Nursing Studies BSc



This one-year full time programme will enable you to develop the competencies necessary for potential NMC registration.

Overview

This one-year full-time programme offers a professional development opportunity for nurses who have a Diploma of Nursing from outside the UK and wish to enhance their career opportunities by attaining a degree qualification.

Students also have an option to complete Parts 1 & 2 of the NMC test of competence including OSCE examination. This will enable them to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the UK.

Female nursing student talking to a patient

Mode of Study:

Full-time

Duration:

1 years

Start date:

Sep

Course details

At 麻豆社区, we aim to be recognised as a university that is professional, ambitious, innovative, and inclusive, and the School of Health and Social Care aspires to provide you with an excellent, personalised student experience.

This one-year full time programme will enable you to “top up” your academic qualifications to a BSc Nursing Studies award and develop the competencies necessary for potential NMC registration. The programme acknowledges the diversity of your experience and learning needs, and we understand you may be working and studying concurrently.

The BSc Nursing Studies curriculum aims to provide you with a programme of study that is relevant to contemporary nursing practice and will provide you with learning opportunities to enhance your knowledge and skills to allow you to progress in your chosen sphere of nursing practice and prepare you for the UK registration process (OSCE test).

In accordance with the ENhance curriculum framework guiding principle of student–centred education, the programme has been developed with employability, global focus, inclusion, sustainability, and research and practice integration in mind.

If you hold either a diploma in nursing from countries outside UK and registered as a practising nurse, this programme will enable you to deepen your knowledge of evidence-based practice and develop a critical approach to integrated healthcare where you can effectively apply theory to your own nursing practice. You’ll gain theoretical and practical nursing skills that will prepare you for nursing practice within the UK health system. Through classroom based lectures and tutorials, and practical classes delivered in our simulation and clinical skills centre, you will develop knowledge of contemporary nursing in the UK.

After graduation, and should you choose to also complete the NMC registration process, you will be able to work as a registered nurse in the UK.

Aspects included are leadership and quality improvement processes, understanding evidence-based practice, ethical care, health promotion. Upon completion of the course, you will have achieved the necessary skills and abilities to deliver excellent person-centred care across a variety of settings.

Support for academic skills, and a structured orientation and induction process are built into the programme to facilitate your integration and achievement. This includes aspects such as English for academic purposes, IT skills and numeracy. 

Course academics

 You will be supported while studying by the Programme Leader, Dr Shirley Ching; her Deputy Programme Leader and Module Leaders, as well as dedicated Programme administrators.

Dr Shirley Ching is a lecturer in nursing and programme leader of BSc Nursing Studies (Global Online) within the School of Health and Social care at 麻豆社区. She has the experience of teaching pre-registration and post-registration nursing and research courses in Hong Kong and United Kingdom. She supervises MSc and PhD students’ dissertations and publishes in books and international journals. Her research focuses on cancer care and resilience of nursing students. Shirley is a fellow of The Hong Kong Academy of Nursing, Union for International Cancer Control, and a founding member of the Pi Iota Chapter (Hong Kong) of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor 麻豆社区 of Nursing.

Fiona-Jean Howson is an NMC registered nurse , a Lecturer, and a Practice Educator within the School of Health and Social Care. As a registrant, she has gained a wide range of clinical experience within specialised critical care units within the UK.  Fiona-Jean is a very experienced Module Leader and Programme Leader.  She has worked at an institutional level working co-productively with programme leaders in their role and in using an appreciative enquiry approach to articulate student feedback into their curriculum.  Currently, Fiona-Jean is the Deputy Programme Leader for the Global Online Programme and teaches within the international provision. Her current expertise is on the enhancement of nursing leadership, management of enduring conditions, health promotion and the ethical and legal dimensions of nursing.  She teaches at undergraduate and postgraduate levels across ENU, Singapore, and the GOL programme.  Fiona-Jean is a Senior Fellow of the HEA and an 麻豆社区 Mentor. She has also rotated through various roles and has experience as an Academic Advisor, External Examiner, Open University Lecturer and Critical Reader for Sage Publishing and MacMillan Education.  Fiona-Jean is most passionate about the de-construction of knowledge and the integration of the principles of assessment for learning and assessment of learning into all curricula.

Dr Emma Hughes is a registered nurse with clinical experience in renal, cardiothoracic, operating theatre, community, and critical care across Scotland, Australia and New Zealand. Emma also worked as a Senior Clinical Research Nurse within NHS Lothian, as well as part of the Infection Prevention and Control Team. Emma spent time nursing in refugee camps and is actively involved in supporting the well-being of displaced people in Scotland, as well as undertaking research in this field. Emma specialises in community nursing and public health and is Module Leader for these topics as part of the Bachelor of Nursing, BSc Singapore Nursing and BSc Global Online Nursing programmes at 麻豆社区 (ENU), UK. Emma is Lead for Sustainability within the School of Health & Social Care at ENU and is passionate about climate change, environmental health and sustainability in healthcare, embedding these themes into nursing curricula. She currently reviews for a range of nursing and public health publications and sits on the editorial board for Scope Health & Well-Being Journal.

Dr Leila El Alti is a lecturer on four programmes at the School of Health and Social Care at 麻豆社区. She previously worked as a Registered Nurse in intensive care and palliative care in Beirut, Lebanon. Before joining Napier, she worked at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden where she also completed her doctoral studies in philosophy with a focus on healthcare ethics, mental illness, and person-centred care. At the moment, she leads three modules, supervises PhD and MSc students, and is a member of the school’s research integrity committee. She is also a member of the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her research interests include women’s healthcare, obstetrics violence, bioethics, clinical decision-making, and healthcare provision models.

Rebecca Brew is an Adult Nurse Lecturer at 麻豆社区. She is currently the Deputy Lead for undergraduate nursing module: Caring for Self and Others within the School of Health and Social Care. She formerly worked as an Adult Nurse for the National Health Service (NHS) for almost three decades. Her nursing background has been in Medical Emergency, Infectious Diseases, Telehealth with focus on Clinical Decision Making and Clinical Supervision and was the Practice Educator for Internationally Educated nurses. She served as the equality, diversity and inclusion representative, supporting persons from Global Majority Heritage in health boards in Scotland. She has worked in United Kingdom, Ghana/West Africa and lived in Geneva/Switzerland. She recently developed a training program tailored to, the Nurses and Midwives Council’s (NMC) Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for Internationally Educated Nurses. She delivered training with a team of nurses and provided Pastoral Care for the Internationally Educated Nurses in a health board in Scotland. She is a Doctoral Candidate, and her research focuses on Internationally educated female West African nurses and their initial transition into the Scottish healthcare workforce: A mixed methods study. Her research interest is in intersectionality, gender, race, social identity and cultural humility. She has a passion for decolonizing the nursing curriculum and spaces. She is currently pursuing her Advance HE Fellowship.

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    How you鈥檒l be taught

    This full-time course will take one year to complete and will be structured to support the development of knowledge and skills necessary for contemporary nursing practice in the UK.  You’ll learn by a variety of teaching methods including lectures, guest lectures, tutorials, clinical skills classes & and independent study.

    The modules within the programme are offered through blended learning (which may include on-campus teaching and the use of technologies).

    As an adult learner, you will be encouraged to take responsibility for your own learning with support from academic staff within 麻豆社区.

    Each module has a formative assessment that is directly aligned to the summative assessment and academic and peer feedback mechanisms will be used to aid your learning throughout the programme. The formative assessment does not carry credit but is helpful to guide you in developing your work for final submission.

    The learning activities have been written and developed to encourage you to undertake deep rather than surface learning and the academics will attempt to enthuse you through their specialist knowledge and innovative teaching methods to become actively engaged in your learning. Core knowledge and understanding is acquired through lectures, seminars, tutorials, group work and guided independent learning. Your knowledge and understanding will be assessed using a combination of reports, case studies, portfolios, essays, and project proposals.

    Cognitive skills and other attributes are promoted through lectures, tutorials, group discussions and group work.

    Clinical skills are strengthened through practice in our Simulation and Clinical Skills Centre.

    Learning to apply these skills to healthcare topic areas is done using case studies.

    Cognitive skills and other attributes are assessed using a variety of assessment methods. 
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    Assessments

    Throughout the course, there will be formative assessments providing feedback and helping you to develop your academic skills, and one summative assessment per module. Assessment formats may include reports, portfolios, essays, presentations and clinical assessments. 
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    Work placement

     As this programme is intended for international students who have qualified and practised as a nurse in their home country, there is no placement during the one-year degree top-up, which focuses instead on academic skills required to deepen your knowledge of evidence-based practice and develop a critical approach to integrated healthcare.
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    Study abroad

     As this programme is intended for international students who have already qualified and practised as a nurse in their home country, there is no opportunity to study abroad during the one-year degree top-up, which focuses instead on academic skills required to deepen your knowledge of evidence-based practice and develop a critical approach to integrated healthcare.
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    Facilities

    The course is based at our modern Sighthill Campus on the west side of Edinburgh. The campus is home to the School of Health and Social Care. 

    Our state-of-the-art Simulation and Clinical Skills Centre will enhance your learning throughout this programme. Featuring a range of clinically realistic learning areas, the skills centre enables real work learning and hands on practice in a wide range of clinical skills. You will utilise equipment used in clinical practice and have opportunity to practice nursing skills in a safe learning environment. 

    The campus also offers a large library and numerous lecture theatres and classrooms, as well as the Student Sports Centre at Engage and areas for food and coffees/teas.

Popular modules

All modules are compulsory:

  • Effective Leadership in Healthcare
  • Healthy Lives
  • Advancing Practice Through Research
  • Management of Chronic Diseases
  • Introduction to Ethics in Nursing
  • Preparation for Nurses and Midwifery Council (NMC) Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

 

Disclaimer

mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Full information is available in our .

Entry requirements

You must have a current registration as a general nurse with a recognised nursing regulatory body in your country of nursing practice, have a diploma in Nursing or successfully achieved at least 240 Scottish Credit Qualification Framework (SCQF) credits (or equivalent) in nursing of which a minimum of 120 credits are at SCQF level 8 (or equivalent).

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test. The English Language requirements for this programme are IELTS 6.0 (with no less than 5.5 in each component) or equivalent.

On entering the programme, students will be allocated advanced standing based on existing qualifications/education. Our entry requirements indicate the minimum qualifications with which we normally accept students.

This is a one-year full-time programme. You are required to have a student visa and stay in Edinburgh during the course of study.

There is no equivalent to year one on this programme
There is no equivalent to year two on this programme

This is a one-year full-time programme at the equivalent level to year 3 in our pre-registration Nursing programmes. You must already have a current registration to practice as a general nurse with a recognised nursing regulatory body in your country of nursing practice, have a diploma in Nursing or successfully achieved at least 240 Scottish Credit Qualification Framework (SCQF) credits (or equivalent) in nursing of which a minimum of 120 credits are at SCQF level 8 (or equivalent).

On entering the programme, students will be allocated advanced standing based on existing qualifications/education. Our entry requirements indicate the minimum qualifications with which we normally accept students.

You are required to have a student visa and stay in Edinburgh during the course of study.

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test. The English Language requirements for this programme are IELTS 6.0 (with no less than 5.5 in each component) or equivalent.
We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Entry requirements by country

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto the following courses:
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery
  • All Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

See who can apply for more information on Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study. 

Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Undergraduate admissions policies
Postgraduate admissions policies

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Tuition fees
Students from 2024/25 2025/26
Scotland 拢1,820 拢1,820
England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland 拢9,250 拢9,535
Overseas and EU 拢16,680 拢17,520
Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland will be invoiced the tuition fees for 3 years of their 4 years of study.
Tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next. For more information on this and other tuition fee matters, please see our Fees and Funding links above.
If additional compulsory costs other than the tuition fees are applicable, these will be detailed in the course details.
Please note that the tuition fees liable to be paid by EU nationals commencing their studies from 1 August 2021 will be the Overseas fee rate. The University offers a range of attractive Tuition Fee bursaries to students resident in specific countries. More information on these can be found here.


If you wish to gain NMC nurse registration, you will have the additional cost of both part 1 and part 2 of the NMCs examination.

Careers

Nursing students grouped around a 'patient' mannequin

What can you do with a degree in Nursing Studies?

This one-year full time programme will enable you to “top up” your academic qualifications to a BSc in Nursing Studies award and develop the competencies necessary for potential NMC registration. Once completed, you will have a solid foundation to sit the separate OSCE required by the NMC to be registered to work as a nurse in the UK. Upon gaining your OSCE, you will be qualified to work as a nurse in the United Kingdom.

  • If you wish to gain NMC nurse registration, you will have the additional cost of both part 1 and part 2 of the NMC's examination.
  • Our course does not automatically lead to nursing registration with the NMC. If you pass the NMCs examination, show evidence of your knowledge of English equivalent to IELTS of 7, and meet the eligibility and qualification requirements, you will be able to work as a nurse (adult) in the UK. ()
     

What does a Nurse do?

As a nurse in adult health, you will be a primary care provider for patients in supporting them in improving their quality of life or overcoming illness or injury. You will be expected to work both autonomously and as part of a team. As a registered nurse, you may work within the NHS, private sector or social care settings.

Roles and responsibilities may include:

  • Assessing a patients' health or medical condition.
  • Administer medicines, provide wound care, and help those with mobility issues maintain dignity.
  • Explain health conditions or a diagnosis to your patients.
  • Provide life-saving medical support, such as CPR or assistance during surgery.
  • Provide the best supportive care for palliative and end of life care patients.
  • Take part in research projects and present your findings to health directors, government or nursing students.
Adult Nursing student Fizza talking to a Lecturer Allison Woods.