Campuses and locations
The University of Newcastle is a multi-campus institution offering programs in a number of locations.
Admission to our undergraduate degree programs usually requires successful completion of a senior secondary school qualification similar to the Higher School Certificate (HSC), the highest educational award in New South Wales schools.
Face to Face
3 years full-time.
Working with women and families, promoting optimal health outcomes for today and future generations.
As a midwife, you will focus on caring for women during their pregnancy, labour, birth and the early postnatal period. You will work in partnership with the woman and her family to achieve the best health outcomes for her and her newborn during the transition to parenthood. This degree will prepare you for midwifery practice through providing direct clinical care and support for childbearing women and their newborns under the supervision of a registered midwife, with an emphasis on woman-centred care and relational continuity with women and practice experiences in all midwifery contexts.
Our Bachelor of Midwifery degree has been developed in partnership with the Hunter New England Area Local Health District and supported by the Hunter New England Local Health District, Mid North Coast Local Health District, Central Coast Local Health District, Gosford Private Hospital and Newcastle Private Hospital. These close relationships mean that the learning experiences of our midwifery students are guided and supported by clinicians who are a part of the workforce.
The Bachelor of Midwifery is designed to sequentially build midwifery knowledge and skills. In the first-year, you will study courses in fundamental concepts of the midwifery profession and normal pregnancy and birth psychophysiology.
In the second year, you will expand your knowledge base and learn about women with complex care needs including:
In the final year, you'll continue to build skills and knowledge and progress to beginner level practitioners, consolidating clinical skills and integrating research into practice.
A mix of both face-to-face and online learning is provided to ensure you are able to be with childbearing women when required, including births, which occur at all hours.
Download a program plan for further details on your degree's structure and what courses you will study.
These program plans are applicable to new students. Current students should refer to the program handbook to access the plan relevant to the year they commenced.
Midwifery at the University of Newcastle gives you the opportunity to obtain approximately 1,400 hours of clinical experience in a maternity service environment.
There are two forms of clinical practice that you will participate in; clinical placement in a hospital and continuity of care relationships with childbearing women.
You will spend a minimum of 880 hours (over the three year period) in an allocated hospital in one of the health facilities listed below.
You will have hands-on experience with women during:
Detailed information on each of the available Clinical Placement locations.
During your midwifery degree, you will also participate in a minimum of 10 relationship-based, continuity of care experiences (CCE) with childbearing women. Each relationship equates to approximately 20 hours of interactions. You will have a real-world experience as an on-call clinician for these women. The hours for this component of clinical experiences totals a minimum of 200 hours over the three years.
The remaining 320 hours will be spent in further CCE relationships OR additional allocated hospital experiences, depending on your allocated clinical placement venue and the models of care available.
The Bachelor of Midwifery is a specialised program that qualifies graduates to become registered midwives in Australia. Below is a list of the typical job titles for Midwifery graduates, including advanced roles that will require further study and experience beyond the undergraduate Midwifery qualifications.
Graduates are eligible to apply for registration to practise as a midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia under the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
Graduates of this program are eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme administered by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).