Warning! This is a restricted degree. Subject enrolment is only available to students admitted into this degree.
Postgraduate ACU-MHL-MAS-2023
Master of Mental Health
Get ready to offer leadership and mental health support.
Expand your skills and build your leadership. Engage in study through evidence-based learning and practice. Conceptualise new and creative approaches to mental health practice. Support service delivery in culturally diverse contexts.
Available loans
Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
Total subjects
12
Price
From
$31,600
Study method
100% Online
Assessments
100% online
CSP Available
Yes
Credit available
Yes
Applications Close
- No dates available
Established in 1991 after amalgamating four eastern Australian Catholic tertiary institutes, Australian Catholic University now has seven campuses, from Brisbane to Melbourne and welcomes students of all beliefs. Specialising in arts, business, education, health sciences, law, theology and philosophy, ACU encourages its students to think critically and ethically and bring change to their communities and offer this online through Open Universities Australia.
Learn more about ACU.
Explore ACU courses.
QS Ranking 2023
31
Times Higher Education Ranking 2023
16
Degree details
Graduates of the program should be able to:
- conceptualise new and creative approaches to clinical practice to support service delivery in culturally diverse health care contexts;
- connect theory, practice and research with regard to mental health practice;
- understand and use innovative solutions in contemporary health care;
- evaluate issues and challenges that confront mental health service delivery, clinical practice;
- contribute to values based professional practice in dynamic and challenging environments.
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
Examples of potential employment roles include:
- Clinician
- Case manager/worker
- Team leader
- Service manager
- Triage manager
- Psychiatric consultation and liaison nurse
- Nurse practitioner
Professional recognition
This course meets the requirements of a postgraduate qualification for employment beyond entry level in mental health settings.
Higher education
To be eligible for admission to the course, an applicant must :
have completed a Bachelor degree in a Health Discipline; OR have completed the Graduate Diploma in Mental Health or Graduate Certificate in Mental Health or equivalent;
AND
provide written confirmation from their employer that their workplace duties bring them into regular contact with people who have mental health problems
Work and Life
Students need to provide written confirmation from their employer that their workplace duties bring them into regular contact with people who have mental health problems.
English Proficiency Requirements
Students must meet English Language requirements as follows:
IELTS: Overall score 6.5, Individual score of 6.0 in all test
PTE: 58 with a minimum of 50 in all four communicative skills
TOEFL: Internet based total of 79: minimum 21 in writing, 18 in speaking, 13 in reading and 12 in listening
ACU English Language Test: B (65-74%)
CAE: Overall CAE of 176, Minimum individual score of 169 in all tests
Special requirements
Applicants need to provide written confirmation from their employer that their workplace duties bring them into regular contact with people who have mental health problems.
Applicants having completed ACU’s Graduate Diploma in Mental Health will be eligible for recognition of prior learning of 80 credit points.
Applicants having completed ACU’s Graduate Certificate in Mental Health will be eligible for recognition of prior learning of 40 credit points.
If you have already studied at university level or have significant relevant work experience, you can apply for credit towards your ACU course. Credited units replace units you would otherwise study, so you can finish your course earlier (see https://www.acu.edu.au/study-at-acu/credit-and-prior-learning).
The Master of Mental Health aims to expand allied health clinicians’ knowledge and skills in mental health practice and leadership through evidence-based knowledge and practice. 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.
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.
The first 40 credit points of the course consist of units in the Graduate Certificate in Mental Health; the second 40 credit points of this course are derived from the Graduate Diploma in Mental Health and the final 40 credit points consist of either project or research stream units.
Professional recognition
This course meets the requirements of a postgraduate qualification for employment beyond entry level in mental health settings.
Recommended Study Pattern
To qualify for the degree of Master of Mental Health, a student must complete the 120 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings comprising:
- For Project Stream:
- 40 cp from Mental Health units
- 60 cp from Project Stream units
- 20 cp from Elective units
- For Research Stream:
- 40 cp from Mental Health units
- 80 cp from Research Stream units
Award Requirements
To qualify for the Master of Mental Health, a student must complete the 120 cp from the schedule of subject offerings comprising:
For Project Stream:
40 cp of Mental Health subjects
60 cp from Project Stream subjects
20 cp of Elective subjects
For Research Stream:
40 cp from Mental Health subjects
80 cp from Research Stream subjects