Prior to 31 December 2015

The Master of Nursing (Clinical and Research) pathway is a 54-unit program and is offered by the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.

Admission requirements

Applicants must hold a nursing degree or an equivalent qualification approved by the Faculty Board, must be registered general nurses, must hold a current practising certificate and have had at least two years'' post-registration nursing experience.

Applicants for this pathway will be required to provide a brief statement regarding the area of research and the specialisation they would like to undertake.  Research proposals are subject to Course Coordinator approval and the School’s ability to provide suitable research supervision to students depending on their proposed research topic.  Applicants must also meet the entry requirements of their chosen specialisation.

However, the Board may, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature.

The Clinical Nursing specialisation requires international applicants to be currently registered in their country of residence. They therefore do not have to be eligible to register with the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Australia to undertake this specialisation. Clinical Nursing specialisation students will not become eligible to register with the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Australia upon completion of the course.

Applicants for the Critical Care Nursing and Emergency Nursing specialisations must have a minimum of two years'' post-registration experience, 6 months of which should be in a relevant clinical area, and must provide a supporting statement from their employer stating their willingness to facilitate the extended clinical practice components of the course within their workplace and/or provide evidence that an affiliated health agency will facilitate the clinical practice in a supernumerary capacity. 

Course aims

The aims of the course are to provide advanced studies in nursing and prepare nurses to contribute to the present and future development of health care services and the nursing profession. 

Learning outcomes

Graduates of this course are expected to be able to:

  • influence and improve the nature and quality of nursing practice
  • provide leadership and exert a positive influence on the health of the community
  • advance nursing knowledge and practice research
  • demonstrate specialist nursing skills and competencies
  • analyse and critique their practice through application of principles of critical reflection and evidence-based nursing practice
  • analyse and critique delivery of specialist nursing care in the current health care context.

Program of study

To qualify for the Master of Nursing (Clinical and Research), a student must complete 54 units with a grade of Pass or NGP or better in each topic, according to the program of study set out below.

The award of a grade of Fail (F) in the same topic on more than one occasion or in 9 units or more, or failure to complete the course within four consecutive years may constitute prima facie evidence of unsatisfactory progress for the purpose of the University''s Policy on Student Progress.

A student who fails the clinical component of any topic will receive a Fail (F) grade for the entire topic. 

Except with permission of the Faculty Board:

  • no topic may be attempted more than twice;
  • a student may not include a topic which repeats work previously undertaken;
  • the program must be completed full-time within three consecutive semesters or part-time within eight consecutive semesters.

Not all topics and specialisations are available in any given year. 

Not all elective topics will be available in any given year or semester. 

Students in the Master of Nursing (Clinical and Research) undertake 36 units of core topics (including an 18 unit research project) and one 18 unit specialisation.

Core topics

18 units comprising

 NURS9218  Approaches to Research Designs  (4.5 units)
 NURS9219  Introduction to Research  (4.5 units)
 NURS9220  Developing a Literature Review  (4.5 units)
 NURS9221  Writing Research Proposals for Ethical and Funding Requirements  (4.5 units)

Research Project topics

plus 18 units

NURS9614C  Research Project  (4.5/18 units)
NURS9614D  Research Project  (4.5/18 units)
NURS9614E  Research Project  (4.5/18 units)
NURS9614F  Research Project  (4.5/18 units)

Enrolment in the Research Project topics must be approved by the Course Coordinator and will depend upon the presentation of an acceptable research proposal and the availability of appropriate supervision.

*Enrolment in NURS9614 must be approved by the Course Coordinator and will depend upon the presentation of an acceptable research proposal and the availability of appropriate supervision. 

Specialisations

plus one 18 unit specialisation from the list below: