Bachelor of Nursing

If you want an important and in-demand career that makes a difference, nursing is for you. Gain the necessary knowledge and hands-on experience needed to successfully work in multidisciplinary teams to promote quality health outcomes for clients in your care.

UQ's Bachelor of Nursing is a respected and innovative program developed in consultation with healthcare professionals. It takes a narrative and inquiry-based approach to learning and integrates lecture-based study with clinical placements in major hospitals.
Start your practical-based healthcare experience in your first semester of study at your home hospital group, where you will undertake rostered clinical placement shifts as well as clinical skills simulation sessions.
Consolidate your skills and develop your confidence through extended specialist clinical placements in your final year, in areas such as aged care, critical care, emergency medicine, mental health, rural health, and paediatrics.
Be confident and job-ready after spending more than 1000 hours on supervised clinical placements across your program. Placements are designed to consolidate your knowledge with the aim of meeting competency standards for registration.

UQ nurses are competent, capable, and caring professionals who are the eyes, ears and heart of healthcare.

In the classroom

Hands-on skills

Learn from lecturers who are among the best in Australia and are leaders in both teaching and research. You'll also be taught by our practising clinicians who have a wealth of nursing experience.
Teaching spaces

Hospital placements

UQ partners with a number of hospitals in South East Queensland including the Mater Hospitals (South Brisbane, Springfield and Redland), Ipswich Hospital, Logan Hospital, Redland Hospital, and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital, and aged care nursing homes.
Beyond the classroom

The right fit

Upon enrolment you will be able to preference a home hospital group to undertake the majority of your clinical placement, ensuring a learning atmosphere that suits your goals and interests. Please note that hospital partners are subject to change and final approval.
Professional experience

Clinical placements

A dedicated team will help you arrange your placement. In addition to your placement hospitals, you can expect to undertake your studies at the St Lucia campus, the Francis Baron Burnett Simulation Centre and Greenslopes Hospital, or the Mater Hospital at South Brisbane.
Accreditation

Professional recognition

The Bachelor of Nursing is accredited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council and the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing.
Alumni

“Throughout my degree I had the opportunity to complete placements in a range of different departments including paediatric emergency and the adult intensive care unit (ICU).” Philomena Massey, BN graduate (2015)

Graduates of the Bachelor of Nursing are distinguished by their breadth of knowledge, professional readiness, initiative, and problem-solving skills.

Our graduates typically find employment in a range of different public and private healthcare settings, including:

aged care
cardiac nursing
community nursing
critical care
day surgery nursing
drug and alcohol nursing
home-care nursing
emergency care
Indigenous health
infectious disease
medical/surgical nursing
mental health nursing
neonatal nursing
neuroscience nursing
nurse educator
nurse manager
oncology
orthopaedics
paediatrics and child health
perioperative
public health
rehabilitation
rural and remote area
school-based health nursing
sexual health nursing
transplant nursing.

Other graduates choose to further their research ambitions and enrol in an honours year, where they develop their research skills and make significant contributions to knowledge.

Beyond the classroom

International study options

Because this program is designed to meet international best practices standards, you can go on exchange during the first or third year. We have nursing exchange programs with the University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia, University of Manchester and University of Nottingham.
Fast Facts

One more year, one more degree

With just one more year of study, you can complete a Bachelor of Nursing and a Bachelor of Midwifery simultaneously as a dual degree, and qualify as a midwife as well.
Beyond the classroom

Join a growing profession

There is a worldwide shortage of trained nurses, and Australian employment prospects are projected to increase by 23 per cent during the next five years (2017 Occupational Projections report, Department of Employment).
Beyond the classroom

International career potential

You will gain skills that can take you across the globe. Australian nurses are highly regarded nationally and around the world.

Program details Next

Summary

Program code

2241
QTAC code

728502
Faculty

Health & Behavioural Sciences
Duration

3 Years full-time
Commencing

Semester 1 (25 Feb, 2019)
Program level

Undergraduate
Units

48
Delivery location

St Lucia
AQF

Level 7

Admissions criteria

Prerequisites

Year 12 or equivalent English and one of Biology, Chemistry or Physics.

OP / Rank / IB Diploma

Minimum selection threshold

This table shows the minimum adjusted score that was considered for admission to the Bachelor of Nursing in 2018:

OP	Rank	IB
7	86	31

OP / Rank profile for those offered a place in Semester 1, 2018

This table shows the entry scores of all recent secondary students who were offered a place in the Bachelor of Nursing:

	Unadjusted OP / Rank	Adjusted OP / Rank
Highest	1 / 99	1 / 99
Median	6 / 89	5 / 91
Lowest	9 / 81	7 / 86

Learn more about the admissions process

Program structure

Courses

The courses offered in the Bachelor of Nursing are set out in the course list. Each course is allocated a certain number of units (#). A standard full-time study load is 8 units per semester.

Courses Program Rules

The Program Rules explain what is required to complete the Bachelor of Nursing. These requirements include the total number of units you need to complete in order to graduate.

Program Rules

To have your degree conferred, you also need to comply with UQ’s policies and rules.

Student profile

The table below shows the most recent student intake in the Bachelor of Nursing in Semester 1, 2018:

Applicant background	Number of students	Percentage of all students
(A) Higher education study	68	38.2%
(B) Vocational Education and Training (VET) study	5	2.81%
(C) Work and life experience	0	0%
(D) Recent secondary education:
Admitted solely on the basis of OP	94	52.81%
Admitted where OP and additional criteria were considered	<5	<5
Admitted on the basis of other criteria only and OP was not a factor	<5	<5
International students	7	3.93%
Total	178	100%

Student profiles show your likely peer group in a program. They are not the basis for admission to a program.

Notes:

"<5" — The number of students is less than 5.
N/A — Students not accepted in this category.
N/P — Not published. The number is hidden to protect the privacy of students in other cells.

Learn more about student profiles

Practicals, placements and internships

You will undertake over 1,000 hours of supervised clinical practice in a range of clinical settings that includes hospitals and a variety of health care organisations. You will have the opportunity during your placements to apply your theoretical knowledge acquired through coursework to practice and develop your clinical skills in real life setting.

You will commence your clinical placements in the first semester of the program. Over the first two years of the program you will normally complete 15 x 8-hour shifts per semester and in the final year you will complete extended full time clinical placements.

Location
Upon entering your program you will preference and then be allocated to a home hospital group. For further information on home hospital groups, visit the following website.

This program has pre-placement requirements which must be met prior to commencement of the program or a placement course. Further details can be found on the Placement Ready website.

Professional memberships

Graduates may be eligible for membership with the following professional bodies:

Australian College of Nursing

Accreditation body

The Bachelor of Nursing is accredited by:

Australian Nursing And Midwifery Accreditation Council

Professional registration

Graduates may be eligible for registration with the following professional bodies:

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. Please see the NMBA website for additional mandatory registration requirements

Please contact the relevant professional body for details about registration. Completion of the Bachelor of Nursing may not result in automatic registration for graduates.

Dual programs

Dual programs let you study two degrees at the same time. Each dual program has a single set of Program Rules.

The following dual programs are available with the Bachelor of Nursing:

Bachelors of Nursing/Midwifery

Concurrent diplomas

A concurrent diploma is a diploma-level qualification (AQF 5) that you can study alongside your bachelor's program.

All diplomas are made up of 16 units. You can spread these units across the duration of your bachelor's program, or you can complete these units in an accelerated period.

Concurrent diplomas are available in:

Further study options

Graduates of the Bachelor of Nursing have the opportunity to progress into the following programs:

Eligibility for honours is based on your GPA. For details refer to the Program Rules for the honours program.

Programs and Courses

If you're a current student who has already commenced study at UQ, please see Programs and Courses for full information about your program structure, rules and requirements.

HECS-HELP

Domestic places in the Bachelor of Nursing are Commonwealth Supported. This means the cost of your education is shared between you and the Australian Government.

Instead of tuition fees, Commonwealth Supported students pay what are called student contribution amounts.

HECS-HELP is an Australian Government loan scheme to assist eligible students with the cost of their student contribution amounts.

Find out more about HECS-HELP.

Centrelink Support

The Australian Government offers a number of income-support payments to eligible Australian university students. For more information, visit the Centrelink website.

Indicative annual fee

AUD $7,580

Indicative fee 2019 Commonwealth supported place

The "indicative annual fee" is the approximate cost of enrolling in a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) in the Bachelor of Nursing for the 2019 academic year. It is calculated based on a standard full-time study load.

A standard full-time study load is 16 units over two semesters. Actual fees (student contribution amounts) will vary according to your choice of courses and their unit value.

The Australian Government indexes student contributions each year.

Visit Student contributions and tuition fees for more information.

Additional costs

Annual CPR re-certification (approximately $60 per year)
Students are expected to fund travel and living expenses associated with placements, some of which may be outside the Brisbane metropolitan area.
Senior First Aid Certificate (including CPR) (approximately $155 renewed every 3 years)
Police check for criminal history ($45)
A clinical uniform shirt is required and may be purchased from the School.
Costs for vaccinations and serology are the responsibility of the student and will vary based on individual and program requirements.

Scholarships

The University offers more than 200 scholarships for prospective students and more than 350 scholarships and prizes for current students.

Scholarships cover the full range of academic disciplines and are open to domestic students and international students.

Many scholarships have specific eligibility criteria. More information, including information about how to apply, is available on the Scholarships website.

Applying to QTAC

Apply now to QTAC

All domestic student applications for the Bachelor of Nursing need to be lodged through the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC).

You can list up to six programs in order of preference on your QTAC application. Listing the maximum of six will strengthen your chances of being offered a place at university.

The QTAC code for the Bachelor of Nursing is 728502. You'll need this when applying.

Find out more about applying for undergraduate study.

Apply now to QTAC

Additional application information

This program has pre-placement requirements which must be met prior to commencement of the program or a placement course. Further details can be found on the Placement Ready website.

For applicants who need to provide evidence of English proficiency, please note that this program requires a higher level of English language proficiency than the UQ minimum.

Important dates

There are a number of dates and deadlines you need to meet when applying for university. Many of these dates are managed by organisations that are independent of UQ.

A good resource is the QTAC website, which has information about the application process and closing dates. Note: what QTAC calls a "course” we call a "program".

A full list of dates relevant to UQ students is available on the Student Matters Calendar.

Admission schemes

Applying to university can be both exciting and daunting, which is why we’ve tried to make the process as simple and certain as we can.

We have several schemes in place to improve your chances of getting a place at UQ.

Learn more about admission schemes

Admission pathways

A rank or score doesn’t determine your potential.

If you're not offered a place in your first-choice program – or if you don't meet the typical entry requirements – you still have a number of options.