University of Notre Dame Australia
Graduate Certificate in Clinical Leadership (Aspiring Leaders)
- Delivery: Online
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 6 months
Build leadership and management capabilities for clinical healthcare settings through flexible online study, exploring quality improvement, change management and team leadership with a pathway to further postgraduate nursing study.
Course overview
The Graduate Certificate in Clinical Leadership (Aspiring Leaders) from The University of Notre Dame Australia is a postgraduate qualification for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals who are aspiring to clinical leadership positions. The program focuses on leadership and management strategies that support high-quality healthcare delivery, professional development and effective clinical practice.
You will study leadership development strategies in health, management, and patient care, quality and best practice while selecting an elective to complement your professional interests. The curriculum explores leadership styles, team dynamics, emotional intelligence, communication, conflict management, change management and continuous improvement. Delivered online, the program can be completed full-time or part-time to provide flexibility around professional commitments.
On completion, you may continue your studies by enrolling in the Graduate Diploma of Nursing, followed by the Master of Nursing (Leadership and Management).
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 $592 (CSP)
12th July, 2027
What you will study
To earn the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Leadership (Aspiring Leaders), you must successfully complete units totalling 100 credit points, as detailed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is worth 25 credit points.
Core units
- Leadership Development Strategies in Health
- Management
- Patient Care, Quality and Best Practice in Nursing
Elective units
Select one course from the following:
- Advanced Health Assessment
- Professional Role Development
- Clinical Governance
- Deteriorating Patient
- Professional Role Development
- Emotional Intelligence
- Counselling Skills for the Professions
- Introduction to Perinatal and Infant Mental Health
- Business Analytics
- Negotiation Skills
- Organisations, Power, Leadership and Transformation
- Economics for Managers
- Strategic Workforce Issues
- Strategic Management & Planning
- Leading Change
Entry requirements
Applicants for this course must meet the following:
- Successful completion of a previous nursing degree or equivalent or an allied health degree or professional equivalence.
To be eligible for admission to The University of Notre Dame Australia, all applicants must meet the university’s minimum requirements for admission. Visit the university's website or contact them for more information.
Outcomes
Career outcomes
The Graduate Certificate in Clinical Leadership will allow qualified nurses to become clinical leaders in their chosen fields.
Careers include
- Nurse educators
- Nurse managers
- Nurse practitioners
- Researchers and research managers.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Leadership (Aspiring Leaders), graduates will be able to:
- Integrate knowledge of leadership styles, team dynamics and work-life balance to build capability and responsiveness in the healthcare team.
- Cultivate productive working relationships by guiding, mentoring and developing staff.
- Communicate with influence and negotiate persuasively by listening, understanding and adapting to the audience.
- Make decisions, manage conflict and collaborate effectively as a frontline nurse leader.
- Critically appraise theories of change management and continuous improvement to build organisational capability and responsiveness in the delivery of high-quality healthcare.
- Critique theories of power and their application to healthcare settings.
- Research the impact of health policy on healthcare outcomes in the national and international arena.
- Reflect on practice to facilitate awareness and knowledge of one’s own cognition in order to apply and build professional expertise establishing a mechanism for lifelong learning.
Fees and CSP
Indicative annual fee in 2026: $2,368 (Commonwealth Supported Place).
Indicative annual fee in 2026: $12,900 (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 program.
