

What you will study

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

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

To be eligible for this course, applicants must meet at least one of the following requirements:

• Hold current registration as a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, with no conditions or restrictions.
• Hold registration as a registered nurse in the country of practice or equivalent and have successfully completed a Bachelor of Nursing or equivalent qualification.

Selection also considers academic merit, work experience, likelihood of success, availability of places, participation and regulatory requirements and individual circumstances. Meeting the minimum academic and English language requirements does not guarantee admission.

English language requirements

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

• A bachelor’s degree completed in a recognised English-speaking country.
• An IELTS overall score of 6.5, with no individual 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

• Critically analyse and apply theories and evidence-informed practice to facilitate recovery-oriented, trauma-informed and consumer-centred mental health nursing care.
• Apply advanced therapeutic nursing communication skills and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to promote advocacy, agency and self-determination among mental health consumers, families and carers.
• Maintain and advance mental health nursing knowledge and practice by critically analysing mental health research using digital technologies.
• Apply advanced critical thinking nursing skills through the analysis, evaluation and critique of evidence-based sources to inform clinical decision making.
• Assess, plan and deliver mental health nursing care to diverse consumers with complex mental health needs.
• Practice independently, demonstrating accountability and personal responsibility, whilst reflecting on nursing practice.
• Collaborate with mental health consumers and the multidisciplinary team to optimise consumer outcomes and engagement.
• Maintain professional and ethical standards of nursing practice whilst recognising diverse cultural and community perspectives.

Career outcomes

Graduates can strengthen their mental health nursing practice and prepare for increased clinical or leadership responsibility across community and inpatient services. Potential opportunities are as a registered psychiatric nurse, senior clinician or in a leadership role.

Potential employment settings include:

• Acute public mental health and psychiatry
• Aged care services
• Child and adolescent mental health and psychiatry
• Forensic services
• Mother and baby services
• Community mental health
• Drug and alcohol services
• Private mental health

Fees and CSP

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

Indicative annual fee in 2027: $30,600 (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.