The Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) aims to provide you with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to enable you to be a competent and effective Registered Nurse (Division 1) General. The course will prepare you to be reflective about your practice as a nurse and develop clinical reasoning skills to confidently and safely engage in contemporary nursing practice in a variety of environments and contexts and adapt to the needs of people from diverse backgrounds. You will acquire skills to provide person-centred care and to collaborate with other members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team. You will be given the opportunity to ensure your practice is safe and to understand the necessity to act in a professional, ethical, legal and compassionate manner. In addition, you will learn to nurture the development of leadership in health care. You will explore how life-long learning skills can facilitate continuing professional development.
You will be required to participate in simulated learning activities in a Clinical Learning Centre at a CQUniversity accredited delivery site prior to being deemed eligible to attend professional experience placement. You will be required to demonstrate nursing care that is person-centred, evidence-informed and responsible. Clinical learning is a key element of this course and you will be required to undertake 800 hours of professional experience placement in a variety of settings within different health organisations. You must meet specific mandatory health, safety and security requirements to be eligible to attend each professional experience placement. Professional experience placements may be limited in your community and you may be placed in other locations. Please be prepared financially and personally to cover the costs to relocate for placements. Due to the limited availability of placements, some block placements have start and/or end dates that fall outside standard term dates. Placements are offered in a fulltime capacity only.
It is essential that you enrol in units in the order that they are listed. Not adhering to this may delay your progress and extend the length of your study. Accreditation Standards require all students to be physically located in Australia whilst studying this course. At the discretion of the Head of Course, you may be required to undertake a prescribed English language test to ensure your English language proficiency is at an acceptable level to safely participate in professional experience placements and communicate for patient safety.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) has a register of students enrolled in the Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) for the duration of their study. CQUniversity as the education provider will provide your details directly to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) for registration.
On successful completion of the Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry), you will be eligible to apply for registration as a Registered Nurse (Division 1) General with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). Prospective students should be aware that full disclosure of any issues of impairment or misconduct are a declaration requirement when applying for registration as a registered nurse. To be accepted for registration with the NMBA, you are required to disclose: any criminal history, physical and/or psychological impairments and meet specific English language standards. For further clarification of these requirements contact the NMBA.
Career Information
In the final year of the course, students usually apply for a new graduate nursing position in a hospital and health service or other healthcare organisation where they will have the opportunity to further consolidate their knowledge and skills in nursing. The broad nature of nursing and healthcare allows opportunities for employment and/or specialisation in environments such as acute hospital services, community health, mental health, residential and aged care, Indigenous health, and rural and remote health.
In the final year of the course, students are eligible to apply for a new graduate nursing position in a hospital and health service or other healthcare organisation where they will have the opportunity to further consolidate their knowledge and skills in nursing. The broad nature of nursing and healthcare allows opportunities for employment and/or specialisation in environments such as acute hospital services, community health, mental health, residential and aged care, indigenous health, and rural and remote health.
Duration | 1.5 years full-time or 3 years part-time |
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Credit Points that Must be Earned | 96 |
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) | MN (Grad Entry) |
AQF Level | Level 9: Masters Degree (Coursework) |
Course Fees |
Indicative Year - 2025
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Domestic Students Tertiary Admission Centre Codes (TAC) Codes |
Not Applicable |
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International Students CRICOS Codes |
Not Applicable |
To be eligible to entry into this course, applicants must hold:
A completed Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) equivalent 3-year Bachelor degree, in any discipline excluding Nursing*, which has been completed within the last 10 years^.
*This course is not designed for applicants who already hold registration as a Registered Nurse with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Applicants with a previously completed Bachelor of Nursing qualification who do not hold AHPRA registration are eligible to apply.
^The date of course completion must be within 10 years of the date of commencement of study.
English Languages Proficiency Requirements:
The English Language Skills requirements listed below are those specified by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia as required for initial registration.
As an applicant for the Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry), you are required to demonstrate your English language competency in one of the following ways:
If you do not satisfy any of the above you will need to undertake an English language proficiency test and achieve the following scores as below:
English test results remain valid for no more than two years between the final examination date and the date of commencement of the study and must appear on a single result certificate.
If you are an International student please visit International students English requirements for further information.
Each student will be assessed individually.
Nursing students’ English language skills are directly aligned with the requirements of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
Recommended Study: English, Maths, Biology or Science
Interim Awards | Not applicable |
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Exit Awards | Not applicable |
Accreditation |
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Compulsory Residential School | There are 4 units each with compulsory 4 day residential schools to enable students to learn and consolidate their clinical nursing knowledge and skills prior to attending work-integrated learning. Nursing Foundations: 32 hours residential school Practice Experience 1: 32 hours residential school Practice Experience 2: 32 hours residential school Practice Experience 3: 32 hours residential school |
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Click here to view all Residential Schools |
NURS29004 - Professional Experience Placement (240 hours) |
NURS29005 - Professional Experience Placement (280 hours) |
NURS29006 - Professional Experience Placement (280 hours) |
Year | Number of Students |
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First Year | 64 |
Second year | 64 |
Third Year | 80 |
Please note that in some instances there may be similarities between course, entry and inherent requirements.
If you experience difficulties meeting these requirements, reasonable adjustments may be made upon contacting accessibility@cqu.edu.au. Adjustment must not compromise the academic integrity of the degree or course chosen at CQUniversity or the legal requirements of field education.
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Course Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
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Australian Qualifications Framework Descriptors | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
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 |
Number of units: 13 | Total credit points: 96 |
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Course Structure
It is essential that you undertake the course in the order that is listed in the course structure; pre-requisite units and co-requisite units must be completed in order to progress in your study.
It is particularly important to look at professional experience placement units and the terms in which they are offered. This will ensure you complete at your projected time.
You are required to successfully complete Practice Experience 3 in the final term of study to enable CQUniversity to recommend you for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) at the completion of your degree.
Practice Experience units require successful completion of safe medication administration assessments and compulsory attendance at residential school/on-campus workshops prior to being eligible to attend professional experience placement.
Specific requirements for professional experience placement in some units may vary due to individual organisational requirements outside of CQUniversity control.
In line with accreditation requirements, aspects of the course may be subject to change during your enrolment. These changes may relate to course structure, unit names and content, professional experience placement hours and/or mandatory checks.
The proposed Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) course will have 96 credit points. There are 13 core units within the course. Ten units will be 6 credit points and the 3 clinical placement units will be 12 credit points each.
Inherent requirements
Inherent requirements are the fundamental abilities, attributes, skills and behaviours needed to complete the learning outcomes of a course while preserving the academic integrity of CQUniversity’s learning, assessment and accreditation processes. You must be able to demonstrate that you have acquired or have the ability to acquire the inherent requirements for the Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) course. There are inherent requirements for this course that must be met in order to complete the course and graduate. For more information refer to the Inherent Requirements area of the Handbook.
Special Requirements
Mandatory pre-clinical checks are required to be eligible to attend professional experience placement. Please note that these can differ for each State and Territory in Australia.
Mandatory pre-clinical checks can be changed to ensure compliance with legislation and healthcare facility requirements.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) has a register of students enrolled in the Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) course for the duration of their study. CQUniversity as the education provider will provide your details directly to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) for registration with Ahpra.
On successful completion of the Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) course, you will be eligible to apply for registration as a Registered Nurse (Division 1) General with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. Prospective students should be aware that full disclosure of any issues of impairment or misconduct is a declaration requirement when applying for registration as a registered nurse. To be accepted for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, you are required to disclose: any criminal history, physical and/or psychological impairments and meet specific English language standards. For further clarification of these requirements, contact the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.
Recognition of prior learning
Credit transfer will only be granted where you are able to demonstrate that tertiary-level studies at the post-graduate level, equivalent in content and depth to the Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) have been successfully completed. Refer to Credit Transfer for further details on the guidelines and application process.
Expected time to complete: 1.5 years or 3 years part-time.
Maximum time to complete: 7 years (to meet Recency of Practice and eligibility for registration as a nurse (Division 1) in Australia requirements as required by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia).
Maximum leave of absence: 1 year
Professional Standards and Conduct:
You are expected to behave professionally and appropriately. The use of abusive language, threatening behaviour, misuse of campus property and sexual harassment will not be tolerated. These misdemeanours will be treated as serious matters and may result in suspension or exclusion. Please ensure you are familiar with the Student Charter and Student Behavioural Misconduct Procedure, which is available on the CQU website. In addition, nurses and midwives must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, and meet the NMBA's professional standards to practice in Australia.
Registration standards define the requirements that applicants, registrants or students need to meet to be registered.
To ensure patient safety, nurses and midwives are deemed mandatory reporters and, under National Law, are subject to making notifications about notifiable conduct. It is important to be aware that complaints or concerns can be raised about the health, conduct or performance of a registered health practitioner or student at any time.
Career Information
In the final year of the course, students usually apply for a new graduate nursing position in a hospital and health service or other healthcare organisation where they will have the opportunity to further consolidate their knowledge and skills in nursing. The broad nature of nursing and healthcare allows opportunities for employment and/or specialisation in environments such as acute hospital services, community health, mental health, residential and aged care, indigenous health, and rural and remote health.