Bachelor of Midwifery

Entry Requirements

Applicants are required to meet one of the following criteria with a competitive result, and demonstrate that they fulfil any prerequisite requirements and essential requirements for admission:

Recent secondary education:

Meet any prerequisite requirements with a minimum grade of C- or equivalent and

Complete secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE, or

Complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum score of 24 points

or

Higher education study

Complete or partly complete a recognized higher education program at a recognized higher education institution

or

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

Complete an award from a registered training organisation at Advanced Diploma level or above

or

Work and life experience

Hold completed secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE obtained more than 2 years in the past

English language requirements:

IELTS score of 6.5; TOEFL iBT score of 79 with no band less than 20; TOEFL paper-based test (PBT) score of 577 with TWE of 5.0; Cambridge CAE/CPE score of 177; Pearson's test of English (Academic) (PTE) score of 58 with no communicative score less than 58; CELUSA score of AE5.

Course Details

This degree will provide you with the practical skills and knowledge needed to provide care, support and advice to women during pregnancy, labour, birth and during the postnatal period.

There is a strong focus on theory and practical experience, and you will do much of your learning in our unique clinician led, authentic simulated hospital and health service on campus, known as the Horizon Hospital and Health Service (HHHS) – the only one of its kind in South Australia.

You will then have the opportunity to further develop these skills when you embark on real-world clinical placements across metropolitan, regional and rural hospitals and health services. Under the supervision of registered midwives, you will follow women during pregnancy and birth journeys.

For registered nurses:

Registered Nurses (RNs) entering this degree may be granted 49.5 units of credit. These requirements are detailed within the What courses you’ll study section of this page.

For previously registered midwives:

Designed for midwives who have not practiced for between five and ten years, this degree has a pathway to fulfil the re-entry practice requirements.

What you'll learn

Midwifery is an international profession and birthing practices are different all over the world. A focus of this degree is on addressing the political, socio-cultural, economic and technological influences on midwifery practices. The legal and ethical responsibilities of midwives are also explored.

There is a strong focus on theory and practical experience, and you will do much of your learning in our unique clinician-led, authentic simulated hospital and health service on campus. Here you will have the opportunity to practice your skills through real-life scenarios and feel confident and prepared for clinical practice. This simulated hospital environment fully led by practicing registered nurses and midwives (clinicians), known as the Horizon Hospital and Health Service (HHHS), is the only one of its kind in South Australia.

You will then be given the opportunity to further develop these skills when you embark on real-world clinical placements across metropolitan, regional and rural hospitals and health services, under the supervision of registered midwives. During these placements you will be actively involved in a minimum of 30 normal births, and in the pre- and post-birth care of at least 100 women. You will also follow 15 women through their pregnancy and birth journeys through the Continuity Of Care Experience (COCE).

All midwifery students will need to complete clinical placements and Continuity of Care experiences in South Australia. They must be completed on a full- time basis and shift work will be required over a seven-day roster. Due to the on-call nature of 'continuity of care', students may be required to carry these out over more than one study period.

Your career

Midwives are the primary maternity care providers in Australia, providing care, support and advice to women during pregnancy, labour, birth and in the postnatal transition. They play an important role in the promotion of normal birth, which includes screening, assessments, detection of complications, and providing emergency care to both the woman and her baby in collaboration with other health professionals. Midwives play a significant role in health education such as family planning, preparing for birth, parenting and infant care.

Registered midwives can work in a wide variety of settings, such as:

community services
public or private hospitals
rural and remote healthcare
home-based services
health agencies
midwifery education
research.