Graduate Diploma of Midwifery

What you will study

To complete the Graduate Diploma of Midwifery, you must complete these subjects and earn 24 credit points:

• Foundations of Midwifery Practice
• Healthy Labour, Birth and the Puerperium
• Midwifery Care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families
• Challenges to the Pregnancy, Birth and Postnatal Continuum
• Care of the 'At Risk' Newborn
• Professional Midwifery Care
• Complex Midwifery Care
• Research Design: Theory and Application

Entry requirements

Applicants must be registered as a nurse in Australia:

• Have completed an AQF level 7 bachelor's degree in a health-related field at this or another university.
• Have completed qualifications recognised as equivalent to the above.
• Submit as an exceptional case, evidence of professional attainments, including professional experience in nursing.
• Have completed at least twelve (12) months of clinical experience as a registered nurse.
• Have concurrent placement arranged for a minimum 0.4FTE in a Midwifery unit.

Students must submit the following additional registration forms with the application:

• Graduate Diploma of Midwifery Student Registration form.
• Graduate Diploma of Midwifery Clinical Placement Agreement.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Through the Credit Transfer Procedure, students may apply for a credit transfer for previous tertiary study or informal and non-formal learning.

Credit Expiry & Other Restrictions

• Credit gained for any subject shall be cancelled 9 years after the date of the examination upon which the credit is based if the student has not completed the course of study prescribed for the degree.

Maximum Credit Allowed & Currency

• Maximum 12 credit points (for formal study, or RPL, or a combination of formal study & RPL) - Credit will be granted only for studies completed in the 5 years before the commencement of this course.

Outcomes

Learning outcomes

• Reflect critically on the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia standards for practice, behaviours, ethical frameworks and professional responsibilities of midwives.
• Design, implement and evaluate evidence-based midwifery care and recognise every woman’s right to self-determination and autonomy in familiar, complex and challenging environments across the pregnancy continuum.
• Apply primary health care principles and knowledge of social determinants of health to develop and communicate culturally safe strategies to promote and optimise health, welfare and autonomy of childbearing women in Australia with specific reference to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
• Provide culturally appropriate care that is collaborative and in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander childbearing women and their families across the pregnancy continuum in Australia.
• Evaluate and apply established and emerging evidence and concepts in midwifery practice with a woman-centred approach.
• Demonstrate a high level of personal autonomy and accountability in managing one's professional development and contribute to the professional development of others.

Career outcomes

JCU midwifery graduates work as midwives in various settings, including public and private hospitals, birth centres and clinics, midwifery group practices, aeromedical services, neonatal care, education and rural and remote facilities.

Undertaking a Graduate Diploma may be credited towards further postgraduate studies for a degree at the Master's level.

Fees and FEE-HELP

Estimated annual tuition fee (2025): $25,255 (domestic full-fee paying place)

Student fees 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.

FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.