PG Dip in Health Sciences specialisation in Advanced Nursing

The Advanced Nursing specialisation is an umbrella specialisation for Registered Nurses that allows them to tailor their learning based on the needs of their area of practice, their employer, the patient population they serve and their own career goals. At Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland, we call this a student-centric approach. With approximately 60 postgraduate courses to choose from, we will work with you to develop a postgraduate pathway that best suits your needs within the Advanced Nursing specialisation.
Subjects within the Advanced Nursing Specialisation include:
- Cancer Nursing
- Cardiac Nursing
- Child and Young Person Nursing
- Critical Care Nursing
- Diabetes Nursing
- Education
- Leadership and Management (also see specialisation in Mental Health Nursing)
- Mental Health and Addiction Nursing
- Nurse Practitioner (see formalised pathway)
- Older Adult Health Nursing
- Ophthalmology Nursing
- Pain Nursing
- Palliative Care Nursing
- Perioperative Nursing
- Primary Health Care Nursing
- Registered Nurse Designated Prescriber (see formalised pathway)
- Research in Nursing
Further information relating to the courses within the Advanced Nursing Specialisation can be found in the Postgraduate Nursing Handbook.
If you are new to postgraduate study, you may want to follow the pathway that most of our nursing students take – enrolling in a postgraduate certificate, followed by a postgraduate diploma.
An alternative to the Advanced Nursing Specialisation is the Mental Health Nursing Specialisation.

Advanced Nursing will enhance your clinical nursing skills, practice knowledge and preparing nurses for clinical leadership roles and prescribing, and deepen your understanding of current and future contexts of nursing and health care.

Advanced Nursing qualifications provide registered nurses with more opportunities.
Many graduates continue to work within their health profession while others work in health-related fields, social services, or local or central government. Postgraduate study can bring many career benefits such as specialist skills and enhanced knowledge, entry into specific occupations, higher starting salary and progression rates, research capability or achievement and evidence of high academic attainment and self-discipline.
The Nursing Council of New Zealand has approved the Master of Nursing programme as preparation for nurse practitioner roles.

A postgraduate qualification specialising in Advanced Nursing opens doors and lets you achieve your career growth and potential.
If you are eligible and wish to, you may consider progressing to a Master of Nursing. If you are interested in the MNurs but do not have the required GPA, please contact the School of Nursing so that we can help you explore eligibility options.
The Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences programme specialising in Advanced Nursing, is aimed at registered nurses seeking to advance their knowledge and skills. It is intended to give nurses the core generic skills and knowledge essential for advanced nursing practice in a specialist area, and preparation for research. Our Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences (specialisation Advanced Nursing), Postgraduate Diploma in Health Sciences (specialisation Advanced Nursing), and Master of Nursing programmes are approved by Te Kaunihera Tapuhi o Aotearoa | the Nursing Council of New Zealand as appropriate educational preparation for advanced nursing practice.