CQUniversity

Master of Mental Health Nursing Online

  • Delivery: Online
  • Study Level: Postgraduate
  • Duration: 18 months
  • Course Type: Master's

Strengthen your specialist mental health nursing practice through a flexible, self-paced online master's combining evidence-based learning, clinical application and research.

Course overview

The Master of Mental Health Nursing is a fully online, self-paced postgraduate qualification that can be completed in 1.5 years full-time or three years part-time. Designed for registered nurses, the course enables you to study anytime while balancing professional commitments. It forms part of a nested qualification pathway that incorporates the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing.

Throughout the course, you will strengthen your knowledge of mental health assessment, diagnostic formulation, psychotropic medications, recovery-oriented care and therapeutic interventions. Building on these specialist practice capabilities, you will also develop research skills and complete a research project addressing a contemporary issue in mental health nursing practice. Assessments completed in the Graduate Diploma and Master components require you to be working in a mental health setting so you can apply your learning directly to clinical practice.

On successful completion, you will graduate with the Master of Mental Health Nursing. The qualification supports advanced practice in specialist mental health nursing and prepares graduates for leadership and research opportunities within the field.

CSP Subsidised Fees Available

This program has a limited quota of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP). The indicative CSP price is calculated based on first year fees for EFT. The actual fee may vary if there are choices in electives or majors.

Key facts

Delivery
Online
Course Type
Master's
Duration
More Information
Can be studied part time
18 months (Full time)
Price Per Unit
From $3,435.75
More Information
The estimated per-unit fee is calculated using the annual average first-year fee. It is based on a full-time study load of 24 credit points (four units) per semester or 48 credit points (eight units) per year.

From $937.5 (CSP)
More Information
You may be eligible for CSP where the government pays part of your fees. It is based on a full-time study load of 24 credit points (four units) per semester or 48 credit points (eight units) per year.
Intake
Anytime
Units
More Information
You may be required to complete 0 credit point units throughout your course. The university will confirm this as part of your enrolment.

The unit total reflects the number of units required for course completion, not the total credit point weight. Some units may be double- or triple-weighted, so the number of units you complete may be lower.
12
Fees
More Information
FEE-HELP loans and HECS loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university program.
FEE-HELP, HECS, CSP

What you will study

To earn the Master of Mental Health Nursing, you must successfully complete units totalling 72 credit points as detailed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is worth 6 credit points.

Core units 

  • Contextual Foundations of Mental Health Nursing Practice
  • Mental Health Nursing Assessment and Formulation
  • Creating Meaningful Relationships
  • Clinical Foundations for Practice
  • Recovery Into Action
  • Mental Health Promotion
  • Advanced Mental Health Nursing Skills
  • Alcohol and Other Drugs
  • Foundations of Scholarship 1
  • Foundations of Scholarship 2
  • Preparing for Scholarship
  • Production of Scholarship

Entry requirements

To be eligible for entry into this course, applicants must supply:

  • Current Registered Nurse (Division 1) registration with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority (AHPRA).
  • And a letter of employment demonstrating current employment in a setting that requires the use of mental health nursing skills.

Letters of employment must be presented on company letterhead and signed and dated by a delegated authority. The letter must contain your full name, position title, duties performed and length of service.

English language requirements

If you were not born in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa or the United States of America, you are required to meet the English Language Proficiency requirements set by the University. Applicants are required to provide evidence of completion of:

  • A secondary qualification (Year 11 and 12, or equivalent).
  • An Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) diploma-level qualification.
  • Bachelor-level qualification study for a period of at least two years full-time with a minimum overall GPA of 4.0.

Completed within Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, South Africa, Ireland, or the United States of America, which will meet the English proficiency.

If you do not satisfy any of the above, you will need to undertake an English language proficiency test and achieve the following scores as below:

  • An International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic) overall band score of at least 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each subset.
  • A test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Requires 550 or better overall and a minimum TWE score of 4.5 (Paper Based Test), or 75 or better overall and no score less than 17 (Internet Based Test).
  • Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) - Requires an overall score of 54 with no sub-score less than 46.
  • An Occupational English Test with Grades A or B only in each of the four components.

English test results remain valid for no more than two years between the final examination date and the date of commencement of study and must appear on a single result certificate.

Recognition of Prior Learning

You may be eligible for recognition of prior learning if you have previously studied or have relevant work experience. This will help reduce the number of units you need to study to finish your course. Contact the university for more information.

Outcomes

Career outcomes

The Master of Mental Health Nursing provides registered nurses with a mental health nursing-specific high-level post-graduate qualification. The qualification supports advanced practice in mental health nursing and prepares graduates for leadership and research opportunities within the healthcare sector, including roles such as Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Consultant and Nurse Unit Manager. 

Fees and CSP

Estimated first-year tuition fee in 2026: $7,500 (Commonwealth Supported Place)

Estimated first-year tuition fee in 2026: $27,486 (domestic full-fee paying place)

All costs are calculated using current rates and are based on a study load of 48 credit points (normally eight units) per year.

A student’s annual fee may vary in accordance with:

  • The number of units studied per term.
  • The choice of major or specialisation.
  • Choice of units.
  • Credit from previous study or work experience.
  • Eligibility for government-funded loans.

Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.

Commonwealth Supported Places

The Australian Government allocates a certain number of CSPs to the universities each year, which are then distributed to students based on merit.

If you're a Commonwealth Supported Student (CSS), you'll only need to pay a portion of your tuition fees. This is known as the student contribution amount – the balance once the government subsidy is applied. This means your costs are much lower.

Limited CSP spaces are offered to students enrolled in selected postgraduate courses.

Your student contribution amount is:

  • Calculated per unit you're enrolled in.
  • Depending on the study areas they relate to.
  • Reviewed and adjusted each year.

HECS-HELP loans are available to CSP students to pay the student contribution amount.

FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee-paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.