Bachelor of Arts and Master of Nursing

The combined Bachelor of Arts and Master of Nursing program develops analytical and critical capabilities alongside the skills and expertise you need to become a registered nurse.

It opens up a wide range of career opportunities across both clinical and non-clinical settings.Why study this course?As an arts and nursing student, you will learn from leaders in the humanities and healthcare disciplines, gaining a broad interdisciplinary knowledge alongside leadership and critical thinking skills.You will develop a comprehensive understanding of the impact of nursing practice within local and global health contexts, and across changing healthcare systems.You will graduate with two degrees after four years of full-time study and will be eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.Complementing your nursing studies, the Bachelor of Arts allows you to explore your passions, interests and ambitions as you develop all-round professional capabilities.

With a diverse range of experience and expertise, you will be highly employable in both clinical and non-clinical settings spanning nursing and healthcare, media and communications, government, community organisations and research.

How will you learn?

Both degrees are taught on campus, with lectures and tutorials.

You will also complete a substantial amount of practical work, with 880 hours of clinical placements in the nursing component of your degree.

What will you study?Offering broad choice across more than 45 subject areas in the humanities and social sciences, no two arts degrees are quite the same.

You will study a major and a minor, choosing both from our broad choice across the humanities and social sciences, or selecting your minor from the University's shared pool.Although there are no majors in the Master of Nursing, focus areas within this course include:

acute care, aged care, chronic illness, clinical practice, Indigenous health, mental healthcare and management, pharmacology, physiology, professional practice, social and health policy.Bachelor of Arts majors include:

• American Studies (Major)
• Ancient Greek (Major)
• Ancient History (Major)
• Anthropology (Major)
• Arabic Language and Cultures (Advanced) (Major)
• Arabic Language and Cultures (Intermediate) (Major)
• Arabic Language and Cultures (Introductory) (Major)
• Archaeology (Major)
• Art History (Major)
• Asian Studies (Major)
• Biblical Studies and Classical Hebrew (Major)
• Chinese Studies (Advanced) (Major)
• Chinese Studies (Intermediate) (Major)
• Chinese Studies (Introductory) (Major)
• Criminology (Major)
• Cultural Studies (Major)
• Digital Cultures (Major)
• Econometrics (Major)
• Economic Policy (Major)
• See more

Admission criteria

Admission to this course is on the basis of the following:

• a secondary education qualification such as the NSW Higher School Certificate (including national and international equivalents), or approved higher education study, including approved preparation courses

• English language requirements as detailed below.

Admission pathways are open to domestic applicants on the basis of equity or other adjustment factors, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants. For details, visit admission pathways.

It is required that applicants have the ability to undertake clinical placements and the Sydney Nursing School Clinical Placement Provisions 2020 contains further details of the requirements.

Applicants who are registered as a nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia are not eligible to apply for this course.

English requirements

Whether you are a domestic or an international student you must submit an English language declaration form (pdf, 59KB). If English is not your primary language*, you are required to undertake one of the following English language proficiency tests and achieve at least the minimum score required:

a) The IELTS (academic module) with a minimum overall score of 7 and a minimum score of 7 in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking).

b) The PTE Academic with a minimum overall score of 68 and a minimum score of 68 in each of the four communicative skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking).

c) The TOEFL iBT with a minimum total score of 96 and the following minimum score in each section of the test:

• 24 for Listening
• 24 for reading
• 27 for writing
• 23 for speaking

English language proficiency tests must be completed within two years of course commencement.

*Primary language means the language you primarily use and the language that you know best and are most comfortable with. You need to have completed at least six years of schooling including at last two years of secondary school (years 7-12) in English in one of the following countries: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, United States, Canada, Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

The academic criteria that are displayed are applicable to currently available courses only and are updated annually in October and may be changed without notice. The University Calendar is the official legal source of information relating to study at the University of Sydney, and you are referred to those documents.

Inherent requirements

Inherent requirements are the essential tasks and activities necessary to be able to achieve the core learning outcomes of a course. They are specific to a particular course or discipline. To assist students to make informed choices about their study, we have identified and set out the inherent requirements for this course.

Credit for previous study

If you’ve already completed university-level or equivalent subjects, you may be able to apply for credit for previous study.

What you'll study