Master of Nursing (Research)

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Are you a Registered Nurse who wishes to advance your career? The Master of Nursing (Research) at The University of  Notre Dame Australia will suit you if you have achieved a high credit average in your undergraduate nursing degree and wish to complete further research in an area of particular interest. To graduate, you must complete a substantial research project culminating in a thesis. You will be supported by academic staff throughout your master’s program. Contact us today to find out more.

• Why study this degree?

  Available as a full-time program across two calendar years (or equivalent part-time), our Master of Nursing (Research) will provide you with the research skills you need to support your professional practice. Topics covered include literature review, research methodology, ethics, analysis, verification and report writing. Furthermore, the program consists of several supervised research subjects, including research coursework as appropriate.

  You will be expected to complete a substantial research project culminating in a thesis. Candidates will be assigned university-based supervisors who will provide support and academic guidance. Your supervisor will mentor and direct your studies throughout the research phase until your thesis is put forward for examination. Government support is available for domestic and international students, while domestic students may also apply for stipend scholarships awarded to students of exceptional potential.

• Program summary

  This Master's program consists of several courses of supervised research. The duration of the program is two years full-time or the equivalent of part-time study.

  Full details of the program requirements are contained in the Program Requirements.

• Entry requirements

  In order to be considered for entry, applicants are expected to satisfy the following criteria:

  • Current license to practice as a Registered Nurse within Australia or provisional registration whichever is applicable at the time of the students program commencement; or
  • Applicants who do not meet the requirements of the clause above, but are able to demonstrate equivalent international experience satisfy the criteria. In these circumstances, an applicant’s research topic may be limited to a non-clinical setting; and
  • Bachelor of Nursing or other appropriate degree; and
  • Minimum of two years relevant post registration nursing experience, or as acceptable by the program coordinator; and
  • An applicant may be required to satisfy the Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery of the ability to understand and communicate in both written and spoken English at a level adequate for the purpose of pursuing the program of study.

• Learning outcomes

  Upon successful completion of the Master of Nursing (Research) graduates will be able to:

  1. Analyse and interpret nursing scenarios to provide evidence based quality practice
  2. Use reflective practice techniques in a range of learning activities to promote professional practice
  3. Apply leadership and collaborative skills within an interprofessional health care environment
  4. Apply concepts of global, medico-legal, social and cultural diversity
  5. Identify the distinguishing characteristics of nursing research in terms of purposes, underlying assumptions and available methodologies
  6. Explore the principal paradigms employed in health and nursing research and differentiate between them in terms of their epistemological bases, their respective strengths and limitations in addressing different types of research
  7. Formulate questions amenable to research and align those questions to appropriate research designs, data collection procedures, techniques and data analysis
  8. Critique examples of research studies and models, identifying strengths and limitations of design that might threaten the internal validity and generalisability (external validity) of the findings
  9. Identify the important ethical or other issues when conducting nursing research and apply value appropriate safeguards to the interests of all stake-holders involved a research project; and
  10. Apply advanced technical skills and reflective practice within the domain of nursing research.

• Career opportunities

  With a Master of Nursing (Research), you can pursue careers as a nurse unit manager, nurse practitioner, nurse educator, clinical nurse, acute care nurse or perioperative nurse.

• Real-world experience

  You will learn from our academics, who are leaders in their field. There are no practicum requirements for this program.

• Scholarships

  Domestic Students

  In accordance with the Commonwealth Scholarships Guidelines (Research) 2017, most domestic research students are eligible to have all Higher Degree by Research (HDR) course fees paid for by the Commonwealth Government through a Research Training Program (RTP) Fees Offset Scholarship the maximum duration of the enrolment time published on the program requirement. Domestic students are also encouraged to apply for stipend scholarships, which are very competitive and awarded to students of exceptional research potential. The scholarships designed to help with general living costs for the duration of the research degree.

  International Students

  The University is keen to support high calibre international students through the Commonwealth Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarships (Fees Offset and/or Stipend), or the University International Fee Remission Research Scholarship (IFRRS), which are very competitive and awarded to students of exceptional research potential. Please refer to the International Prospectus or visit our Scholarships section if you would like more information. Unless in receipt of a scholarship, all international research students must pay full fees for the length of their research degree.

• Fees and costs

  This Program has the following loan scheme(s) available for eligible students:

  Domestic Fee-Paying
  A domestic fee-paying place is a place at university where the student is responsible for the full cost the program.

  Eligible domestic fee-paying students may apply for the FEE-HELP loan scheme which assists eligible fee-paying students with the payment of all, or part, of their tuition fees, not including additional study costs such as accommodation or textbooks. Your FEE-HELP debt will be indexed each year in line with the Consumer Price Index.

  International Full-Fee Paying
  Tuition costs depend on an international student’s study load and discipline. Fees are payable each semester at least four weeks prior to the commencement of your program.

  For indicative fees and information on how to pay, including Government loan schemes and our online calculator, visit our Fees, costs and scholarships page.

• More information

  View application steps for a Higher Degree by Research (HDR) program on How to apply - Graduate research.

  Considering your uni options?
  Our advisors provide support while choosing a program of study and completing our application process.

  If you need advice about studying at Notre Dame, the Prospective Students Office can help. Book a 1-on-1 advice session with a career advisor or call us on 1800 878 916.

  Fremantle and Broome
  Email: future@nd.edu.au
  Address: 23 High St, Fremantle, WA 6160

  Sydney and Melbourne
  Email: sydney@nd.edu.au
  Address: 128-140 Broadway, Chippendale, NSW 2008

  International students
  If you need advice about studying at Notre Dame, fill out our Make an Enquiry form, and you can book a session with one of our friendly International Student Advisors.

  Fremantle and Broome International Office
  Phone: +61 8 9433 0873
  Address: 19 Mouat St, Fremantle, WA 6160
  Postal address: PO Box 1225, Fremantle WA 6959

  Sydney and Melbourne International Office
  Phone: +61 2 8204 4229
  Address: 140 Broadway, Chippendale, NSW 2008
  Postal address: PO Box 944, Broadway NSW 2007