Graduate Diploma in Midwifery

What you will study

To qualify for the award of Graduate Diploma in Midwifery, students must complete 120 credit points consisting of:

• Academic Integrity Module
• Context of Women's Lives and Comprehensive Maternity Care
• First Nations Perinatal Health
• Foundations of Midwifery Care
• Research and Evidence in Midwifery
• Complex Maternal and Neonatal Care
• Labour, Birth and Postnatal Care

Entry requirements

Academic entry requirements

Prerequisites

Applicants with industry experience will also be considered.

At least one year's post-registration acute medical/surgical nursing experience. (Exceptions can be made to course admission processes regarding years of acute experience as a Registered Nurse with thorough evaluation of particular circumstances in conjunction with support from the MPE placement provider. E.g., applicants who have completed their nursing degree via an Enrolled Nurse pathway with 12 months of experience as an Enrolled Nurse in an acute setting.)

Specialisation - compulsory: Nursing

Successful completion of an Australian bachelor's degree (or equivalent). (Applicants who have become registered nurses via a hospital education pathway may have this requirement waived.)

A place in this program depends upon the applicant having a clinical placement at an approved clinical midwifery agency in metropolitan or regional areas.

Applicants must have current registration as a Registered Nurse with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Selection criteria

• Applicants must supply their resumé
• All applicants must complete and submit a Personal Statement.

Note: Meeting minimum prerequisites does not guarantee an offer of a place. Entry into all La Trobe courses is based on competitive selection and there may be limited places available.

Special Entry Access Schemes (SEAS)

For information on adjustment factors that may be applicable, such as those through Special Entry and Access Schemes (SEAS) and other La Trobe special access schemes see: Special Entry Access Schemes (SEAS)

Recognition of Prior Learning

Credit for prior study recognises previous educational experiences that can count toward a qualification. This may reduce the subjects you must complete to finish your course. The amount of credit granted depends on the relevance and level of your past study and the number of subjects you have completed. For more details, please get in touch with the university.

Outcomes

Learning outcomes

• Advocate for the role of the midwife, the midwifery profession and continuity of midwifery care to improve perinatal outcomes for women and families.
• Provide holistic midwifery care in collaboration with the intra- and interdisciplinary health care team to optimise the health and well-being of women and babies.
• Perform comprehensive assessments in partnership with the woman by collecting and analysing information to plan and evaluate care.
• Promote inclusive and responsive professional midwifery practice in partnership. Work with women from diverse backgrounds with sensitivity to culture, values, and beliefs and support the woman's capacity for self-determination.
• Demonstrate midwifery practice that aligns with relevant legal parameters and professional standards, ethical frameworks, codes and guidelines
• Appraise and critique research evidence and apply it to midwifery practice to provide safe, high-quality, woman-centred midwifery care.
• Demonstrate strategies for sustainable professional practice, including ongoing professional learning and development and monitoring the health and wellbeing of self and colleagues and through reflection, action and feedback.

Career outcomes

Possible roles include:

• Midwife in a variety of settings, including tertiary services, rural/remote and independent community
• Clinical Midwifery Educator
• Midwifery Manager
• Midwifery Researcher/ Academic

Fees and CSP

Estimated fees in 2025: $4,627 (Commonwealth Supported Place)

Estimated fees in 2025: $31,400 (Domestic full-fee paying place)

The estimated fees are based on a standard full-time study load of 120 credit points.

A student’s annual fee may vary by:

• The number of subjects studied.
• Choice of courses.
• Credit from previous study or work experience.
• Eligibility for government-funded loans.

Student fees shown are subject to change. Could you 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 only need to pay some of your tuition fees. The student contribution amount is 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 courses 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.