Graduate Diploma in Midwifery

The Graduate Diploma in Midwifery at Adelaide University is a one-year qualification for registered nurses who want to become midwives. It's a graduate diploma, which sits on the Australian Qualifications Framework between a bachelor degree and a master's. In practice that means a tight, focused year of study rather than a broad three-year degree, you're building on your nursing registration, not starting from scratch.

How the year is structured

The year is split into semesters or trimesters, and you'll enrol in a set of units of study, each carrying credit points. The exact unit list and credit point values are confirmed on the official course page, check there before you apply, because they can shift between offerings. Midwifery is one of the fields where work-integrated learning isn't optional. You'll do supervised clinical placements in hospitals and community settings, working alongside registered midwives and caring for women through pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period. Most students also complete a capstone project or practice-based research component in the final part of the course.

What you'll actually learn

You'll study anatomy and physiology as it applies to pregnancy and birth, how to assess and monitor a woman and her baby through each stage, and how to recognise when something is going wrong and escalate. Pharmacology and medicines in midwifery come into it, as does supporting infant feeding. You'll learn to work with women from different backgrounds and to practise in a way that puts her decisions at the centre of care. Communication and clinical judgement get as much attention as the technical skills, a lot of midwifery is knowing what to say and when to act. On placement, you'll build the hands-on experience and the clinical hours you need for registration.

Who it suits and what you need

This course is for registered nurses with a bachelor degree in nursing who want to move into midwifery. If you're already working in a hospital, maternity, surgical, emergency, you'll find the transition makes sense. It's also for nurses returning to practice who want a change of direction. English proficiency is required for international applicants. The published standard for coursework postgraduate study is IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall, but nursing and medicine sit higher at 7.0–7.5, so check the exact requirement for this course. TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the university's own English programmes are accepted as equivalents, and the Department of Home Affairs sets its own separate English threshold for the Student visa. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 115871H. If you're an international student, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while you study, and the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream is worth looking into once you finish. Graduates apply for registration as a midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia through AHPRA.

• Registered midwife in public and private hospitals
• Midwife in community health services and birth centres
• Midwifery care in rural and remote settings
• Antenatal and postnatal clinic midwife
• Neonatal or special care nursery roles
• Midwife in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services
• Clinical midwife or educator after further experience
• Research or policy roles in maternal health

Australian employers include state and territory health departments, private hospital groups, community health organisations and general practices with midwifery services. Registration with AHPRA is required to practise as a midwife in Australia.