Masters (Coursework)
Take your nursing career to the next level by specialising in an area of advanced clinical nursing practice. Our Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing is a customisable specialist degree that will enhance your clinical decision-making skills to bolster health service delivery and improve patient outcomes.
Ranked #16 in the world,* our School of Nursing and Midwifery is one of Australia's largest and most established. You will learn from the best with the school's cutting-edge research recognised as well above world standard.^
Are you looking for a flexible clinical nursing degree where you can choose your specialisation and take a step forward in your nursing career?
You will enter this course with support from your health service to specialise in your chosen area of practice. This flexible degree enables you to pursue your chosen career pathway; whether you want to support patients through their surgical journey as a perioperative nurse or play a leading role advancing the care of the critically ill as an intensive care nurse. You can select from seven areas of advanced clinical nursing, which will be your focus for the first year of your course:
No matter your specialty area, you will further your essential skills in navigating patient care, communicating with patient's families and working efficiently in a multidisciplinary care team. As an experienced registered nurse you will be challenged to advance your professional judgement, leadership and professionalism within modern healthcare practice.
You will explore and analyse ethical, transcultural and psychosocial concepts in the context of complicated grief, critical incident stresses and brain death.
Our course curriculum is shaped by industry insights and research from Deakin's Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research (QPS). QPS is a leader in clinical research, quality and risk management, and has researchers within six of Victoria's major health services. This means the course material is evidence-based, patient-focused and informed by academics, researchers and clinical experts who are leaders in their fields.
You will be in control of your learning, and have the opportunity to complement your specialty area with either a thesis stream or coursework stream.
The coursework stream allows you to customise your degree to match your career aspirations. You can choose from a mix of course and postgraduate electives from across the university.
The thesis stream sets you up to pursue a research pathway upon graduation, with four dedicated thesis units and two electives. Supported by a research supervision team and our expert staff you will create an individual research thesis in an area of specialty nursing practice.
Want to further your career in a shorter time?
Alternatively, if you are seeking a non-
* 2023 ShanghaiRankings Ranking of Academic Subjects.
^ Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) 2018.
With job growth of 12.2% projected for registered nurses and 12.1% for nurse managers by 2028,# there is strong industry demand for nurses with sophisticated specialty skills. Graduates of our Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing will be well placed to take advantage of this demand.
Depending on the units you have completed, your expertise will allow you to pursue a range of roles, such as:
# Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections
To complete the Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing students must attain 12 credit points,
Students completing the coursework stream must complete a 4 credit point specialisation, 3 core units (compulsory), plus 5 credit points of electives units, of which 3 credit points must be from the course electives. The remaining 2
Students completing the thesis stream must complete a 4 credit point specialisation, 2 core units, 4 credit points of thesis units, plus 2 credit points of electives of which 1 must from the course electives. The remaining 1 c
NOTE:
To qualify for a specialisation in Intraoperative or Perianaesthesia, students must have completed or be completing course electives HNN730 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning and HNN749 Patient Safety and Risk Management to form their specialisation.
All commencing Faculty of Health Undergraduate and Postgraduate course work students are required to complete DAI001 Academic Integrity Module (0 credit point compulsory unit) in their first trimester of study.
Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.
Failure of a compulsory clinical component in a unit will normally lead to exclusion.
The University aims to provide students with as much credit as possible for approved prior study or informal learning which exceeds the normal entrance requirements for the course and is within the constraints of the course regulations. Students are required to complete a minimum of one-third of the course at Deakin University, or four credit points, whichever is the greater. In the case of certificates, including graduate certificates, a minimum of two credit points within the course must be completed at Deakin.
You can also refer to the Recognition of prior learning system which outlines the credit that may be granted towards a Deakin University degree and how to apply for credit.
Students holding an approved specialist certificate from the former Nurses Board of Victoria may apply for up to four credit points of Recognition of prior learning towards the Masters.