Mental Health Nursing Australian Catholic University (ACU)

Overview

Please note that this online programme is not valid for Student Visa applications in Australia. However, it are available to international students in Australia on other visa types or to students studying from overseas.

The Mental Health Nursing , M.A. course from Australian Catholic University (ACU)  students have the option to pursue a project stream or a research stream within this course. As such, they may complete either a project and two elective subjects, or complete a research dissertation in their final semester. The research stream has a PhD articulation pathway.  Top 50 worldwide in Nursing Shanghai Ranking, Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2024

Both streams consolidate learning from the Graduate Certificate in Mental Health and Graduate Diploma in Mental Health in research, specialist clinical skills and knowledge as well as clinical leadership.

Current mental health postgraduate programmes in Australia focus on either acute mental health care settings or generic mental health. ACU’s Master of Mental Health Nursing has been developed specifically for nursing clinicians entering into the specialist area of mental health. The course is targeted to new nursing graduates and to those working in mental health but who have no formal postgraduate mental health qualifications.

In the current period of mental health service provision reform, there has been a shift in focus from acute inpatient treatment to recovery-oriented practice, so the workforce requires professional development opportunities to keep pace with such changes.

Career opportunities:

Graduates will be able to apply their theoretical and practical learning in a range of mental health settings.

Examples of potential employment settings include:

• public and private health care organisations
• child and adolescent, adult and older person mental health services
• acute, community, rehabilitation and long term care focused settings
• local, state and commonwealth government policy
• consumer and carer groups
• mental health based research

Examples of potential employment roles include:

• clinician
• case manager/worker
• team leader
• service manager
• triage manager
• psychiatric consultation and liaison nurse
• nurse practitioner