Course Overview
Mental health is recognised as a national health priority area by the Australian Government. The provision of safe, person-centred, recovery-oriented mental health care is a major underpinning of this course. This course prepares you to be able to practice within the specialist field of mental health nursing. It will equip you with the skills and knowledge to work from an evidence-based position to support consumers to meet their recovery goals, work with groups and communities to implement mental health promotion strategies, explore diverse ways of forming relationships with consumers and families and critically explore mental health discourses. Particular attention is given to exploring a range of therapeutic interventions which you can utilise to enhance your practice. The use of a portfolio throughout the course will allow you to apply your learning to your own clinical practice. In order to meet the learning outcomes of this course, it is required that you will be working in an area where mental health nursing skills are employed.
This course is offered flexibly allowing you to enrol, study and undertake assessment at times that suit you. Our Graduate Diploma is not bound by terms dates or submission deadlines. You will have up to 3 years to complete the course.
Career Information
On the completion of this course you will receive the award of Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing.
Students who complete this course of study will be able to seek employment in the mental health field as a career pathway.
| Duration | 1 years full-time or 2 years part-time |
|---|---|
| Credit Points that Must be Earned | 48 |
| 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 6 points of credit or multiples thereof (e.g. 12, 18, 24). |
| Expected Hours of Study | One point of credit is equivalent to an expectation of approximately two hours of student work per week in a term. |
| Course Type | Postgraduate Award |
| Qualification (post nominal) | GradDipMHN |
| AQF Level | Level 8: Graduate Diploma |
| 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
-
Hyperflexible Annual Term - 2026
To be eligible for entry into this course, applicants must supply:
· Current registration as a Registered Nurse (Division 1) with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority (AHPRA); and
· A letter of employment demonstrating current employment in a setting which requires the use of mental health nursing skills.
Letters of employment must be presented on a company letterhead and be signed and dated by a delegated authority. Please ensure that the letter contains your full name, position title, duties performed, hours per week, and length of service.
N/A
NA
NA
Be Different
- Indicative Year - 2026
- Commonwealth Supported Place – Indicative First Year Fee - $4,800
- Domestic Full Fee Paying – Indicative First Year Fee - $18,350
- International Indicative First Year Fee - $19,680
- Indicative Year - 2025
- Commonwealth Supported Place – Indicative First Year Fee - $4,624
- Domestic Full Fee Paying – Indicative First Year Fee - $17,616
- International Indicative First Term Fee - $9,360
- International Indicative First Year Fee - $18,720
- International Indicative First Year Fee - $18,720
- Commonwealth Supported Place – Indicative First Year Fee - $4,624
- Domestic Full Fee Paying – Indicative First Year Fee - $17,616
- 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 - $9,360
- International Indicative First Year Fee - $18,720
- 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 | CL56 - Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Nursing |
|---|---|
| Exit Awards | CL56 - Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Nursing |
| Accreditation |
|
Residential School Requirements
No Residential School for this course.
Practicum/Work Placement
| Not applicable |
Previous and Current Enrolments
| Year | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 31 |
| 2024 | 23 |
| 2023 | 47 |
| 2022 | 74 |
| 2021 | 77 |
- 1. Apply mental health nursing knowledge and skills in the clinical setting to support people affected by mental health issues
- 2. Analyse historical, traditional and contemporary mental health discourses
- 3. Demonstrate communication and therapeutic skills that build and support a consumer’s recovery journey
- 4. Devise strategies to implement the principles of recovery-oriented mental health nursing practice
- 5. Devise ways to remove barriers to ensure culturally safe and inclusive mental health care with particular reference to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples
- 6. Analyse the multiple contexts that may contribute towards the experience of mental health issues
- 7. Evaluate mental health promotion strategies that build resilience and prevent or reduce the impact of mental health issues
- 8. Identify obstacles to social inclusion for those with mental health issues and devise strategies to reduce these
- 9. Reflect on one’s mental health nursing practice to identify barriers and facilitators.
| Course Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Qualifications Framework Descriptors | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 1. KNOWLEDGE Have advanced knowledge within a systematic and coherent body of knowledge that may include the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills in a new or existing discipline or professional area | |||||||||
| 2. SKILLS Have cognitive skills to review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise knowledge and identify and provide solutions to complex problems | |||||||||
| 3. SKILLS Have cognitive skills to think critically and to generate and evaluate complex ideas | |||||||||
| 4. SKILLS Have specialised technical and creative skills in a field of highly skilled and/or professional practice | |||||||||
| 5. SKILLS Have communication skills to demonstrate an understanding of theoretical concept | |||||||||
| 6. SKILLS Have communication skills to transfer complex knowledge and ideas to a variety of audiences | |||||||||
| 7. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to make high level, independent judgements in a range of technical or management functions in varied specialised contexts | |||||||||
| 8. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to initiate, plan, implement and evaluate broad functions within varied specialised technical and/or creative contexts | |||||||||
| 9. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILL Be responsible and accountable for personal outputs and all aspects of the work or function of others within broad parameters | |||||||||
- Complete the core structure
| Number of units: 8 | Total credit points: 48 |
|---|