Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing

Upon successful completion, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate advanced and integrated theoretical and technical nursing knowledge, incorporating evidence to inform clinical decision-making in practice within diverse healthcare contexts​;
2. Critically analyse, reflect on, and synthesise complex clinical information, problems, concepts, and theories to demonstrate advanced reasoning and adaptability in response to dynamic and evolving healthcare environments;
3. Interpret and apply established theories and evidence to advanced nursing practice, integrating specialist knowledge to inform culturally responsive, people-centred, high-quality care;
4. Effectively communicate and transmit complex clinical knowledge, skills, and ideas to both specialist and non-specialist audiences to support interdisciplinary collaboration and improve health outcomes;
5. Apply advanced knowledge and skills with autonomy, expert judgement, adaptability and leadership to address complex healthcare challenges, drive innovation, and enhance nursing practice.​

The Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing will prepare you, as a registered nurse, to be an expert clinician, leader and innovator in contemporary healthcare environments. This program will equip you with advanced theoretical and technical knowledge to support evidence-informed clinical decision-making and deliver high-quality, people-centred care across diverse settings. You will critically analyse and synthesise complex clinical information to respond effectively to the evolving demands of healthcare practice. Through the integration of specialist knowledge, reflective practice, digital innovation and critical reasoning, you will demonstrate the ability to lead change, promote culturally responsive care, and improve health outcomes within interdisciplinary teams. 

As part of this course, youwill develop your holistic care skills in advanced nursing practice, including people and family-centred health promotion. Specific knowledge in the areas of bioscience, evidence-based practice, contemporary healthcare concepts and the role of the advanced practice nurse will be explored and applied to your advanced clinical practice.

You will build on your understanding of quality and safety, ethics and interpreting health research and will explore concepts of leadership in healthcare or build on your knowledge of research and biostatistics, before undertaking either elective units and a quality-improvement project or a research dissertation, depending on your chosen pathway.

In the Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing, you have the choice of two pathways to suit professional goals:

• The Project Stream focuses on applying advanced clinical knowledge and leadership capabilities to a quality improvement-based project that addresses a significant issue in healthcare delivery or patient outcomes. 
• The Research Stream develops advanced research capability through engagement with scholarly inquiry and the completion of an independent research thesis, undertaken across two research dissertation units. It prepares graduates for research-informed clinical roles or further study at the doctoral level. A minimum GPA of 5.0 is required to undertake the research dissertation units.

As a graduate of the Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing, you will be equipped to emerge as an autonomous practitioner with the expertise, adaptability, and leadership required to influence clinical practice, drive innovation, and contribute to the advancement of nursing and healthcare systems. 

This course is ideal for healthcare professionals looking to transition into educational leadership, research or academic roles. Delivered as an asynchronous online course (1.5 to 2 years full-time or equivalent part-time), the program accommodates busy healthcare professionals' schedules. 

Visit ACU Postgraduate Programs for Nurses, for more information.

Recommended study pattern

To qualify for the Master of Clinical Nursing, a student must complete 120 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings, consisting of:

For Project Stream:

• 50 cp from Specified Units
• 20 cp from Specialisation

OR

• 20 cp from Clinical Nursing Units
• 30 cp from Project Stream Units
• 20 cp from Elective Units

For Research Stream:

• 50 cp from Specified Units
• 20 cp from Specialisation

OR

• 20 cp from Clinical Nursing Units
• 50 cp from Research Stream Units

Students may need to remain employed in the specialty nursing area while studying the x4 clinical nursing units (Grad Cert level) unless approved otherwise by the Course Coordinator.

Award requirements

To qualify for the degree, a student must complete 120 cp from the schedule of subject offerings.

Exit points

A student who has completed the following requirements from the specialisations in the Schedule of Unit Offerings may exit with the relevant award:

• Graduate Certificate in Clinical Nursing:40 cp from Clinical Nursing units;
• Graduate Diploma in Clinical Nursing: 40 cp from Clinical Nursing units 40 cp from either Project Stream Units or Research Stream Units.

Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.

Indicative total fee $10,749

The amounts shown here are indicative for an Australian citizen studying full-time, which is typically 8 subjects per year.

Fees may vary depending on:

• the subjects you choose
• credit from previous work experience
• your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.

To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.

Australian Catholic University – So much more

An Australian Catholic University (ACU) education is grounded in the Catholic understanding of faith and reason working together in the pursuit of knowledge, promotion of human dignity, and advancement of the common good.

ACU aims to transform lives and communities. Students are challenged to look beyond the classroom, solve real-world problems, develop their own search for meaning and cultivate strong professional ethics. They are invited to stand up for people in need and causes that matter.

Opportunities for personal and professional growth are critical to ACU. It is a university of service – so much so that it is built into the curricula. All ACU courses offer work placements, internships or volunteering opportunities.

Learn more about Australian Catholic University

Explore Australian Catholic University courses

QS World University Ranking 2026, within Australia:

33

Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2026, within Australia:

27

To be eligible for admission to the Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing, an applicant must:

• Have completed a Bachelor of Nursing degree or equivalent; AND
• Hold current registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra);AND
• Be employed in a substantive position in their chosen specialisation unless approved otherwise by the course coordinator.

An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.

An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.

• Academic IELTS with an overall score of 6.5 (with minimum scores of 6.0 in all tests).
• Pearson Test of English (PTE): 58 with a minimum of 50 in all four communicative skills.
• Test of English as a Foreign Language - Academic TOEFL: Internet based total of 79 with a minimum 21 in writing, 18 in speaking, 13 in reading, and 12 in listening.
• ACU English Lanugage Test B (65% - 74%).
• Cambridge Advanced English (CAE): Overall CAE of 176 with a minimum individual score of 169 in all tests.

If your prior study or relevant work experience has provided you with knowledge, skills or experience aligned with the learning outcomes of units in your new course, you may be eligible to gain credit for study or have your prior learning recognised. This means you may be able to complete your ACU course in a shorter timeframe.

Students must be a registered nurse and be employed in a substantive position in their chosen specialisation. They need to remain employed in this specialty nursing area while studying the four clinical nursing units (graduate certificate level) unless approved otherwise by the course coordinator.