Victoria University

Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing Online

  • Delivery: Online
  • Study Level: Postgraduate
  • Duration: 16 months
  • Course Type: Graduate Diploma

Deepen your mental health nursing expertise and strengthen your approach to complex care. Develop knowledge in recovery, trauma-informed practice and care coordination, with a pathway to master’s study.

Ready to take the next step?

Download your course guide and connect with a study advisor to explore:

  • Course structure
  • Learning outcomes
  • Fees
  • Entry requirements

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Course overview

Bring deeper understanding to mental health care and greater confidence to your professional decisions. Victoria University’s online Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing helps nurses extend their expertise in supporting people whose mental health needs intersect with physical, social and cultural circumstances.

Explore recovery-oriented practice, trauma-informed care and biopsychosocial perspectives on mental illness. Examine consumer rights, autonomy and collaborative decision-making, developing an approach that recognises lived experience and supports meaningful participation in care.

Extend your knowledge through study in community health, care coordination and mental health in later life. Consider the needs of diverse communities and people with complex conditions, strengthening your capacity to connect evidence-based assessment and intervention with coordinated, person-centred support.

Complete eight units online over 16 months part-time through VU’s seven-week Block Model. Apply your learning within your current health setting, build towards care coordination or leadership responsibilities, or continue into VU’s Master of Mental Health Nursing.

Key facts

Delivery
Online
Course Type
Graduate Diploma
Duration
16 months (Part time)
Commitment
15 - 20 hours/week
Price Per Unit
From $2,870
More Information
The price is calculated based on a part-time study load of eight units.
Intake
12th January, 2027
8th March, 2027
10th May, 2027
5th July, 2027
25th October, 2027
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.
8
Fees
More Information
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students.
FEE-HELP

What you will study

To attain the Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing, students must complete the following eight units:

  • Recovery-Oriented Mental Health
  • Biopsychosocial and Cultural Perspectives in Mental Health
  • Effective Trauma-Informed Care
  • Mental Health Nursing
  • Promoting Cultural Competence and Community Health
  • Mental Health in Later Life
  • Care Coordination in Practice
  • Evidence and Research for Practice

Entry requirements

Applicants must have the following:

  • Completed an AQF Level 7 Bachelor of Nursing, or equivalent qualification; AND
  • Registration as a Registered Nurse (Division 1) or Registered Midwife with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), or equivalent registration with the relevant registering authority for applicants outside of Australia; AND
  • Provide evidence that they are employed in a health setting (e.g., employment contract); OR
  • Completed Victoria University’s Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Nursing.

Outcomes

Career outcomes

With VU Online’s Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing, you’ll enhance your knowledge and skills in evidence-based assessment and intervention approaches in mental health to take up senior mental health services positions. This course positions you to take on mental health care coordination roles, leadership roles in mental health nursing or community mental health services.

Upon completion, you can continue your studies to gain your Master of Mental Health Nursing.

Fees and FEE-HELP

Cost per unit in 2026: From $2,870 up to $2,950 (domestic full-fee paying place)

Total cost for eight units in 2026: $23,280 (domestic full-fee paying place)

The total cost of completing your degree at Victoria University (VU) Online depends on the number of units you study and whether you are eligible for advanced standing, which is assessed after you submit your application. 2026 student fees shown are subject to change.

Note that you may be eligible for the Australian Government’s loan scheme, FEE-HELP. The loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying students with the cost of a university program. It can be used for all or part of the tuition.