Overview
If you are a registered nurse (RN), you can do a Master of Nursing degree online. Fully online programs, requiring no campus attendance, are available from Australian universities. These 12-subject degrees are designed for working nurses who want to study part-time.
Interesting and varied degrees are available for RNs, with many specialisations. Students can study flexibly at their convenience. For most postgraduate programs for nurses, it is helpful or may be important to combine study with related clinical practice.
However, if you aim to become a nurse via master's studies, you can only study partially online. Master of Nursing Practice programs – entry courses for graduates without a nursing background – have on-campus instruction and also involve clinical placements. Distance education options are available, but not full virtual learning.
What Master's Degrees Can a Nurse Do?
If you hold a nursing degree, you have many options for Masters of Nursing online. These include a range of specialisations, spanning clinical, management, education, nurse practitioner, and research roles. Additionally, you can branch outside of nursing into broader fields such as healthcare management, social work, counselling, and business administration.
In the nursing field, you could focus on areas such as:
- Advanced Nursing
- Advanced Practice
- Critical Care
- Emergency Nursing
- Mental Health Nursing
- Nursing Education
- Nursing Management
Generally, you should have experience in the particular specialisation. The standard timeframe is two years of part-time study.
Alternatively, if you're thinking of diversifying your skills and/or changing your career path, consider programs open to people with general degrees. A field like Health Management offers insights into the administrative aspects of healthcare. An MBA in Healthcare Management could open doors to executive roles. Similarly, degrees in Social Work or Counselling can lead to new opportunities in patient advocacy, mental health, and community welfare.
Graduate Entry Programs
Graduate-entry master’s programs provide university graduates from other disciplines a streamlined route to becoming registered nurses. The two-year programs are also known as "Master of Nursing Practice," "Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry)," "Master of Nursing Studies," and similar titles. They provide an accelerated pathway, typically requiring 24 months of full-time study or 48 months part-time.
In Australia, ten universities currently offer these courses. Charles Darwin University provides the only external option. In addition to online coursework, students must complete three simulation blocks (96 hours) on-campus in Sydney or Darwin, and at least 800 hours of supervised clinical placements within their region.
Source: Registered Nurse Courses: Approved Programs of Study
How 100% Online Study Works
The best online master's programs in nursing have been designed for professional nurses. They contain many features to allow you to study conveniently and effectively. Based on the kinds of programs we recommend at Lerna Courses, here is what you can expect in your learning experience.
- Fully virtual coursework. These programs require no campus attendance, enabling access to materials from any location.
- Part-time flexibility. Courses are structured to be completed part-time, catering to the busy schedules of working nurses.
- User-friendly learning platforms. Universities provide platforms that are accessible from multiple devices and feature tools such as live video conferencing, discussion forums, and interactive quizzes.
- Structured weekly content. Course material is organised into weekly modules, allowing for manageable and focused study.
- Support and academic assistance. Each subject comes with tutor support for academic queries and feedback, and Student Success Advisors provide non-academic guidance.
- Non-exam assessment. Assessments include clinical reports, quizzes, presentations, and more, offering practical and relevant evaluation methods.
- Flexible study times. The program's format allows for study during convenient times, such as during work breaks or at home.
Alongside the core features, the courses also provide ample networking opportunities and a strong support network. You will have classmates and other people available to you throughout your learning journey.
Related: Postgraduate Nursing Courses Online
Is the Degree Worthwhile?
Earning a nurse master's degree is worthwhile for both career advancement and financial gains. The degree increases your competitiveness for desirable positions. It's almost a prerequisite for the highest-paid nursing jobs in clinical consulting, education, and management. Master of Nursing graduates typically earn between $92,500 and $143,509 per year.
On the cost side, online learning makes postgraduate study an even more attractive option. It significantly reduces financial and time costs, as study can be confined to outside working hours. Without travel requirements, the main costs are tuition fees, which can be covered by FEE-HELP loans from the Australian Government. To help pay off the loan, graduates are generally eligible for qualification allowances averaging $5,331 per year.
Risks of non-completion can be minimised by starting your degree with a Graduate Certificate in Nursing. This course typically consists of four subjects drawn from a larger master's program. If study goes well, you can seamlessly continue from the grad cert to complete a nursing graduate diploma (8 subjects) and then a master's degree (12 subjects).