Graduate Diploma in Nursing
(Specialty Area)
School of Nursing and
Midwifery
University of South Australia
City East Campus
North Terrace
Adelaide
South Australia 5000
Telephone +618 8302 1805
Facsimile +618 8302 1806
Email:
nursing.enquiries@unisa.edu.au
Web:
www.unisa.edu.au/nur
Program code IGNG
Program length 1 year full-time or part-time equivalent
Program study mode Varies from course to course:
online; external (with online delivery); internal
Location City East Campus
Fees Domestic students – Commonwealth supported (HECS-HELP
based)
International students – available at
http://www.unisa.edu.au/internat
SATAC code Please see table (note 14) – Domestic students only
Minimum entry An undergraduate degree in nursing or equivalent, must be a
registered nurse with one year clinical experience holding a current
practising certificate or for international applicants, be eligible to be
licensed to practice as a registered nurse in their own country or
place of residence. See further entry requirements on the following
pages.
Entry Domestic students – GradStart (see below)
International students – Apply Online (see below)
Are there higher awards offered in this field?
Master of Nursing / Master of Mental Health Nursing / Master of Midwifery
Master of Nursing Science (Nurse Practitioner)
What will I gain from this program?
The Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Specialty Area)* is designed to prepare registered general
nurses to work in a diversity of fields by developing previously acquired knowledge and skills,
through the extension of their professional expertise.
What is involved in this program?
The courses in the specialty areas integrate knowledge related to the biosciences, social and
behavioural sciences, technology, health policy and advanced clinical decision-making with
innovation and scholarly practice.
Core courses allow students to identify policy issues in their area of practice and explore
health team collaboration in their field of study. In addition, emphasis is placed on
understanding research methods and relating these methods to the development of both
practice and processes within the health care sector. Students will have the benefit of
integrating research findings into their practice.
Option courses provide students with the skills to be lifelong learners and to be able to extend
their competence and knowledge through critical analysis and reflection.
Fees
This is currently a program for eligible Commonwealth supported students. Students should
check details about fees at www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/programs/ by typing in the program
code IGNG.
Program fees for international students can be found at http://www.unisa.edu.au/internat.
What will I study?
The Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Specialty Area) consists of 36 units of study which can be
taken over 1 year (full-time) or the part-time equivalent. Students will undertake 18 units of
specialty area courses, a 4.5 unit option course, and 13.5 units of core courses.
Information Current as at December 2008 CRICOS Provider Number: 00121B 1
 First half of year, full-time Course code Unit value of courses
Specialty Area Course 1 x 9.0 unit course or
2 x 4.5 unit courses (see Note 1)
Collaborative Approaches to Health (Core) HLTH 5136 9.0 unit course
Second half of year, full-time Course code Unit value of courses
Specialty Area Course 1 x 9.0 unit course or
2 x 4.5 unit courses (see Note 1 )
Applying Research to Nursing and Midwifery NURS 5124 4.5 unit course
Practice (Core)
Option 4.5 unit course (see Note 2)

Entry Requirements
Normally, applicants are required to:
hold a Bachelor degree in Nursing or equivalent from a recognised higher education institution, or have
completed hospital based training as a Registered Nurse;
OR
have successfully completed the nested Graduate Certificate in Nursing (ICNG) offered by the University
of South Australia or an equivalent qualification at another Australian university;
AND (all applicants)
hold a Current Practising Certificate or, for international applicants, be eligible to be licensed to practice as
a registered nurse in their own country or place of residence;
AND (all applicants)
have completed a minimum of one-year of clinical experience as a Registered Nurse;
AND
for study in the Cardiovascular Nursing, Critical Care, Immunisation and Nurse Education specialisations,
provide evidence of current employment in, or access to, the specialisation areas.
English language entry requirements
In addition, International students who speak English as a foreign language must satisfy the following:
International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic): Overall score of 6.5, with a minimum of
6 in each sub-band, obtained within the last two years or corresponding results from an equivalent test
such as TOEFL or the appropriate Academic English language level delivered at CELUSA;
OR
Successful completion of a tertiary qualification at diploma level or above completed in Australia within the
last two years;
OR
Successful completion of at least two years of tertiary study at diploma level or above conducted and
completed in English within the last five years in a country in which English is an official language as
determined by the University.
Where the study in English was more than five years ago, this requirement may be satisfied by subsequent and
recent work experience of at least two years duration in a setting where English is the language of business
subject to satisfactory evidence as determined by the University.

Applications
Applications for domestic students are to be lodged online via GradStart: http://www.satac.edu.au/.
Applications for international students are made via UniSA’s Apply Online portal available from:
http://www.unisa.edu.au/internat. International applicants who wish to study this program onshore in Australia
may only do so in one of the following three specialisations: Nurse Education; Leadership and Management;
Research Methodologies. All other specialisations are offered only by on-line external study from their home
country. If studying externally, all entry requirements, including English language requirements, must be met and
for study in Cardiovascular Nursing, Critical Care Nursing, Nurse Education, and Immunisation, proof of current
employment in the area of specialisation must be provided. International students in Australia on a Long Stay
Business Visa 457 wanting to study specialisations only available externally/online must discuss their eligibility
with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
(* See Note 1)

Notes
1. The following specialty areas will be offered within the Graduate Diploma in Nursing program, however, not
all areas will be offered every year.
(All of the speciality areas require at a minimum 10 students before they can be offered)
Cardiovascular Nursing Negotiated Studies (see note 4)
Critical Care Nursing (see note 3) Nurse Education *
Health and Ageing Leadership and Management *
Immunisation Research Methodologies *
* Only these specialisations are available to onshore International students.

2 CRICOS Provider Number: 00121B Information Current as at December 2008

2. Students can select a 4.5 option course from the following:

Course Name Course code

Accounting for Management M ACCT 5011
Alcohol and other Drugs NURS 5094
Bioethics HLTH 5002
Complex Health Problems in Rural Health Settings HLTH 5152
Contemporary Health Promotion HLTH 5153
Facilitating Practice-Based Learning HLTH 5137
Frameworks for Practice in the Care of the Older Person NURS 5129
Health and the Older Person NURS 5131
Health Economics and Finance BUSS 5185
Introductory Epidemiology HLTH 5131
Introductory Statistics HLTH 5129
Issues in Indigenous Health HLTH 5121
Leadership and Management in Health 1 NURS 5111
Managing Human Resources BUSS 5194
Nursing Curricula Development NURS 5120
Pharmacology for Health Professionals PHAR 5041
Qualitative Methods HLTH 5124

3. The Critical Care specialisation requires a minimum of 15 students before the specialisation can be offered.
4. Students undertaking Negotiated Studies may, with the approval of the Graduate Program Director, be able
to select 18 units of study from any of the specialty areas offered by the School of Nursing and Midwifery
listed in Note 1; or from the Professional Certificate programs offered by the School or from postgraduate
courses offered within the Division of Health Sciences.
5. Students holding a post-registration hospital specialist certificate of between 6 or 12 months in length may
be granted a maximum of one third credit (ie 18 units of credit) towards the Graduate Diploma in Nursing,
provided that the qualification has been completed no more than 10 years prior to an individual student’s
application. Examples of certificates include Advanced / Medical Surgical Nursing; Anaesthetics and
Recovery; Coronary Care; Emergency; Intensive Care; Medical Imaging; Nephrology; and Perioperative.
Students will enrol in Negotiated Studies.
6. Police Checks: All students in the Division of Health Sciences who undertake field or clinical placements, or
participate in University clinics as part of their program, must have had a police clearance prior to the
commencement of any placement or clinic activity.
7. Students who have already completed 18 units of a study in a specialty area and who wish to transfer to
the Research Methodologies specialisation, will complete a program of study designated by the Program
Director which will not include the Core courses or Option course.
8. Students undertaking the Nurse Education specialisation must take the course, Adult Learning for Nurse
Education as the first course of study within the specialisation.
9. Students undertaking the Research Methodologies specialisation, but not intending to undertake the course
Introductory Statistics, should consult the Program Director.
10. In some specialty areas applicants are required to provide evidence of employment or access to a clinical
setting relevant to the specialty area.
11. Students required to complete a practical component should be physically healthy and ensure that
immunisation requirements of the proposed venue/s are adhered to before commencing the course.
12. Core courses (13.5 units) comprise Collaborative Approaches to Health (9 units) and Applying Research to
Nursing and Midwifery (4.5 units).
13. Not all courses will be offered in each half of the year. Other optional courses may be negotiated, but must
be approved by the Program Director in advance of enrolment. In addition, electives and streams taken,
other than from the School of Nursing and Midwifery offerings, may be fee paying.

Information Current as at December 2008 CRICOS Provider Number: 00121B 3

14. SATAC Codes for each Program (specialisation) are listed below.
(The codes are used for domestic students applying through GradStart).

Program (Specialisation) SATAC Code

Graduate Diploma in Nursing 4GD035
(includes students undertaking Negotiated Studies or who are seeking
credit for specialisation courses outside of the current specialisations –
see Note 1)
Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Cardiovascular Nursing) 4GD051
Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Critical Care Nursing) 4GD053
Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Health and Ageing) 4GD055
Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Immunisation) 4GD056
Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Leadership and management) 4GD058
Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Nurse Education) 4GD062
Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Research Methodologies) 4GD064

Further information can be obtained from:

School of Nursing and Midwifery
Telephone +61 8 8302 1805
Facsimile +61 8 8302 1806
Email: nursing.enquiries@unisa.edu.au

International students should contact:

International Prospective Students Office
University of South Australia
GPO Box 2471
ADELAIDE SA 5001
Telephone +61 3 9627 4854
Email: international.office@unisa.edu.au
Web: www.unisa.edu.au/internat

For more information on the program and its courses, including access to course descriptions please visit the
program home page http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/programs/program.asp?Program=IGNG.
The School of Nursing and Midwifery Postgraduate Programs website is located at:
http://www.unisa.edu.au/nur/programs/postgrad.asp/.

4 CRICOS Provider Number: 00121B Information Current as at December 2008