Program Overview

Our Master of Midwifery is the only postgraduate midwifery course in Australia that does not require you to have a nursing qualification to enter. It also offers Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) to domestic applicants, which means part of your course fees are subsidised by the Australian Government. 

Midwives are registered health professionals trained to support and care for women during pregnancy, labour and birth. They work in clinics, hospitals, community practices, birthing centres or in the home. 

The Master of Midwifery can be studied over two years full-time or four-years part-time. Course content blends evidence-based theory with more than 1000 hours of supervised clinical practice and covers physical, biological, psychological and social sciences.

You’ll learn to work as a professional midwife in real settings, using your midwifery skills over the whole childbirth continuum. As part of your learning, you will recruit and follow 30 women; you will conduct their antenatal appointments, advise and educate these women and their support person, and be on call to help them through their labour and birth, and provide postnatal support.

You will also complete:

• 2–4 weeks full-time clinical placements in maternity settings per semester
• 2–3 weeks full-time face-to-face workshops at Curtin Perth per semester.

In your theory learning, you’ll critically analyse scientific literature and health standards, and evaluate clinical and diagnostic data. This gives you a broad understanding of midwifery practice and helps you to make informed decisions, recognise risks associated with pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum, and provide safe and effective care.

Throughout the course you’ll develop your cultural awareness and your communication and leadership skills, giving you the confidence to work in interprofessional healthcare teams, establish relationships with women and their families, and gain an understanding of the midwifery profession.

You’ll become knowledgeable on topics such as reproductive health and nutrition, mental health and breastfeeding, and will be able to provide families with the evidence they need to make informed choices.

When you graduate, you’ll be eligible to apply for registration as a midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.

What you'll learn

• Actively support culturally safe, values-led care for all women and babies through the development of personal and professional skills for cultural competence
• Appraise reflectively, critically and with initiative to apply midwifery knowledge and skills within dynamic and complex midwifery contexts
• Distinguish the importance of skilled professional midwifery care for women and babies in an international context
• Critically analyse scientific literature and health standards; synthesise and integrate into woman centred-care; engage with health and scientific information when seeking, evaluating and using data related to midwifery care and clinical decision-making
• Demonstrate proficiency and make informed decisions on therapeutic interventions by utilising current technology to inform midwifery practice for the delivery of safe and effective care
• Communicate effectively, to meet the woman’s needs, establish collegial relationships with interprofessional teams and promote midwifery within the community in the broader contexts of primary healthcare and public health policy
• Analyse and practice the values intrinsic to midwifery practice; demonstrate critical reflection and the ability to enhance the development of self and others; demonstrate leadership skills
• Examine current midwifery health legislation; work in an autonomous accountability framework within the scope of ethical and legal midwifery practice as a member of interprofessional teams
• Appraise and access opportunities for lifelong learning and enhance personal knowledge and skills to further contribute to the midwifery profession