Master of Nursing (MNRS) - MN

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Program focus

The Master of Nursing is designed to allow the experienced registered nurse to develop the attitudes, skills and knowledge necessary for leadership roles in clinical practice, nursing education or administrative health care management.

Program aims

The program aims to enhance the practice of experienced nurses in the areas of clinical practice, management or education.

Program objectives

On completion of the program graduates will be able to:

• function in leadership roles in their chosen area of nursing or health care

• lead scholarly enquiry into, and be prepared to publicly comment on, issues that affect nursing and health care

• monitor, evaluate and provide leadership in the development of State, National and International trends in nursing and health care

• act as mentors for, and give support to, fellow nurses or other health care workers in their quests to increase their knowledge and leadership skills

• critically analyse and contribute to the ongoing development of the roles of the registered nurse, nurse educator or nurse manager.

Admission requirements

To be considered for entry, applicants must be Registered Nurses (You will need to provide a certified copy of your Current Annual Licence Certificate) holding a three-year Bachelor of Nursing from an Australian University or equivalent. While not mandatory, it would be beneficial to have clinical experience as a Registered Nurse. Some courses require students to be practising during enrolment. This recommendation exists because registered nurses should have consolidated their practice, and understand the context of that practice, prior to engaging in advanced education. A process of Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) will be used to assess Registered Nurses, without Bachelor degrees, who wish to gain entry to the program on the basis of equivalent experience or qualifications. Applicants should contact the Program Coordinator if they wish to be assessed for admission on this basis.

Registered Nurses who wish to gain entry to the program on the basis of equivalent experience or qualifications or who have not studied an appropriate research methods course may be required to complete the course NUR2300 Research Methods for Nursing before being admitted to the program. This course is available by external studies through Continuing Professional Education at USQ - telephone +61 7 4631 2720 or email conted@usq.edu.au or www.usq.edu.au/conted.

International Applicants

International applicants must have met the University's English language requirements.

How to apply

Domestic students

Application for postgraduate programs may be made directly to USQ.

International students

This program is offered to international students. An international student is a person who is not an Australian or New Zealand citizen and not an Australian permanent resident. Please refer to USQ International for information about entry requirements, visa arrangements and how to apply.

Program fees

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth supported place is where the Australian Government makes a contribution towards the cost of your higher education and you as a student pay a student contribution amount, which varies depending on the courses undertaken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.
Commonwealth Supported students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called HECS-HELP.

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.
Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who reside outside Australia pay full tuition fees.
Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called FEE-HELP.

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.

Program structure

The program contains eight units. There are six compulsory courses of one unit each and two units of electives.

Program completion requirements

The Master of Nursing is currently undergoing review to meet the Australian Qualifications Framework Requirements. The changes may occur for 2013. Please check the USQ Handbook for updates for requirements.

Currently to qualify for the award of Master of Nursing, a candidate must complete or be exempted from courses with a total value of eight units within four years of first admission to the program, subject to the following.

Of the units counted to qualify for the award:

1. at least six units shall be for courses completed at USQ

2. six units shall be for the courses:

   • NUR8060 Health Policy Analysis and Review

   • HSC8050 Research Methodology for the Human Sciences

   • NUR8340 The Law and Health Care Practice

   • NUR8510 The Reflective Practitioner and Theorist

   • NUR8550 Professional Studies 1 or NUR8560 Professional Studies 2

   • ANP8001 Cultural Awareness and Safety

   
   

3. two units shall be for postgraduate (Level 5 or 8) courses, approved by the Program Coordinator or selected from the list below.

Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 4 years to complete this program.

Elective courses

Students may select electives from the following courses without requiring the approval of the Program Coordinator. Any other choice of elective(s) must be approved by the Program Coordinator.

Students should note that the offering of elective courses is dependent upon the number of students enrolling in a course being at least 10. Students should enrol in the courses of their choice but will be informed as soon as practicable if any of these courses are not to be offered.

Clinical requirements

There are no clinical requirements in this program unless candidates select electives that contain a clinical requirement. These courses with a clinical requirement are not available for International students.

IT requirements

Students should visit the USQ minimum computing standards to check that their computers are capable of running the appropriate software and versions of Internet web browsers and to check the minimum and recommended standards for software.

Residential schools

There are no residential schools for compulsory courses in this program.

Exemptions

Candidates must complete at least six units of courses offered by USQ whilst enrolled in this program so at most four units of exemptions may be granted on the basis of appropriate study undertaken at USQ, other universities or the Australian College of Nursing. Students who are granted more than two (2) exemptions are required to take additional Elective courses at USQ to meet the requirement of six (6) units offered at USQ.

Recommended enrolment pattern