Program Overview

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Graduate Certificate of Nursing Online

Program Highlights

• Choose from three in-demand specialisations: Advanced Practice, Education, or Leadership and Management.
• Transform your practice and improve your clinical skill set.
• Develop key skills to help you succeed in clinical contexts.
• Fast-track your career with 100% online study.
• Be supported by a dedicated Student Success Advisor.
• Begin the pathway to a master's degree.

Why Nursing at JCU?

James Cook University’s online Graduate Certificate of Nursing will give you the boost you need to achieve your professional goals in today’s fast-paced healthcare system.

100% Online & Part-Time

Fast-track your career with flexible study you can balance around your life. Study one subject at a time and complete your degree in as little as eight months part-time.

Choose Your Career Pathway

Choose to specialise in either advanced practice, education or leadership and management. Have the opportunity to continue your studies and gain a master's degree with a double major.

Ranked in the Top 30 Universities in Australia

JCU is in the top 30 universities in the 2025 QS World University Rankings. You'll study with industry leaders, specialists and experienced nurse academics.

What You Will Study

To complete your online Graduate Certificate of Nursing, choose from one of three majors: Leadership and Management, Education or Advanced Practice, so you can shape your study to suit your own career path.

Leadership and Management Major

• Leading and Managing in Health
• Ethics and Health Management
• Effective Clinical Governance
• Professional Communication in Healthcare

Education Major

• Principles of Education for the Health Professional
• Teaching in Practice Settings
• Clinical Coaching
• Professional Communication in Healthcare

Advanced Practice Major

• Quality Use of Medicines in Practice
• Effective Clinical Governance
• Advanced Health Assessment
• Professional Communication in Healthcare

Course Information

Entry Requirements

To be eligible to enrol in the online Graduate Certificate of Nursing, applicants must have:

• 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;
• Completed a minimum of one year of full-time clinical experience, or the part-time equivalent, as a registered nurse.
• Applicants of non-English speaking backgrounds must meet the English language proficiency requirements of Band 3a – Schedule II of the JCU Admissions Policy.

Recognition of Prior Learning

If you have previously studied related subjects that are relevant to this course, you may be eligible to receive credits towards your Graduate Certificate of Nursing, cutting the overall time it could take to complete your qualification.

Learning Outcomes

The online Graduate Certificate of Nursing core subjects will provide you with a well-rounded experience, with learning outcomes that focus on:

• Apply specialised knowledge, skills and technical competencies across a variety of health contexts, including tropical, rural, remote and Indigenous settings
• Effectively communicate using high-level written and oral language skills
• Reflect on practice to ensure quality and promote an environment of excellence in healthcare
• Analyse, synthesise and evaluate a range of data and evidence to provide solutions to complex nursing problems

Career Outcomes

Depending on your specialisation, after completing your Graduate Certificate of Nursing you will have the skills to succeed in positions such as:

• Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Clinical Nurse Consultant
• Leadership and Management
• Nurse Unit Manager
• Clinical Teacher
• Nurse Educator

Inherent Requirements

Inherent requirements are the identified abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours that must be demonstrated, during the learning experience, to successfully complete a course. These abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours preserve the academic integrity of the University’s learning, assessment, and accreditation processes, and where applicable, meet the standards of a profession.

Meet Our Nursing Academics

Our academics will empower you to improve health outcomes, enrich your nursing practice and equip yourself with the skills to take your career to the next level.

Pieta Shakes

Lecturer

Jessica Best

Lecturer

Dr Tracey Ahern

Senior Lecturer

Tracey Gooding

Lecturer

Dr Clare Fenwick

Lecturer

Amanda Monzeglio

Lecturer

Kate Hurley

Lecturer

Nested Qualifications: Early Entry Exit Options

JCU’s Graduate Certificate of Nursing is a pathway towards obtaining a master's degree. After completing your graduate certificate, you can continue your studies and gain a Graduate Diploma of Nursing and a Master of Nursing.