Master of Midwifery Studies

Faculty of Health

Newer Program Available: This program information only applies to students continuing in the Master of Midwifery Studies.

Award Abbreviation
MMidStud

Locations
Online

Program code
10973

Summary

The Master of Midwifery Studies at the University of Newcastle is designed to enhance the ' 'with women' work of midwives. The program encourages and builds midwives' abilities as they undertake their work with women in pregnancy, during labour and giving birth and in the early parenting time. The online HECS program is designed to support midwives on their individual learning journeys by facilitating heightened understandings of complex midwifery situations and relationships. As with all University of Newcastle midwifery programs, a philosophy of midwifery as a woman-centred discipline and of partnership between women and midwives is foundational.

Experienced midwives without a tertiary qualification and midwives with a Graduate Diploma in Midwifery are invited to apply for the Master of Midwifery Studies degree program.

Program duration

Depending on qualifications and credit, the Master of Midwifery Studies can take from 7 months to 20 months (2 to 5 trimesters). The program is a trimester-based program. Midwives can begin their program of study in any trimester.

Admission criteria

Bachelor of Midwifery (or equivalent)
Registered midwife with a Graduate Diploma in Midwifery (or equivalent)

Registered midwives who have not undertaken a tertiary qualification can submit documentation to be assessed for academic credit.

Academic Credit for previous study and work

Midwives applying for academic credit need to provide evidence of current evidence based practice. Evidence for credit could include (but is not limited to) documented midwifery experience as a midwife, education, training and qualifications such as an Antenatal Education Certificate, a Lactation Consultant qualification, an Advanced Life Support, Obstetrics (ALSO) certificate, a Certificate 4 in an appropriate field (eg Teaching and Learning), a certificate from a mentoring program with evidence of perceptoring/mentoring in the clinical area, a major policy writing role in a maternity unit, or other evidence which shows a commitment to midwifery practice at 'masters level'.

No academic credit applies for courses completed at Bachelor's level.

How to apply

This program is only offered to Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents. Prospective students must lodge an application through either the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) or through Gradschool.com . For details of how to apply please visit either:

http://www.uac.edu.au

http://www.gradschool.com.au

Please contact the Postgraduate Program Officer administrative enquiries on
Telephone: 02 4921 7933
E-mail: midwifery@newcastle.edu.au

For other enquiries please contact Professor Kathleen Fahy, Midwifery Program Convenor
Telephone: 02 4921 5966
E-mail: Kathleen.Fahy@newcastle.edu.au

Program Description

The Master of Midwifery Studies is an online coursework masters degree that requires the completion of courses that total 120 units of study. The online program is organised into trimesters to allow busy midwives who have multiple roles and competing responsibilities to study at times suitable to them. Because online learning can be very useful but isolating, the midwifery program in the School of Nursing and Midwifery has supportive strategies in place to enhance learning and to build teaching/learning relationships. Assistance is readily available through e-mail and by phone from course coordinators, the midwifery program convenor and administrative and IT support people.

Costs: Commonwealth Supported Students

The program is a Commonwealth Suported program for Australian students. For further information please refer to the following web sites - The University of Newcastle's fee website: www.newcastle.edu.au/study/fees/ or the Department of Education, Science and Training's websites: http://www.backingaustraliasfuture.gov.au/student_info.htm

Fees for international students are available from the University of Newcastle fee website:

http://www.newcastle.edu.au/study/fees/

Approved Courses

Midwives who have a Graduate Diploma in Midwifery undertake a program of study worth 60 units*.

* Applicants who have completed the University of Newcastle Graduate Diploma in Midwifery will receive 80 Units of credit as the Program is a 'clustered program'. These students need only complete 40 units of courses listed below.

Successful applicants should contact the midwifery Program Convenor re: advice on course selection.

Prescribed Courses
NURS6621	Contract Learning A	10 units
NURS6622	Contract Learning B	10 units
ELECTIVES	Four elective courses selected from the list below assuming 60 units of credit	40 units
Elective Courses
NURS6090	Investigative Methods for Clinical Practice	10 units
NURS6030	Counselling 1	10 units
NURS6520	Contemporary Midwifery	10 units
NURS6580	Midwifery Practice Issues	10 units
NURS6590	The Childbearing Woman and Her Family	10 units
NURS6640	Teaching and Learning in the Clinical Context	10 units
NURS6815	Special Care of the Newborn Offered subject to approval	10 units
NURS6816	Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing Offered subject to approval	10 units
NURS6623	Leadership and Management in Practice	10 units
NURS6624	Leading Change in Practice	10 units
BIOS6910	Biostatistics A	10 units
EPID6600	Research Protocol Design	10 units
EPID6420	Epidemiology A Basic Methods	10 units
PUBH6210	Qualitative Methods in Health Research	10 units
MEDI6160	Clinical Assessment of Drug/Alcohol Use Offered on a semester basis	10 units
MEDI6130	Basis of Drug/Alcohol Problems Offered on semester basis	10 units
(or other electives by approval of the midwifery program convenor)

Midwives without a Graduate Diploma in Midwifery

For experienced midwives without a Graduate Diploma in Midwifery the program of study depends on how much academic credit is granted which can be up to 50% (60 units). The 120 units are achieved by completing a report and elective courses.