Mental health nursing

Build your practical skills and knowledge to become a senior clinician, step into leadership or innovate through research. You'll graduate ready to work in any setting where mental health intervention occurs.

At Deakin there's a clear connection between what you study and what lies ahead in your career. Developed in consultation with our key industry partners, you’ll gain the comprehensive theoretical and advanced practical skills needed to work with carers and supporters in any setting where mental health intervention occurs.

Deakin offers postgraduate courses in mental health nursing at graduate certificate, graduate diploma and masters levels.

Our Graduate Certificate of Mental Health Nursing and Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing equip you with the knowledge, confidence and advanced understanding of consumer-centric mental health concepts necessary to work within the multidisciplinary teams supporting consumers, carers and supporters.

Our Master of Mental Health Nursing offers both a coursework and thesis stream, allowing you to tailor the course to your area of focus, or inform current nursing practice by undertaking a research project in mental health nursing. Nurses who successfully complete the Master of Mental Health Nursing, and who undertake the thesis stream, may be able to extend their research career by undertaking a PhD.

Are you new to this area of study?

If you haven't previously worked or studied in this area, you'll need to complete an undergraduate course in nursing before moving on to our postgraduate mental health programs. Browse the undergraduate offerings in some of our other nursing disciplines.

• Clinical nursing
• Midwifery

With one in five Australians seeking mental health support annually,^{^} the need for professionals is growing. In the 10 years to 2022, the number of mental health nursing roles grew nationwide by almost 25%^# – and the field is set to grow even more, with the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System recommending an additional 2,500 now jobs in the mental health workforce in the state of Victoria alone.^**

As a result of this strong sector growth, registered nurses with specialised postgraduate qualifications in mental health nursing are in strong demand. In many services, a qualification is a minimum requirement to work in the setting following an undergraduate nursing degree.

With a degree in mental health nursing, you can meet the demand for mental health nursing and graduate with skills to pursue jobs like:

At Deakin, you’ll gain the confidence, skills and knowledge to enhance your mental health nursing career. Become a Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN), senior clinician or step into a leadership role across a range of community and inpatient settings – or innovate the industry through further research.