Nursing MSc

Start date
September
Duration
2 years, full-time
Course Type
Postgraduate, Taught
Fees

Annual Tuition Fees 2025/26:
UK: £10,900
International: £31,390

More details

Start your journey to nursing

This two-year postgraduate programme leads to eligibility to register as a nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery council in either adult nursing or mental health nursing.

 

 

Scholarships for 2024 entry

The University of Birmingham is proud to offer a range of scholarships for our postgraduate programmes. With a scholarship pot worth over £2 million, we are committed to alleviating financial barriers to support you in taking your next steps.

Each scholarship has its own specific deadlines and eligibility criteria. Please familiarise yourself with the information on individual scholarship webpages prior to submitting an application.

Explore our scholarships

This programme will provide graduates meeting the entry requirements the opportunity to undertake a two-year postgraduate Master of Science degree in Nursing.

With a thorough grounding in concepts of health derived from the study of the biological and social sciences, professional studies and communication skills, you will develop the professional disciplinary knowledge and understanding of your preferred field of practice of nursing (adult or mental health). This is underpinned by the acquisition of the professional leadership and research skills you will need to practice and manage evidence-based person centered care as a registered nurse.

Graduates of the MSc Nursing in adult or mental health programme will have developed a critical understanding of a diverse and complex body of knowledge applied to and developed through nursing practice. Much of this knowledge will be contemporary and at the current boundaries of the discipline. The first year of the programme is focused on advanced nursing practice, developing the student's ability to deliver safe and compassionate care, with a focus on undertaking in-depth assessment and clinical decision making, together with the evaluation of nursing practice.

Why study this course?

  • Gain your Nursing and Midwifery Council professional registration in just two years.
  • Benefit from the opportunity to study at a global university at the heart of an ambitious city.
  • Gain experience treating patients from a wide range of different backgrounds and cultures in one of the UK's largest healthcare regions.
  • Your prior care-giving experience contributes to your clinical hours.
  • Nursing at Birmingham is ranked 14th in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2023.

If you do not already have a degree, you may wish to consider our Undergraduate Nursing (BNurs and MNurs) programmes.

Modules

Year 1 - Part 1

  • Advancing Health and Nursing Care
  • Developing Nursing Practice (field specific)

Year 1 - Part 2

  • Research and Improvement Methods in Practice
  • Co-ordinating Complex Nursing Care
  • Nursing Practice Part 2 (non-credit bearing practice module in a field specific placement)

Year 2 - Part 3

  • Health and Social Care Enquiry
  • Advancing Clinical Assessment in Urgent Nursing Care 
  • Leading and Managing Care Teams

Fees

Annual tuition fees - 2025/26:

UK: £10,900
International: £31,390

Funding

A range of financial support is available for eligible student nurses. The NHS Learning Support Fund provides you with financial aid whilst you train and gain professional registration. Every eligible student nurse studying or starting their course from September 2020 will receive at least £5,000. Please view the NHS Learning Support Fund website for eligibility criteria and further details. 

 

Postgraduate Loans for Masters students

As a UK resident you can apply for a government loan for postgraduate Masters study. This is a contribution towards the costs of study and whether the loan is used towards fees, maintenance or other costs will be at the discretion of the student.

Find out more about the Postgraduate Loan

How To Apply

How to Apply for a Postgraduate Degree - Taught programmes

Application deadlines


Applications for the MSc Nursing programme for 2025 are now open. The deadline to submit your application is 9am on Monday 14th April 2025. 

How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate taught programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the taught programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page. Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Apply now

Our Standard Requirements

Bachelor's degree with 2:1 honours or above - preferred subject areas of Science or Social science, but other degree areas will be considered.

The MSc Nursing (adult or mental health field) has been designed as a two-year taught programme. After application and before starting the course you will need to submit a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate your prior learning. The portfolio provides evidence of prior graduate learning and care experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, values and caring behaviours equivalent to year one of an undergraduate nursing programme. The evidence you present in your portfolio will demonstrate how your graduate and experiential learning and skills are equivalent to the development of year 1 nursing proficiencies. 

Please note that we encourage you to submit 20% of your portfolio before submitting the completed document . We are able to offer feedback on the 20% of your portfolio up to Friday 29 March. Any portfolios submitted after this date will not be elgible for review. Providing you are successful at the interview; you will be asked to complete your portfolio as a condition of the offer. Portfolio submission dates are May 20th and June 17th 2024. 

To support the submission of portfolios we are able to offer two group portfolio tutorials on May 13th from 11am-12pm and on June 3rd from 11am-12pm.

For any queries, please contact mscnursadmissions@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

GCSEs in English and Mathematics at grade C/4 or above.

Self-declaration of health and character.

Satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and Occupational Health assessment.

International Students - English Language Requirement

English to IELTS 7.0 with no less than 7.0 in any band.

References

All students who receive an offer for MSc Nursing will be required to submit two suitable references before being eligible to start studying at the University of Birmingham. References should be submitted with your application as soon as possible.  Ideally, we require an academic reference and a professional reference and they need to be sent from a professional email and/or be on headed note paper.


 

 

As a student at the University of Birmingham, you will learn from world-leading academics and researchers, as well as from your peers. From the outset you will be encouraged to become an independent and self-motivated learner. We want you to be challenged and will encourage you to think for yourself.

You will be taught through a variety of different methods; face-to-face, online, in lectures, in seminars and also individual tutorials.  Also, you will spend a minimum of 1800 hours in clinical practice, across six different placements.  Placements will be both hospital based and in the community in the Birmingham area. The course also uses a variety of different assessment strategies, reflecting the different needs of our learners. Students will be assessed by OSCEs, essays, exams, projects, posters, presentations and a dissertation.

You will have access to a comprehensive support system that will assist and encourage you, including personal tutors and welfare tutors who can help with both academic and welfare issues.

Programme lead

Dr Chris Wagstaff 

On graduation and qualification, you will have a highly regarded degree and eligibility to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to practice as a Registered Nurse in the adult or mental health field.

Our graduates are highly valued and the majority seeking nursing positions have secured employment or pursued further career-related training on completing the programme. Many of our graduates stay in the Birmingham area and work in the NHS, others move on to take up appointments in the UK and overseas. There are many varied career opportunities for nursing in clinical practice, management, research and education. Extensive restructuring in nursing as a profession and within the NHS means that a good career structure is now in place.

Careers Network – We can help you get ahead in the job market and develop your career

We recognise that as a postgraduate student you are likely to have specific requirements when it comes to planning for your next career step. Employers expect postgraduates to have a range of skills that exceed their subject knowledge. Careers Network offers a range of events and support services that are designed for all students, including postgraduates looking to find their niche in the job market. The Careers Network also have subject specific careers consultants and advisers for each College so you can be assured the information you receive will be relevant to your subject area. For more information visit the Careers Network website.