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Course Overview
This course aims to prepare you at the professional level of clinical practice to apply advanced knowledge and skills in mental health nursing across a range of mental health practice settings and provides you with the opportunity to research issues relating to your practice. You will be required to explore the social and political context of contemporary mental health practice with particular attention to an exploration of the recovery model and recovery oriented strategies for mental health practice, the transformative power of stories, creating meaningful relationships and advanced therapeutic interventions.
Career Information
The Master of Mental Health Nursing provides Registered Nurses with a mental health nursing specific high level post-graduate qualification. This qualification has the potential to create many exciting and rewarding opportunities for graduates including increased financial remuneration from some employers. Graduates will attain competency and confidence to be able to undertake the many nurse mental health nursing leadership positions available within the health care industry; Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Consultant and Nurse Unit Manager roles. This qualification will also provide registered nurses with the competitive edge in order to apply for promotion.The research component of the course will allow graduates to move into research roles and even lead applied clinical research.
| Duration | 1.5 years full-time or 3 years part-time |
|---|---|
| Credit Points that Must be Earned | 72 |
| Number of Units Required | CQUniversity uses the concept of credits to express the amount of study required for a particular course and individual units. The number of units varies between courses. Units in postgraduate courses normally consist of 8 points of credit or multiples thereof (e.g. 8, 16, 24). |
| Expected Hours of Study | Each unit at this level, typically requires 192 hours of student commitment over a period of 12 weeks. |
| Course Type | Postgraduate Award |
| Qualification (post nominal) | MMHN |
| AQF Level | Level 9: Masters Degree (Coursework) |
| Course Fees |
Indicative Year - 2026
Indicative Year - 2025
Indicative Year - 2024
Indicative Year - 2023
Indicative Year - 2022
|
Admission Codes
|
Domestic Students Tertiary Admission Centre Codes (TAC) Codes |
Not Applicable |
|---|---|
|
International Students CRICOS Codes |
Not Applicable |
Domestic Availability
-
Hyperflexible Annual Term - 2027
-
Hyperflexible Annual Term - 2025
-
Hyperflexible Annual Term - 2024
-
Hyperflexible Annual Term - 2026
Overseas Availabilities
-
Hyperflexible Annual Term - 2027
-
Hyperflexible Annual Term - 2025
-
Hyperflexible Annual Term - 2024
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Hyperflexible Annual Term - 2026
Students must hold current registration as a nurse with Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority. It is expected that if students are not employed in a mental health setting, that they will undertake NURS20159 Mental Health Nursing in Practice, which will include 240 hours of clinical placement in a mental health nursing setting.
NA
Be Different
- Indicative Year - 2026
- Commonwealth Supported Place – Indicative First Year Fee - $7,500
- Domestic Full Fee Paying – Indicative First Year Fee - $27,486
- International Indicative First Year Fee - $29,520
- Indicative Year - 2025
- Domestic Full Fee Paying – Indicative First Year Fee - $17,616
- International Indicative First Year Fee - $18,720
- International Indicative First Term Fee - $9,360
- Indicative Year - 2024
- Domestic Full Fee Paying – Indicative First Year Fee - $16,836
- International Indicative First Term Fee - $8,418
- International Indicative First Year Fee - $16,836
- Indicative Year - 2023
- Domestic Full Fee Paying – Indicative First Year Fee - $15,588
- International Indicative First Term Fee - $8,400
- International Indicative First Year Fee - $16,800
- Indicative Year - 2022
- Domestic Full Fee Paying – Indicative First Year Fee - $15,132
Higher Education
Awards and Accreditation
| Interim Awards | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Exit Awards | CC69 - Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing |
| Accreditation |
|
Residential School Requirements
No Residential School for this course.
Practicum/Work Placement
| NURS20159 - Students who are not working in mental health will undertake work integrated learning in a mental health nursing setting in this unit. If students are working in mental health setting, they are not required to undertake this unit. |
Previous and Current Enrolments
| Year | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 28 |
| 2025 | 25 |
| 2024 | 17 |
| 2023 | 45 |
| 2022 | 34 |
- 1. Engage in critical discussion about the contextual foundations of mental health practice
- 2. Examine the place of health promotion in the prevention of mental illness in different socio-economic and cultural communities
- 3. Appraise the importance of relationships in transforming personal experiences and working with people with mental health challenges
- 4. Analyse the importance of the recovery model as foundational to mental health practice and consumer involvement in the provision of mental health care
- 5. Utilise advanced knowledge and skills of mental health nursing practice
- 6. Explore ethico-legal issues in mental health clinical practice
- 7. Apply research skills to undertake a research project to address an issue in mental health nursing practice.
| Course Learning Outcomes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Qualifications Framework Descriptors | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 1. KNOWLEDGE Have a body of knowledge that includes the understanding of recent developments in a discipline and/or area of professional practice | |||||||
| 2. KNOWLEDGE Have an understanding of research principles and methods applicable to a field of work and/or learning | |||||||
| 3. SKILLS Have cognitive skills to demonstrate mastery of theoretical knowledge and to reflect critically on theory and professional practice or scholarship | |||||||
| 4. SKILLS Have cognitive, technical and creative skills to investigate, analyse and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories and to apply established theories to different bodies of knowledge or practice | |||||||
| 5. SKILLS Have cognitive, technical and creative skills to generate and evaluate complex ideas and concepts at an abstract level | |||||||
| 6. SKILLS Have communication and technical research skills to justify and interpret theoretical propositions, methodologies, conclusions and professional decisions to specialist and non-specialist audiences | |||||||
| 7. SKILLS Have technical and communication skills to design, evaluate, implement, analyse and theorise about developments that contribute to professional practice or scholarship | |||||||
| 8. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to use creativity and initiative to new situations in professional practice and/or for further learning | |||||||
| 9. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to use high level personal autonomy and accountability | |||||||
| 10 APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to plan and execute a substantial research-based project, capstone experience and/or piece of scholarship. | |||||||
| APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Communicate, interact and collaborate with others effectively in culturally or linguistically diverse contexts in a culturally respectful manner | |||||||
- Complete the core structure
| Number of units: 12 | Total credit points: 72 |
|---|
NA
| Available units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
| NURS20150 | Contextual Foundations of Mental Health Nursing Practice | |
| NURS20151 | Creating Meaningful Relationships | |
| NURS20152 | Advanced Therapeutic Interventions | |
| NURS20153 | Recovery Into Action | |
| NURS20149 | Mental Health Promotion in Mental Health Nursing | |
| NURS20157 | Mental Health Nursing Assessment and Formulation | |
| NURS20158 | Clinical Foundations for Practice | |
| NURS20168 | Designing Research in Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences | |
| NURS20167 | Evidence-Based Practice Nursing | |
| NURS20174 | Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences Project 2 | |
| Available units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
| NURS20173 | Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences Project 1 | |
| Available units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Students must complete 1 from the following units: | ||
| NURS20154 | The Transformative Power of Story | |
| NURS20159 | Mental Health Nursing in Practice | |