Studying Midwifery in Australia and New Zealand

Midwifery is its own profession — not the same as nursing

In both Australia and New Zealand, midwifery is a distinct, separately regulated profession, not a specialisation of nursing. A midwife supports people through pregnancy, labour, birth and the early postnatal weeks, and works with newborns and families. Because it is regulated separately, midwifery has its own accredited degrees and its own registration board — which is why you cannot simply convert a nursing qualification into a midwifery one without meeting the midwifery standards.

That separation matters for planning your study. A midwifery degree is designed around clinical placements in maternity settings and a defined number of supervised practice hours, and it leads to registration as a midwife specifically. If you are weighing nursing against midwifery, treat them as two different courses with two different regulators and two different registration routes.

This guide explains what you study, the two main entry routes, and how registration to practise works. It does not give clinical or health advice, and studying a degree does not by itself register you to practise — registration is a separate step described below.

Two study routes: direct-entry vs post-nursing

There are two broad ways into midwifery. The first is a direct-entry Bachelor of Midwifery, taken straight after school or as a first degree — you do not need to be a nurse first. This is the common route in both countries and typically combines theory and supervised clinical placement over the length of the degree.

The second is a post-nursing or graduate-entry route: if you are already a registered nurse (or hold a relevant degree), some universities offer a shorter graduate-entry Bachelor of Midwifery or a postgraduate pathway that builds on prior study. Availability, length and entry rules for these vary widely by university and by whether your prior nursing registration is recognised locally.

• Direct-entry Bachelor of Midwifery — no prior nursing required; the standard route for most international students entering after school.
• Graduate-entry / post-nursing route — a shorter degree or postgraduate pathway for people who are already registered nurses or hold a relevant degree.
• Always confirm the exact structure, duration and placement hours on the university's official course page, as these differ between institutions.

What you study and where it leads

A midwifery degree blends classroom and clinical learning: anatomy and physiology of pregnancy and birth, care across the childbearing continuum, newborn care, communication and cultural safety, health and ethics, and evidence-informed practice. A large portion of the course is supervised clinical placement in hospitals and community maternity settings, plus a required number of practice experiences.

Graduates typically work as midwives in hospitals, birthing units, community and home-birth settings, or in continuity-of-care models. In New Zealand, many midwives work as self-employed Lead Maternity Carers. Some graduates later move into education, research, policy or advanced practice.

Because placement quality and structure are central to a midwifery degree, look closely at how each university arranges clinical hours and whether international students are supported to complete all required placements.

Registration in Australia (AHPRA / NMBA)

Studying a degree and being registered to practise are two separate things. In Australia, midwives are registered through the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), which is part of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). To register as a midwife you must complete a midwifery program that is accredited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) and approved by the NMBA.

Graduating from an ANMAC-accredited, NMBA-approved program makes you eligible to apply for registration — it does not register you automatically. You still apply to the NMBA and must meet its other registration standards, including English language requirements. Choosing an accredited course from the outset is the single most important step if you intend to practise in Australia.

• Regulator: Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), via AHPRA.
• Accreditation authority: Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC).
• Study an ANMAC-accredited, NMBA-approved midwifery program, then apply to the NMBA to register — a separate step.

Registration in New Zealand (Midwifery Council)

In New Zealand, midwives are regulated by the Midwifery Council of New Zealand (Te Tatau o te Whare Kahu). The prescribed qualification for entry to the New Zealand register is a Bachelor's degree in midwifery accredited by the Council and set at NZQF level 7 or higher, with substantial theory and clinical practice hours built into the programme.

If you study your midwifery degree in New Zealand at a Council-accredited school, you graduate ready to apply for registration with the Midwifery Council. If you qualified overseas, the Council assesses your qualification and experience separately, and there are additional requirements — internationally qualified midwives generally need recent post-registration practice, English language evidence and police clearances, and the Council only considers applications from certain recognised jurisdictions. These requirements change, so confirm the current position on the Council's official website.

As with Australia, registration is a step you apply for after study; completing an accredited New Zealand degree makes you eligible to apply, not automatically registered.

Choosing a course and thinking ahead to work

Start by confirming a course is accredited by the right body (ANMAC/NMBA in Australia, the Midwifery Council in New Zealand) before you apply — this is what keeps your registration route open. Then compare universities on placement structure, location, intakes, and international-student support.

Midwifery appears on skilled-occupation lists in both countries and is often relevant to post-study work and skilled-migration planning, but occupation lists and visa rules change and are decided by government, not universities. Any comment here is general information, not immigration advice — check the current rules on the official Department of Home Affairs (Australia) or Immigration New Zealand sites, and consider a registered migration adviser for your own case.

Finally, no course, agent or website can guarantee registration, a job or a visa. Treat those as separate processes you complete after graduating, each with its own official requirements.