Enhance your nursing practice and prepare for clinical leadership.
The Master of Nursing (Clinical Leadership) is designed for degree qualified Nurses who are eligible to register (Division 1) to enable you to shape the development and delivery of health care services. It prepares you for clinical leadership, research and advanced practice roles and provides opportunity for continuing professional development. Choose a specialisation in acute and emergency care, community and primary health care, clinical practice education and paediatric and child health. The program is delivered in blended mode using a combination of online and on-campus learning.
- Only a full-time option is available to international students on a Student visa. Online programs are not available to Student visa holders.
- * Estimated tuition fees are based on 2025 rates. Refer to international fees for more information.
- Not all majors/minors and elective options are available at every campus. You should refer to the What Can I Study tab, and the proposed study sequence for your chosen campus and intake for further information.
The Master of Nursing (Clinical Leadership) is designed for degree qualified Nurses who are eligible to register (Division 1) to enable you to shape the development and delivery of health care services. It prepares you for clinical leadership, research and advanced practice roles and provides opportunity for continuing professional development. Choose a specialisation in acute and emergency care, community and primary health care, clinical practice education and paediatric and child health. The program is delivered in blended mode using a combination of online and on-campus learning.
Students may choose to exit the masters program after completing four courses, and may be awarded a Graduate Certificate in Nursing. Students must have completed all the requirements of the Graduate Certificate to be awarded this program. Please note that there is no direct entry into the Graduate Certificate.
Admission requirements
Applicants are required to have successfully completed a Bachelor qualification (AQF level 7) in nursing from a recognised tertiary education provider. Applicants who are Registered Nurses registered in Australia with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) who do not have a Bachelor qualification may be considered for admission based on extensive industry experience and will require approval by the Program Leader.
The Master of Nursing (Clinical Leadership) offers a limited number of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) as well as domestic fee paying places. Offers for both CSP and fee paying places will be made after the application due date for the program.
CSP will be allocated on the basis of your Grade Point Average in the degree used to meet admission requirements and/or your industry experience. Applicants falling below the demand-driven cut-off for a CSP may be offered a domestic fee paying place subject to capacity limitations.
Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens and permanent visa holders enrolled in a fee paying place will have the option of applying for a CSP in subsequent semesters if one becomes available. In these cases, the student’s current GPA in the Master of Nursing (Clinical Leadership) will be used to assess eligibility for a CSP place using the same entry cut-off applied for new CPS entrants during that admission period.
International students on a Student visa must demonstrate English language skills at an IELTS level of 7 with no subtest less than 7 or equivalent. Refer to the University's English language requirements.
Career opportunities
Graduates will extend their career pathways in clinical leadership in administration, education, research and practice roles. These roles are enacted in a range of private and public, primary, secondary and tertiary, health care services, in institutional and community settings. In addition, graduates will potentially have increased opportunities in higher education career pathways.
Professional recognition
Graduates may apply for membership with eligible clinical nursing organisations.
Program structure
Program Structure
Advanced courses (12):
Select 3 required courses:
NUR704 Workplace Learning I
NUR708 Public Health Project
NUR721 Leadership in Clinical Practice
PLUS choose 1 course from the following:
HLT701 Learning and Teaching in the Practice Environment
PUB708 Research in Health Care
PLUS complete 48 units from one of the following options:
Option 1
HLT703 Qualitative Research: Approaches and Practice
HLT704 Quantitative Research Methods
Option 2
NUR731A Special Project: Evaluating Practice Knowledge
NUR731B Special Project: Translating Knowledge into Practice
NUR731C Research Project A
NUR731F Research Project B
PLUS complete 4 required courses from one of the following options:
Option 1
Select 4 courses from the following list:
HLT702 Research Project C
NUR703 Research Project F
NUR705 Simulation in Practice Education
NUR706 Infant Care
NUR707 Responding in the Emergency Context
NUR709 Coordinating Complex Emergency Situations
NUR713 Global Emergency Issues
NUR720 Professional Internship
NUR722 Independent Study
NUR551 Mental Health Contexts of Care
NUR552 Assessment in Mental Health
NUR751 Community and Primary Health Care
1 x postgraduate level (700 coded) course (12 units) may be chosen from either Faculty (Arts, Business and Law or Science, Health, Education and Engineering).
Option 2
OR select 1 of the following Specialisations (4 courses)
- Emergency and Acute Care
- Community and Primary Health Care
- Clinical Education Practice
- Paediatric and Child Health
Emergency and Acute Care specialisation (48 units)
Required course (1)
NUR751 Co-ordinating Care in Community and Primary Care Contexts
Choose three (3) courses from the following:
NUR713 Advanced Health Assessment
NUR709 Advanced Health Assessment
NUR705 Independent Study
NUR706 Professional Internship
NUR707 Responding in the Emergency Context
NUR722 Coordinating Complex Emergency Situations
HLT702 Global Emergency Issues
Community and Primary Health Care specialisation (48 units)
Required course (1)
NUR551 Assessment in Mental Health
Choose three (3) courses from the following:
NUR751 Simulation in Practice Education
NUR713 Community and Primary Health Care
NUR709 Advanced Health Assessment
NUR552 Independent Study
NUR703 Professional Internship
NUR722 Co-ordinating Care in Community and Primary Care Contexts
HLT702 Infant Care
NUR720 Assessment in Mental Health
PUB702 Simulation in Practice Education
PUB705 Mental Health Contexts of Care
Clinical Education Practice specialisation (48 units)
Required course (1)
HLT702 Health Promotion Implementation and Evaluation
Choose three (3) courses from the following:
NUR751 Health Promotion Needs Assessment and Planning
NUR713 Simulation in Practice Education
NUR709 Advanced Health Assessment
NUR551 Independent Study
NUR552 Professional Internship
NUR722 Community and Primary Health Care
NUR720 Co-ordinating Care in Community and Primary Care Contexts
1 x postgraduate level (700 coded) course (12 units) may be chosen from either Faculty (Arts, Business and Law or Science, Health, Education and Engineering).
Paediatric and Child Health specialisation (48 units)
Required courses (3)
NUR703 Assessment in Mental Health
NUR740 Mental Health Contexts of Care
NUR751 Infant Care
Choose one (1) course from the following:
NUR709 Neonatal, Paediatric and Child Health Care
NUR713 Advanced Health Assessment
Note: Not all USC courses are available on every USC campus
Total units: 144
Recommended study sequences
Program requirements and notes
Program requirements and notes
- Students are required to complete 144 units as listed below
- Only a full-time study option is available to international students on a Student visa
- International students on a Student Visa please note, you may enrol in no more than 3 courses (36 units) via online mode (25 percent of your program). NUR713 is only offered via online mode. You must also ensure that you are enrolled in at least one on-campus course in each semester
- Some courses in this program require project work and/or independent study and therefore have limited on-campus contact. Please refer to individual course descriptions
- Refer to the University’s English language requirements
- When enrolling, please refer to the Study Plan