The Master of Midwifery is offered as a post-graduate degree leading to endorsement as a midwife after the completion of the Graduate Diploma of Midwifery, which is an interim/exit award of the Master of Midwifery.  Students are enrolled in the Master's Degree as distance students.  The Masters of Midwifery is an integrated educational sequence portraying the health care continuum of the pregnant woman and child including pre-pregnancy, antenatal care, childbirth, parenting, postnatal and specialised care needs of young infants.  Within the care continuum with the pregnant woman and child in the context of ‘normality', the primary care giver is the midwife.  The midwife is a professional who undertakes a program of study which encapsulates the knowledge and skills to meet the requirements of the registering body and is seen to meet state, national and international standards of midwifery practice.

The Master of Midwifery is designed to meet the growing needs of registered nurses, practicing midwives and midwives returning to practice who wish to develop their knowledge and expertise in midwifery.  Its design is to produce skilled, caring, knowledgeable and effective midwives who communicate openly and engender trust from a wide range of people and are competent and capable of working in any setting.  The midwife works in and across a broad range of settings, from complex settings to community care, and makes a significant contribution to the wider public health agenda.

The philosophy and conceptual framework reflect the relationship between midwifery metaparadigms (woman, wellness/health, environment and midwife) and clinical skills in achieving the program's aim and outcomes.

The breadth, depth and integration of courses within the program provides an educational experience to produce a dual educated professional who is able to meet childbearing women, and their family needs, and become active and competent midwives.

The program aims to develop a midwife who can apply learning in order to meet individual needs within their case care responsibilities.

Please note: students are expected to demonstrate their ability to analyse their own practice through dialogue, reflection, case report and portfolios.

There are 13 courses offered in the Master of Midwifery, 10 courses which are offered in the Graduate Diploma of Midwifery.

Applicants entering to study the Master program (three courses only)  must be currently practicing as a midwife. All currently practicing midwives would seek Recognition of Prior Learning for any one of the following qualifications:

1. Graduate Diploma of Midwifery plus current curriculum vitae (CV)
2. Hospital Based Certificate in Midwifery plus  curriculum vitae (CV)

Applicants seeking a Master degree via Graduate Diploma of Midwifery entry must hold current registration as a nurse OR registration as a midwife and who is returning to practice after a period of time OR a midwife seeking to update their registration.

Further clarification regarding entry into the Master of Midwifery can be sought from the Head of Program- d.hay@cqu.edu.au.