Graduate Diploma of Midwifery
Develop the knowledge, practices, and dispositions required for future professional midwifery practice and registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
Course essentials
Entry requirements
Credit
A full-time study load is 120 credits a year (usually four 15-credit units each semester). 120 credits equal one equivalent full-time student load (EFTSL). Each credit point equals about 10 hours of learning, so a 15-credit unit means roughly 150 hours.
Study mode
Study modes tell you how teaching and learning will be delivered for your course and include where and when classes can be scheduled, what you'll do and the tech you'll use.
Duration
Start dates
Locations
Mt Helen (on campus)
Course overview
The Graduate Diploma of Midwifery is an innovative program with a strong regional focus. This program is designed to prepare you with the theoretical and practical knowledge and skills necessary to practice midwifery in a multidisciplinary context and in a variety of settings.
Skills for evaluating evidence for best midwifery practice, as well as for development of self, others and the profession, are also features of the program. You will be exposed to a wide variety of perspectives and environments in order to help develop the ability to think critically about the role of the midwife in the maternity care setting.
On successful completion of this program you will be eligible to apply for registration as a midwife with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
The program incorporates two models of clinical placements at both the Mt Helen and Gippsland campuses:
The Employment model: The health agency employs students and enables students to learn in the workplace while studying to gain their clinical experience. Students are mentored to consolidate their clinical experience. Potential students make applications to both FedUni and an affiliated clinical agency of their choice. You will need to contact the midwifery educator in the facilities that you are interested in, to check the availability of employment positions and the application process for these positions.
The Supernumerary model: Students gain clinical experience and expertise through clinical placements in healthcare agencies as supernumerary workforce. Their clinical learning experience is facilitated by clinical educators in the workplace. Learning will take place in a number of metropolitan, rural and regional agencies in Eastern Victoria for Gippsland based students and Western Victoria for Ballarat based students.
IT requirements
To do this course you’ll need a fast and reliable computer and access to high-speed internet. Expect to use about 5GB of data per month for every unit you’re doing. Find out more about the minimum IT requirements for studying with us.
Got questions?
Call us on 1800 333 864, start a live chat or submit an enquiry.
Student support
The support we offer is second to none. Need academic help? No problem. Extra access or financial assistance? Let’s see what we can do. View our student services.
The fine print
The commencement of all courses is subject to available funding and enrolment quotas.
Everything in this course overview is correct at the time of being published. However, the University reserves the right to alter any course, procedure or fee. Please check for changes before you apply or enrol.
Federation University uses Victorian and Commonwealth Government funding (for eligible students) to deliver training.
School department
Midwifery
Course co-ordinator
Kristen Graham
Career paths
Following successful registration with AHPRA, graduates may work as a midwife in either healthcare or community settings.
Professional recognition
The Graduate Diploma of Midwifery is accredited by the NMBA to 21 November 2026 according to:
ANMAC Midwife Accreditation Standards (2021) available at:
https://anmac.org.au/accreditation-standards/midwife
NMBA Midwife Standards for Practice (2018) available at:
Fees and scholarships
Tuition fee information
Commonwealth Supported Places are subsidised by the Australian Government. The tuition fee is called the student contribution amount. The indicative fee above is based on a typical first-year enrolment for this course and should be used as a guide only. For 0.5 EFTSL (60 credit point) courses the certificate fee is displayed. Your fee will depend on the units you chose, your study load, the time it takes to complete your course and any approved credit you receive.
How it's calculated
The government sets the fee each year. The amount depends on the discipline area and band of each unit. 2026 annual student contribution amounts for 1 EFTSL (equivalent full-time student load) range from $4,738 (Band 1) to $17,399 (Band 4). The sample course structure below link to the EFTSL, Band and fee for each unit or you can use our unit search to find these details.
Other fees
You will also need to pay the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
Fee assistance
If you're eligible for a HECS-HELP loan, you can defer the payment of all or part of your student contribution fee. If you’re also eligible for a SA-HELP loan, you can defer your SSAF payment too. You won’t have to start paying either loan back until your income reaches the compulsory repayment threshold.
Scholarships
There’s a range of scholarships and grants available. Find out what you can apply for.
Course details
Start dates
Semester 1, 2027
1 March 2027
Locations
Gippsland (on campus)
Mt Helen (on campus)
Information
- Our Mt Helen, SMB, Camp St and Gillies St campuses are located in Ballarat. Testing.
Contact hours
Students are required to attend two compulsory residential schools per semester at either the Mt Helen or Churchill campus.
Full-time students are required to attend 5 days for each residential school, with part-time students attending 3 days per week in year 1, and 2 days per week in year 2. Residential schools are held at the beginning and mid-way through each semester. Dates will be advised with letter of enrolment.
In addition, full-time students are required to complete a minimum of 360 hours of clinical placement per semester, this may be as a block of full-time placement or flexible placement of 2-3 shifts per week. Part-time students will complete a minimum of 200 hours of placement per semester in year 1, and 160 hours per semester in year 2.
All students are required to commit time to engaging women in continuity of care experiences (further information below under the `industry experience' tab).
All students are required to commit time to engaging women in continuity of care experiences.
Work integrated learning
This program requires a total of 720 placement hours.
Placement information:
MIDGD6201 Women Centred Midwifery Care 25 days (200 hours) of integrated midwifery
MIDGD6202 Midwifery as a Profession 20 days (160 hours) hours of integrated midwifery
MIDGD6203 Midwifery Care for Women with Complex Needs 15 days (120 hours) of integrated midwifery
MIDGD6204 Care of the Neonate with Increased Needs 10 days (80 hours) of Special Care Nursery
MIDGD6207 Midwifery Partnerships with First Nations Families 20 days (160 hours) of integrated midwifery
Students are also required to undertake additional hours to complete ten (10) midwifery continuity of care experiences.
Sample course structure
Here’s what the course structure could look like. It’s just an example (so don’t use it for enrolment). Interested in the details? You can find current course structure or select a single unit name below to find out what it’s about and how much it costs.
- Introduction to Public Health15 credit pointsHEAPH6001
- Women Centred Midwifery Care30 credit pointsMIDGD6201
- Midwifery as a Profession15 credit pointsMIDGD6202
- Midwifery Care for Women with Complex Needs15 credit pointsMIDGD6203
- Care of the Neonate with Increased Needs15 credit pointsMIDGD6204
- Research Methods for Evidence Based Practice15 credit pointsMIDGD6205
- Midwifery Partnerships with First Nations Families15 credit pointsMIDGD6207
Meet us at Open Day
Open Day is your chance to explore all that Federation has to offer. Meet current lecturers and students, ask course questions, learn about our support services and explore campus spaces.
We’ve got heaps of activities, tours and presentations planned. Basically, we want you to get a real feel for Federation. The atmosphere. The opportunities. The community.
Oh – and there’s no need to pack a sandwich. Lunch is on us.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements (non year 12)
Applicants for this program will need to meet the following criteria.
- Registered Nurse wanting to achieve registration as a midwife: Applicants must be a Registered nurse currently on the AHPRA register with a Bachelor of Nursing qualification, and at least one year's recent post-registration acute medical/surgical nursing experience.
- Registered Midwife wanting to upgrade their qualification to a Graduate Diploma of Midwifery: Applicants must be a Registered midwife currently on the AHPRA register and who meet the Nurses and Midwives Board of Australia recency of practice registration standard.
All applicants must complete and submit the Essential Requirements form. Extra requirements to be supplied with application: Proof of Ahpra registration, Working with Children Check (WWCC), Relevant vaccinations with signed declaration of immunisation status, Letter of employment or clinical support (if applicable). You should be aware that healthcare organisations recommend all health staff to have relevant vaccinations to protect themselves and their patients/clients. It is recommended that you have relevant vaccinations along with a signed declaration of immunisation status prior to clinical placement. Please refer to the Australian Immunisation Handbook 10th Edition at http://www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/Handbook10-home You will be required to undertake a police check (renewed annually) and a Working with Children Check (renewed every five years). This will be required to be presented to an authorised staff member of a healthcare organisation. NB: Meeting minimum prerequisites does not guarantee an offer of a place. Entry into this program is based on competitive selection and there may be limited places available. Federation University Australia encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
English language requirements
Overall Academic IELTS band score of 7.0, or equivalent
Extra requirements
You should be aware that healthcare organisations recommend all health staff to have relevant vaccinations to protect themselves and their patients/clients. It is recommended that you have relevant vaccinations along with a signed declaration of immunisation status prior to clinical placement. Please refer to the Australian Immunisation Handbook 10th Edition at http://www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/Handbook10-home
You will be required to undertake a police check (renewed annually) and a Working With Children Check (renewed every five years). This will be required to be presented to an authorised staff member of a healthcare organisation.
NB: Meeting minimum prerequisites does not guarantee an offer of a place. Entry into this program is based on competitive selection and there may be limited places available.
Federation University Australia encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Additional information: Inherent requirements for Midwifery available at: http://www.federation.edu.au/students/student-essentials/your-course-resources/midwifery-resources
If you’re only applying for this course, do it via direct application.
Ready to fill out your application?
You'll need this code:
Direct application
Federation University code
- Direct application
- Yes
- Federation University code
- MW4
Graduates may be eligible to move onto the Master of Nursing (by Research), or other forms of postgraduate study.
There are three options to consider to strengthen a future application for the Graduate Diploma of Midwifery.
1. This course requires at least one year's recent post-registration acute medical/surgical nursing experience to be considered for an offer. We suggest that you prepare yourself for a future intake by improving your acute clinical knowledge and experience.
2. Clinical placements allocated by Federation University are competitive with limited places available. To strengthen a future application, we recommend that you actively seek a contract as a student midwife at a hospital. Paid employment or supernumerary models can be applied for via a health service website and will be publicised annually.
3. You may be interested in our Graduate Diploma of Health (Neonatal Care) course. This alternative course can assist in placement prospects for a future Midwifery application.
Hear from our students
So as I love serving people and helping them, I take Bachelor of Nursing and I'm pursuing nursing as my career. That only provides us with so many opportunities. They have contact with such good hospitals and agencies if you want to work for your placements and stuff. And they provide us with so much material and support to improve our skills through our nursing. Even in the uni, in the building, we have rooms are like literally hospital rooms where we have beds and all the equipments with dolls which do make sounds and they have pulse and everything. So it is so creative and so alive that we get to improve our skills so much. Ballarat is like the most happy, friendly little town in all of the Victoria I've been in Melbourne. But people over here are genuinely really sweet and nice to you. They're really friendly and they're just walking in the morning and someone is passing by and they'll just say, they'll smile and they say good morning to you, which is so sweet. Like it never feels that you're somewhere different. You're just you feel homely. I've heard a lot about Federation University. So back when I was applying for multiple universities, I was suggested Fed Uni by my agent and they suggested Fed Uni because it has so many campus. They support, support us so much and it is so multicultural. They're like so many people coming from so many different countries. So last year they hosted the Bollywood night for the Indian students. Being an Indian, I was so happy that they're hosting such an event. They keep on hosting events which are like for every culture and everyone gets to enjoy and feel at home, which is the best part. So the Bollywood night was the one for me. I'll be pursuing nursing as my career and I want to become a registered nurse, work here for the people and serve them and just enjoy life for some time.