Choose a career where you can make a difference every day. We will equip you to deliver exceptional care as a confident, capable and compassionate adult nurse.
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.
- Our nursing courses are ranked 11th in The Guardian University Guide 2019.
- Look forward to excellent career prospects: 95% of our graduates are employed or in further study within six months of completing their studies
- Gain essential practical experience on a range of clinical placements in different health care settings
- Benefit from some of the best university facilities of their kind, including clinical skills suites and our state-of-the-art immersive suites
- Learn from a highly experienced and enthusiastic teaching team who provide full support to help you achieve your ambitions
- Choose to study at our Derby or Chesterfield site, starting in either March or September.
“High standards of nurse education are absolutely pivotal to the quality of care we provide. We know that the nurses the University of Derby delivers are first class and we want to recruit the people that it trains.” Gavin Boyle, Chief Executive at Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
If you already hold a degree and are looking to qualify as a nurse, find out more about our MSc Nursing (Adult).
Nursing is challenging, satisfying and life-changing. This highly respected course represents your first step into a profession it is a privilege to join.
The ideal preparation for your career
We have a strong track record in providing high-quality and innovative nurse education. We help you develop an in-depth understanding of the demands and rewards of the role so that you are fully prepared to work with adult patients who have diverse, acute and chronic conditions.
Alongside substantial time spent on clinical placement, you’ll cover the core themes of biological sciences; pharmacology studies; the sociological aspects of health care; leadership and management; professional, legal and ethical studies; evidence-based practice and research; and integrated practice.
Because this course is accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, you will be eligible to register and practise as a nurse as soon as you graduate, as long as you meet the NMC’s requirements.
Hands-on experience of the profession
Practical experience is a cornerstone of this degree. Drawing on our extensive links with the NHS and other local employers, you’ll hone your skills on a wide variety of placements across Derbyshire, including hospitals, acute settings, community and voluntary organisations, and the independent sector.
This is essential to your preparation for registration, taking up approximately half of your time on the course. You’ll take part in 24-hour care with shift patterns so you gain a genuine feel for the practicalities and demands of the profession.
Your clinical placement hours will be completed in settings carefully selected by the University in association with the NHS Trusts. Throughout, you’ll benefit from the support of approved and qualified mentors who will help you get as much out of the experience as possible.
There may even be the opportunity to head overseas for work experience. In 2016, six of our students spent a month on placement in Kerala, India, to gain insights into a different healthcare system and culture.
First-class facilities in Derby and Chesterfield
You can take this course at our Derby Campus or our new Chesterfield Site. Both offer outstanding learning environments including clinical skills suites built to professional standards, with replica wards, counselling rooms and treatment rooms fully equipped with the latest clinical resources.
An exciting new addition is a state-of-the-art Immersive Suite which creates a simulated environment for practising your skills in a realistic setting. The first university facility of its kind outside London, the suite replicates the atmosphere, sights and sounds of, for instance, the inside of an ambulance, a busy A&E ward or an operating theatre so you can gain a greater understanding of clinical decision-making in action. Immersive suites are available at both campuses.
A dynamic learning experience
We enrich your studies with exciting opportunities to take part in special projects, conferences, awards schemes and national NHS initiatives. Some students were, for instance, selected to become Care Maker Champions to spread the word about compassion in practice in the NHS. Our groups regularly take part in public health initiatives too, promoting imaginative measures to encourage healthier lifestyles.
We hold showcase events where you can demonstrate the skills you are developing on the course and some students even present their ideas for service improvements at high-profile conferences. We have an impressive track record in schemes such as the Student Nursing Times Awards too.
Expertise to inspire you
You’ll be taught by enthusiastic and dedicated staff who are immersed in their areas of practice and committed to supporting you at every stage of your studies. Some continue to work in practice alongside their teaching role.
Our Health and Social Care Research Centre spearheads a range of projects aimed at building healthy, sustainable communities. This gives you access to up-to-date knowledge and latest thinking relevant to your career. Our team includes renowned professionals whose work features regularly in leading journals and books and who help shape national policies.
In tune with latest developments
This course is closely mapped against the needs of employers, which will ensure that your learning is up to date and relevant. In delivering the programme, we respond to national changes such as latest government policies. As a result, some of the information about the course may change.
As health care is increasingly delivered by multi-professional teams, we offer opportunities at each stage of the course for you to learn with, and from, students from other disciplines. This is really important in preparing you to work in more flexible ways after graduation. By learning to work together, you can help achieve the best outcomes for your patients.
Financial support to help you succeed
Don’t let financial concerns get in the way of your ambitions. As an applicant for this course, you will be able to access a support package of tuition fee loans and support for your living costs.
You won’t have to pay any money upfront: tuition and living cost loans work just like a tax on your earnings rather than a commercial or payday loan. You will only start paying back the loans when you are earning above £25,000 per year and will pay 9% of any income above £25,000.
You can also secure grants – which do not have to be repaid – to cover childcare and the costs of travelling to your placement.
Find out more about health education funding
*Band 5 salary at July 2019
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.
How you’re assessed
Our assessment approaches include problem-based learning, assignments, online activities, and exams. While you are in practice, a qualified mentor will assess your knowledge and skills. 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.
Who you will meet
Our teaching team includes qualified health professionals with extensive experience of nursing and leadership roles within the NHS as well as nurse education. They have professional interests ranging from surgical nursing care to cardiac rehabilitation, A&E to public health.
Your Programme Leader, Lou Sherratt, has taught at the University for a decade having previously worked as a Registered Nurse.
September 2019 typical entry requirements
| UCAS points | 120 (up to 16 from AS-levels) |
| Specific requirements at A-level | No specific subject requirements |
| Specific requirements at GCSE | GCSE Maths and English Grade C/Grade 4 (or above) or equivalent qualification |
| IELTS | 7.0 (in all areas, except 6.5 in written element) |
| Interview / Audition | Yes - see interview details |
| Portfolio | N/A |
Alternative entry qualifications:
- BTEC - DDM
- Access to HE Diploma - 60 credits: 45 at level 3 with a minimum of Dist: 15 Merit: 24 Pass: 6
We usually consider an A-level in General Studies as a supplementary qualification. A good application/performance will be taken into account if you do not meet the criteria/offer conditions.
Additional requirements
An Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service certificate cleared by the University is required for this course. We will contact you with information on how to complete this once you have applied. More information.
Our entry requirements for this course should be read together with the University's general entry requirements, which details subjects we accept, alternative qualifications and what we're looking for at Derby.
On successful completion of this degree, you’ll be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and go into practice as a nurse, as long as you meet the NMC’s requirements.
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.
Our graduates have gone into hospital-based roles on a variety of wards, intensive care units, coronary care units, theatres and A&E departments. Others have secured posts within community teams, private hospitals, nursing homes, health and social care settings, and the voluntary sector. Many take up roles in settings where they gained experience on placement.
As a registered nurse, you could also pursue career opportunities in the armed services, prisons, travel companies and charitable organisations, to name but a few. Some of our graduates have even gone on to work overseas.
Take your studies to the next level
We offer a full range of post-registration courses to help you gain more advanced and specialist skills to take the next step in your career. You could, for instance, focus on areas such as district nursing, health visiting, school nursing or the management of long-term conditions.
You could also explore broader issues such as leadership for healthcare improvement or inter-professional practice. If you would like to conduct independent research into a specialist aspect of health and social care practice, there are opportunities to progress to doctorate level study too.
Many of our post-registration courses and modules can be incorporated into your workplace practice as part of a programme of continuing professional development. Find out more
Download programme specification
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.
Included in your fees
- Travel and accommodation expenses associated with placements are to be met. Travel will be reimbursed if it exceeds travel to and from the University campus base
- Uniforms
- Markers, name badges and ID holders
- DBS Check
- Occupational Health Check
Mandatory costs not included in your fees
- Textbooks for skills sessions and placements approx. £40
- Professional registration on successful completion
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 approx. 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
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.
