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University of Southern Queensland

Graduate Diploma of Nursing (Leadership and Management in Health)

  • Delivery: Online
  • Study Level: Postgraduate
  • Duration: 24 months

Gain the theoretical knowledge of leadership and management in nursing. Apply theory to practice in your current occupation while you study part-time and online.

Course overview

Overview

  • Nursing management courses throughout this degree holistically develop your understanding of and ability to provide clinical leadership to health care team members.
  • Build the self-reflective practices and skills needed to achieve effective leadership while practising as a registered nurse.
  • Analyse and implement change management practices in contemporary health care to manage the changing nature of teams within organisations.
  • Learn from lecturers who take an innovative approach to teaching interpersonal attributes. This will improve collaboration, human resource understanding, active communication solutions, problem-solving, and decision-making parameters.
  • Fit study into your life - study part-time and online while progressing your career as a registered nurse.

The Leadership and Management in Health specialisation aims to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for healthcare leaders.

Further study

After completing the Graduate Diploma of Nursing, you can take credit for these courses and continue to complete the Master of Nursing.

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

Delivery
Online
Study level
Postgraduate
Course type
Graduate Diploma
Duration
24 months (Part time)
Units
8
Fees
More Information
FEE-HELP loans and HECS loans are available to assist domestic students.
FEE-HELP, HECS, CSP
Price per unit
From $3,330
More Information
Prices shown are calculated based on a study load of eight units.

From $1,119 (CSP)
More Information
You may be eligible for CSP where the government pays part of your fees. CSP prices shown are calculated using the annual CSP rate and study load of eight units.
Intake
8th September, 2025

What you will study

To earn this degree, students must complete eight units.

Core and Specialisation

Complete the following course:

Core courses

  • Contexts of Practice
  • Research Design and Methodologies
  • The Law and Health Care Practice or Culture as Determinant of Health

Specialisation courses

  • Management in Health Care Practice
  • Clinical Leadership in Contemporary Health Care Practice
  • Leading Successful Teams
  • Harnessing Human Capabilities for the Future of Work
Electives

Entry requirements

  • Completed a three-year bachelor's degree in nursing from an Australian university, or equivalent.
  • Hold a current Professional Registration as a Division 1 nurse, or equivalent, with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) or a relevant regulatory body in the applicant's home country.

English language requirements

To meet the English language requirements for this degree, UniSQ accepts the minimum English language proficiency scores from one of the following tests. Your test must be completed within two years of applying to UniSQ.

  • IELTS (Academic): Minimum overall score of 7.0 and a minimum score of 7.0 in the four components - listening, reading, writing and speaking.
  • Pearson Test of English: Minimum overall score of 65 and a minimum score of 65 in each of the four communicative skills - listening, reading, writing and speaking.
  • TOEFL iBT: Minimum total score of 94 and minimum score in each test section: 24 for listening and reading; 27 for writing; 23 for speaking.

Recognition of Prior Learning

If you have previously studied or have relevant work experience, you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning. This will help reduce the number of courses you must take to finish your program. Contact the university for more information.

Outcomes

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this program, graduates will be able to:

  • Apply specialised knowledge, skills and technical competencies across various health contexts.
  • Communicate professionally and ethically in interpersonal, interprofessional and intercultural situations with people of diverse ages, backgrounds and needs.
  • Collaborate with various healthcare professionals to provide patient care that meets and exceeds the national standards for nursing practice and achieve common goals.
  • Reflect on practice to facilitate awareness and knowledge of one’s cognition and abilities, establishing a mechanism for lifelong learning.
  • Critically analyse, synthesise and evaluate a range of data and evidence to provide solutions to complex nursing problems.

Career outcomes

Graduates have the skills to transition into leadership and managerial roles within health care organisations.

Fees and CSP

Indicative annual fee in 2025: $8,948 (Commonwealth Supported Place)

Indicative annual fee in 2025:  $26,640 (domestic full-fee paying place)

A student’s annual fee may vary depending on:

  • The number of courses studied.
  • The choice of major or specialisation.
  • Choice of courses.
  • 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 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 unit 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.