Satisfactory completion of the programme provides you with the eligibility to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Preferred subjects and grades: Biology, Psychology or Sociology A level, and two other A levels in subjects of your own choice.

GCSE requirements: 5 GCSEs are required at GCSE grades A*–C; they must include English & Mathematics at grades A*-B and 3 other subjects at grade C or above to include a Science subject.

Edexcel/BTEC Diploma: Health and Social Care or Science preferred minimum level DDM

International Baccalaureate Diploma: 32–34 points with at least 4 at SL English and Maths (if not offered at GCSE grade C or above).

Access to Higher Education (Health or Science preferred): Overall 60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3 including 20 at distinction, 15 at merit (to include study of Physiology). If you do not hold Maths and English at GCSE grade A–C you will need 12 credits at level 2 in both in order to meet minimum University entry requirements.

1. Other qualifications are considered – learn more about entry requirements

2. A satisfactory health declaration, including evidence of appropriate immunisations, and a satisfactory Criminal Records Bureau check are required from accepted candidates before registration for the programme. All students will be required to sign the subject-specific Fitness to Practise Code of Conduct on entry, details of which will be forwarded with an offer letter.

3. We take a positive view of what candidates with disabilities can achieve as future healthcare professionals and take seriously our obligation to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that all students with disabilities can successfully complete their studies. All applicants will be assessed up to and including the interview on the basis of the criteria outlined above regardless of any disability. If you declare a disability we will invite you to work with us together with the disability team, clinical colleagues and specialist services to explore how best we can support your studies.

4. All candidates offered a place will have been interviewed. 

5. We are influenced in our selection for the nursing programme by a number of different factors, over and above your academic record. We like, for example to see evidence of your motivation for a nursing career in the shape of appropriate work experience or voluntary work. Your outside interests too are a pointer to whether you are the sort of person likely to make the most of the degree.

6. If you do decide to take up a place at the University of Birmingham you need to take the following into account:

• Placements are situated within Birmingham and Solihull. All students have to ensure that they are able to travel to these placements for practical experience from their place of residence. Living within Birmingham should pose little difficulty.
• Students are expected to be able to undertake shifts (including early morning, afternoon, evening and night duty) within both hospital and community settings.
• Holidays are fixed and not negotiable. Students have two weeks at Christmas, two weeks at Easter and six weeks in the summer.
• First choice of branch at the end of year one cannot be guaranteed.  

We can only accept applications from those considered as home fee status.

Health care is an exciting, demanding, yet rewarding area of work, and nurses are at the forefront of this vital activity. Combining the art of caring with the science of health attainment, maintenance and restoration they are pivotal to the provision of high standards of patient care. Learning to be a nurse is a challenging and enjoyable experience involving a balanced programme of academic and practical study. This provides you with the knowledge and skills you need to work as professional in the complex health care environment, and to become a nurse leader of the future. The University of Birmingham is a research focussed institution and this shapes the curriculum of the BNurs degree. The theory and practice of nursing are studied in the context of cutting edge research in the University and on clinical placements in a variety of NHS and non-NHS health care organisations in the vibrant multicultural city of Birmingham.

Learning and Teaching
The approaches to learning and teaching you will experience at Birmingham include lectures, small group teaching, student led seminars, e-learning, and simulated practice in clinical skills labs. This combination of learning activities will enable you to develop the in-depth knowledge necessary to be a skilled nurse.

This is supplemented by independent study which helps you to take progressively more responsibility for your own learning, which continues once your degree course is complete. Nursing is a dynamic and rapidly changing profession, and so continuous professional development to keep up to date with new developments is essential. The programme will prepare you for this.

Along with the University based study 50% of the programme is undertaken in clinical placements. In these settings you will work in range of teams and link your University studies to practice. You will have the opportunity to develop your clinical and leadership skills with the support of a mentor. A mentor is a qualified nurse who has undertaken further training in order to help students learn about nursing. This blend of practice based and academic learning underpins the programme and focuses on the key elements of professional practice.

A unique opportunity
Our programme is distinctive in that it provides you with experience of nursing in adult, mental health and child environments before making a decision about the field of practice you wish to study in years 2 & 3. This ensures you are able to make an informed choice about becoming an adult, mental health or children’s nurse.

The nursing degree at Birmingham incorporates an international focus including an elective experience which you can plan to incorporate a study visit overseas. In recent years students have undertaken four week placements in New Zealand, Australia, North America, India, Africa and South East Asia to learn about health care and nursing practice in these countries.

First year
The first year provides an introduction to the theory and practice of adult, mental health, child and public health nursing. As well as examining these areas in lectures, seminars, and simulated practice, you will gain invaluable practical experience through placements in hospital and community settings. The focus is on health and through the study of the biological sciences, core clinical skills (including first aid) professional studies, research and health care psychology, you will have gained an appreciation of the physical, psychological and social needs of patients and their families. On completion off the first year you express a preference for the the field of practice you wish to pursue in years 2 & 3. (Places in some fields will be limited).

The fields of practice offered are:

• Mental Health Nursing 
• Child Nursing 
• Adult Nursing

Second and third years
Building on the foundation of year one, you will develop your clinical nursing and managerial skills further when studying your chosen field of practice. The 50% University study and 50% clinical placement model continues throughout the programme to ensure you have access to a wide range of theoretical and clinical input. This involves taking clinical modules specific to your field of practice and those that support your development as a nurse including: medicines management, research, and professional development. Coordinated support from a workplace mentor and University staff will help you build your competence and confidence to deliver and manage nursing care in your chosen field of practice.

At the end of the second year you undertake the elective experience, which you can arrange to study overseas. This placement is linked to the Globalisation and Comparative Health Policy module, which provides insights on the wider policy of heath care in the UK and internationally.You complete your degree with a research-based dissertation and the Transition to Professional Practice module which includes a 12-week placement to prepare you for qualification as a registered nurse.

Career opportunities
Following graduation, and in possession of a highly regarded degree, you will be eligible for professional registration and poised to embark on your career. Many of our graduates remain in the Birmingham area, working in range of posts in the NHS. Others have moved elsewhere in the UK and abroad. The constantly changing nature of health care in the UK and internationally mean that there are many exciting career opportunities including in those clinical practice, leadership and management, research, and education.