Graduate Diploma of Clinical Nursing

What you will study

To earn the Graduate Diploma of Clinical Nursing, you must successfully complete units totalling 200 credit points, as detailed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is worth 25 credit points. 

Core units

• Professional Development In Clinical Practice A
• Clinical Practice A
• Reflective Practice A
• Management
• Professional Development In Clinical Practice B
• Clinical Practice B
• Reflective Practice B
• Ethical Issues in Professional Life

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

To be eligible for admission to this program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Current license to practice as a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia or provisional registration, whichever is applicable at the time of commencement.
• Nursing or other appropriate degree or the equivalent.
• Minimum of one year relevant post-registration nursing experience.
• Candidates must be employed with a participating health service provider and have their hospital's support to undertake the program.

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 to reduce the number of units that you need to study to finish your course. Contact the university for more information.

Outcomes

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Graduate Diploma of Clinical Nursing, graduates will be able to:

• Implement advanced practice knowledge, skills and competencies that enhance their capacity to work safely and effectively in a dynamic and challenging healthcare environment in the hospital and community.
• Communicate with influence and negotiate persuasively to achieve optimum outcomes for healthcare consumers from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
• Model professional behaviours to colleagues and students that provide clients with culturally appropriate and social care within a medico-legal framework.
• Cultivate productive working relationships by facilitating inclusiveness and valuing diversity within the healthcare team.
• Actively contribute to the professional development of a range of members within the healthcare team.
• Establish a mechanism for lifelong learning by reflecting on practice to apply and build professional expertise.
• Steer and implement change by conducting national and international research retrieval and enquiry, incorporating philosophical, technical and social justice perspectives on healthcare.

Career outcomes

The Graduate Diploma in Clinical Nursing will allow qualified nurses to become clinical leaders in their chosen fields. Careers include nurse educators, nurse managers, nurse practitioners, researchers and research managers.

Fees and FEE-HELP

Indicative annual fee in 2026: $25,800  (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.

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