Nursing (Children's) with NMC registration (Incorporating PG Dip)
MSc

Choose a degree which will help you make a positive difference 

‌Join a degree 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.

• Join a postgraduate programme accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council: when you graduate, you’ll be eligible to register and practise as a Children’s nurse
• 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

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.

You will be prepared forleadership 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.

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.

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). The Postgraduate Diploma/MSc Nursing 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 practice 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 confirms 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. 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 peadiatric 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 general entry requirements for Post Graduate 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.
• Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate via the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) (or equivalent) an overall score of level 7. A level 6.5 in writing would be accepted alongside a level 7 in reading, listening and speaking.

Interview information

2019/20 Fees (August 2019 - July 2020)

Please note that all fees may be subject to annual increase.

Additional Fee Information

This course is eligible for funding via the Student Loans Company under the same terms and conditions as undergraduate tuition fee and maintenance loans. Please see the following webpage for more information. This course is currently not eligible for any further discounts on fees, such as the postgraduate discount.

Additional financial support is available from the NHS for this course. Please see their webpage for more information.

Additional costs and optional extras

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.

Programme leader

Trudy Cowan

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. Alternatively they can complete only the PG Dip and not take the additional 60 credit module to achieve an MSc. Should students choose, they can complete their PG Dip within the two year period leading to registration then completed their final 60 credit module within their first year of nursing practice to achieve their MSc qualification.

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, state-of-the-art 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.

Optional costs not included in your fees

Professional NMC membership required to practice. More details can be found on the NMC website.

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.