‌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 programmes are approved to the NMC’s new Future nurse: Standards of Proficiency for registered nurses
• 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, 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. Placement hours are subject to change.

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