Nursing (Children's) with NMC registration
MSc

Choose a degree which will help you make a positive difference 

• ‌Join a postgraduate programme accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council: when you graduate, you’ll be eligible to register and practise as a nurse, as long as you meet the NMC’s requirements.
• Our nursing programmes are approved to the NMC’s new Future nurse: Standards of Proficiency for registered nurses
• Gain essential practical experience on a range of clinical placements in a range of Children’s settings including, acute inpatient, community, private and voluntary sector, and schools
• Learn from a highly experienced and enthusiastic teaching team who provide full support to help you achieve your ambitions
• The course will equip you with vital nursing skills and our use of clinical supervision throughout the course will enable you to develop resilience and reflective practice
• Join the programme with a 2:2 or higher in your honours degree (other entry requirements apply)

This course is underpinned by the desire to deliver kind, compassionate nursing care. It's a two year, full-time degree and supports those with a prior degree (2:2 or above) to become a registered nurse at an accelerated pace. You'll need prior work experience in a service user context, allowing you to demonstrate the skills that underpin professional nursing registration. Your prior experiences will contribute to the learning opportunities within the course and together these will provide eligibility to register as a nurse with the NMC, as long as you meet their requirements.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

So that you are fully prepared for your career in nursing, we ensure that your skills and knowledge match current working practices in health and social care. The practical abilities you develop on placement* will be underpinned and extended by the knowledge you gain through lectures, tutorials, workshops and activities in the University’s own high-quality training facilities.

*Placement hours are subject to change.

You will be prepared for leadership positions and be prescriber-ready. The course has a focus on public health issues and a clear understanding of the changing demands and care needs of the population, with the ability for high-level discussion in the application of nursing theory to practice.

We are proud to support the workforce needs of the local region – our course is delivered in the context of the local health care environment and we aim to support our students to practice as qualified nurses locally. By studying this course you can be confident that you will meet the standards and competencies contained within the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Future Nurse (NMC 2018). This MSc Nursing degree is an intensive course and you will need commitment, motivation and a desire to succeed. The programme holds high expectations that you are engaged and ready to be an independent learner and that you are able to meet the theory and practise hours required by the NMC that reflect a full-time programme of study.

How you are assessed

Our assessments are aligned with the unit outcomes, appropriate learner outcomes with the intention of building a range of academic skills and role development. Our assignment approach will include: practical projects focused on specific workplaces, management and technical reports, reflective writing, problem-solving tasks, exams, viva voce and practical assessment of professional competence.

The opportunity to gain assessment feedback support will encourage dialogue, enabling students to make the most of their feedback, provide action plans and utilise academic, student and practice support staff as required. The choice of assessment task is aligned to the unit outcomes, appropriate learner outcomes with the intention of building a range of academic skills and role development.

The assessment strategy is designed to provide a diverse range of assessment approaches, with feedback and feedforward mechanisms designed to help students make the most from assessment and continue to develop.

This programme operates within the University’s Postgraduate Regulatory Framework and conforms to its regulations on assessment for Postgraduate degrees. Due to the professional and practice-based nature of this programme, derogations are required for compliance with NMC approval requirements. These apply to all students on the programme.

Who you'll meet

Our teaching team includes qualified health professionals with extensive experience of nursing and leadership roles within the NHS as well as nurse education. We also have visiting professors in the field of Children’s Nursing and specialist care, specialist practitioners in the workforce and experts by experience all enhance the learning, teaching and assessment experience.

Trudy Cowan, Programme Leader, has been part of the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing team since December 2008 and previously worked as a paediatric nurse with a focus on ensuring children's issues are being addressed.

Students applying for this programme will need to meet the University of Derby's general entry requirements for Postgraduate Education.

Essential

• Level 2 English qualification (GCSE Grade 4-9, GCSE Grade A-C, Level 2 Functional Skills English, Key Skills Level 2 Communication or equivalent)
• Level 2 Maths qualification (GCSE Grade 4-9, GCSE Grade A-C, Level 2 Functional Skills Maths, Key Skills Level 2 Application of Number (Numeracy) or equivalent)
• Honours Degree 2:2 or above
• Recognition of prior experiential learning

Desirable

• Science qualification (GCSE Grade 4-9, GCSE Grade A-C,or equivalent)
• Educational study within the last 5 years

In addition:

• The applicant will be expected to complete two electronic portfolios to evidence how the applicants past experiences are relevant to a career in nursing. One practice portfolio needs to evidence 450 hours of work experience and one theory portfolio that needs to evidence how the applicants’ prior educational experience is relevant to nursing
• The applicant must be working within a contractual relationship, this can be educational, employment or voluntary
• The applicant must demonstrate they are working within a setting where they have personally supported the health and or wellbeing needs of service users
• Applicants must complete an occupational health assessment and Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check as part of the selection process and any offer made will be subject to satisfactory outcome of these
• If English is not your first language you must have achieved an IELTS score of at least level 6.5 (with at least 6.0 in each skill area). Applicants can take the Derby English Language Test (DELT) instead of IELTS 

Please note as this course is no longer accepting applications for September 2023, these requirements should be viewed as a guide. 

Interview information

2023/24 Fees (August 2023 - July 2024)

Please note fees normally increase in line with inflation and the University's strategic approach to fees, which is reviewed on an annual basis. The total fee you pay may therefore increase after one year of study.

* UK full-time fees paid within one academic year are rounded down to the nearest £50 if applicable

Additional fee information

Funding for Nursing and Allied Health courses

By studying on this programme, you are eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan of up to £9,250. The loan will support your studies and enable you to start a rewarding career in healthcare.

From September 2020 all new and continuing nursing and allied health students on pre-registration courses will also receive a grant of at least £5,000 per year that is not means-tested and will not have to be repaid.

An additional payment of up to £3,000 per academic year will be available to eligible students. Eligibility will include the following:

• £1,000 towards childcare costs
• £1,000 if studying in a region that is struggling to recruit
• £1,000 if studying a shortage specialism

Among others, the shortage specialisms have been confirmed to include:

• Mental health nursing
• Learning disability nursing
• Diagnostic radiography

In addition to this non-repayable grant, you are also able to access a maintenance loan of up to £9,488 per year to support your studies, giving you access to over £17,000 per year of funding.

Read the full press release on the Government website

About postgraduate awards

Please note at postgraduate level, you’ll need to gain the following number of credits in total to obtain the respective awards. If you have any questions please contact us.

Additional costs and optional extras

Funding your studies

Find out more about fees, postgraduate loans and support you may be entitled to.

Find out about funding your studiesFind out about funding your studies

Alumni discount for Derby graduates

We offer a discount on postgraduate course fees for all Derby alumni.

Find out about the Alumni discountFind out about the Alumni discount

On successful completion of this degree, you will be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and go into practice as a nurse.

We offer full support to help you achieve your career goals, including guidance on applications, CVs and interview techniques. Health care organisations large and small attend our annual employer fairs as part of their recruitment drives. Some of our students are fortunate enough to have several job offers by the time they complete their course.

Graduates from this programme will go on to work within hospitals and in community-based teams. They may also go into community care homes, forensic services, the voluntary sector, acute, community, CAMHS, school health, safeguarding or specialist roles. There may also be opportunities for you to work overseas.

Contact us

If you need any more information from us, eg on courses, accommodation, applying, car parking, fees or funding, please contact us and we will do everything we can to help you.

† Additional information about your studies

Students can complete the MSc qualification in two years.

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Additional costs and optional extras

We’re committed to providing you with an outstanding learning experience. Our expert teaching, excellent facilities and great employability prepare you for your future career. As part of our commitment to you we aim to keep any additional study costs to a minimum. However, there are occasions where students may incur some additional costs.

The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.

Included in your fees

• Uniforms
• Markers
• Name badges and ID holders
• DBS check
• Occupational health check
• Mandatory vaccinations training

Mandatory costs not included in your fees

• Suitable shoes that comply with uniform policy approx £40
• Travel expenses to placements

Optional costs not included in your fees

• Travel to elective placement in year three if the student chooses to go out of usual placement locations
• Textbooks to supplement anything available through the library - various prices depending on the content
• Printing costs of course materials if a hard copy is desired approximately 5p per sheet
• Students may opt to engage in international trips and activities that are not fully funded, though bursaries may be available
• Optional outings and trips will also require self-funding
• Professional NMC membership required to practice

Please note: Our courses are refreshed and updated on a regular basis. If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.

Minimum numbers

Please note that this course is subject to minimum numbers in order to run.

Other courses you might like

• Nursing (Adult) MSc
• Nursing (Mental Health) MSc
• Nursing (Learning Disabilities) MSc
• Nursing (Children’s) BSc (Hons)
• Nursing (Adult) BSc (Hons)