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MSc Nursing Post-registration

MSc Nursing Post-registration

Award

MSc

Start Date

To be confirmed

Duration

18 months

Mode

Full-time

Location

University of Bolton

Nursing offers exciting career progression opportunities for qualified nurses with the necessary skills and experience. The University of Bolton's MSc Nursing (Adult) Post-registration degree enhances your existing knowledge and develops your professional practice so you can move forward in your nursing career or pursue doctoral study.

Apply Now Download Prospectus Programme Specification

Course Overview

The University of Bolton's MSc Nursing (Adult) Post-registration degree is ideal if you're a qualified nurse wishing to build on your existing knowledge, experience and skills. By studying for this master's degree, you can become a critically reflective, creative, and socially conscious evidence-based practitioner. Whether you're already registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or are an international qualified nurse seeking NMC registration, this postgraduate programme will support you in achieving your goals.

Developed in consultation with our partner NHS Trusts, this level 7 nursing degree focuses on developing your critical understanding of the profession. It drives you to analyse and improve your work. You'll explore systematic methods for evaluating and implementing new techniques and technologies and learn effective ways to combine your practice experience with the latest knowledge. We'll support you in becoming a forward-thinking practitioner who integrates evidence-based advances into your practice. This degree will also build your leadership skills, preparing you for day-to-day team leadership and the challenge of leading colleagues in implementing practice enhancements to improve patient care.

With help from our dedicated team, you can gain the in-demand skills and knowledge necessary to progress your career in health and social care practice or clinical research while experiencing life at our supportive, student-focused, multicultural campus. Your studies will be based at the University, increasing your knowledge of theory and practical expertise in a way that complements and enhances your prior academic and practice-based learning. Through structured professional development planning, we'll support you in tailoring your studies to meet your personal goals and career development needs.

The core elements of this flexible programme focus on developing your critical thinking, research and leadership skills. It also offers a wide range of specialist option modules covering topics such as end-of-life care, clinical skills in adult and child nursing, perioperative care in anaesthetics and surgery, community nursing, care of the frail adult, minor injuries, bereavement and loss, safeguarding and social care nursing. (This list is not exhaustive and will continue to grow as our school introduces additional modules in specialist areas.)

Our expert team will guide you in identifying and developing a suitable topic for your dissertation. This major project comprises one-third of your programme and may centre on theory or practice. You'll research and critically evaluate a contemporary health and social care issue, suggesting improvements and showcasing your advanced learning and skills.

If you hold an international nursing qualification, this course can support you in achieving professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) via the Test of Competence (ToC). You can choose an option module designed to prepare you for the NMC OSCE for international nurses and benefit from additional support to enhance your numeracy skills. The NMC OSCE and CBT examinations are offered at external testing centres and incur separate charges. Please note that the course is designed to prepare you for the OSCE – registering with the NMC is not part of the programme.

Highlights

Key Features

Entry Requirements
  • You’re normally expected to have at least an upper second-class honours degree (2.1) (or equivalent) in nursing.
  • Qualifications gained outside England and Wales will be assessed on an individual basis according to guidance from the NMC and the University's International Office.
  • You'll be asked to attend an interview if your application is successfully short-listed (the interview may be online if you reside overseas).
  • You'll also be required to provide a portfolio of evidence demonstrating your professional practice.
  • If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 7.0 with normally no less than 6.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
  • The University of Bolton recognises prior learning, whether gained through academic credit and qualifications or through your professional and employment experience. Previous learning may be used towards meeting the entry requirements for this programme or for exemption from part of this programme. It is your responsibility to make a claim for recognition of prior learning, and each claim will be considered in accordance with the University’s policy and regulations for the recognition of prior learning.
  • You'll need to ascertain if you're eligible for a student loan via Student Finance England or will need to be able to self-fund.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

Career Opportunities

On successfully completing the University of Bolton's post-registration adult nursing master's degree, you'll possess the knowledge and skills you need to advance your career in nursing, adopt new technologies and approaches in health care and take on team leadership responsibilities. You'll also be well-prepared to work in clinical research, combining nursing practice with academic research and pursue doctoral study in the future.

As a graduate of this qualification, you'll be able to synthesise practice and theory in decision-making for practice, service delivery and leadership. You'll also be able to demonstrate competence, autonomy and professional accountability in the development of higher-level skills. You'll be ready to use your skills to enhance service delivery and outcomes for service users.

We'll support you to become a professional who can independently access information and use the information to critically assess, evaluate and disseminate the evidence base for nursing care. The course develops problem-solving skills and prepares you to take a leadership role in the nursing context.

What can I do with this qualification?

The context of health and social care nursing practice, both within and outside of the NHS, is constantly changing and offers opportunities for career development and innovative approaches to service provision. This course can support your progression towards becoming a nursing leader for the future.

As a graduate, you'll likely work in the NHS. However, you'll also be able to apply your knowledge and skills in a wide range of private health and social care roles. The opportunities available to you will depend on your prior experience and the option modules you chose as part of this master's degree, but are likely to include roles such as NHS clinical nurse manager or practice education facilitator. You could also consider careers in advanced clinical practice, public health, or government.

Our students can become engaged in a range of research projects that focus on advancing nursing knowledge, skills and expertise and improving health outcomes for patients and families. Such experience may fuel your ambition to continue your studies and gain a professional doctorate or PhD.

Alternative career options

Graduates can use this qualification as a stepping-stone into many other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Possible areas include:

  • Health service management
  • Policy research
  • Public health
  • Armed forces
  • Secondary schools
  • FE and HE teaching and education
  • Clinical research
  • Health promotion
  • Occupational health
  • Overseas aid and development
  • Prisons
  • Universities
  • Holiday companies
  • Voluntary organisations
Professional Recognition

If you hold an international nursing qualification, the University of Bolton's MSc Nursing (Adult) Post-registration course is specifically designed to support you if you aim to achieve professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) via the Test of Competence (ToC). The NMC is the UK regulator for nursing and midwifery professions.

You can choose an option module that focuses on preparing you for the NMC OSCE for international nurses. Our experienced team will explain the process, detailing the skills, knowledge, values and behaviours the NMC requires. You'll undertake a simulated version of the OSCE (a mock exam) so that when you successfully complete this degree, you'll be ready to apply to the NMC and take the formal OSCE at an approved test centre. While you study with us, you'll also have access to additional numeracy support to help you prepare for the online CBT element of the ToC.

Please note that the NMC ToC is not part of this course and will incur additional charges. For details, please visit the NMC's Test of Competence web page at https://www.nmc.org.uk/registration/joining-the-register/toc/.

While we have specifically designed this master's degree with the NMC ToC in mind and promise to prepare you to the best of our ability, the University of Bolton is unable to guarantee that you will achieve all the elements of ToC after completing the qualification. The ToC assessments are external and beyond our control.

Fees & Funding

Home/EU Fees

No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.

International Fees

No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2024-25 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

How to apply

Home Applicants

You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:

You should have to hand:

  • Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates

  • Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies

  • Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role

  • Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately

  • Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference

Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.

Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.

If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk

International Applicants

The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world. We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.

This course is not currently accepting international online applications.

Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom

Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

Teaching & Assessment

Our students' learning needs and preferred learning styles vary, so we use a blended learning approach, including online (where appropriate). Importantly, throughout the course, we'll guide and encourage you to draw on your practice experience while studying theory and consider how you could apply the theory you've learned to your practice.

Lectures introduce the core course content, while seminars, presentations and discussion groups allow you to explore subjects in greater detail. Small group and one-to-one tutorials offer space to ask questions, ensuring you understand your study topics. We use simulations delivered by tutors, case studies, practical scenarios and workshops to help you learn to apply academic theory to real-life practical scenarios, allowing you to gain insights into contemporary practice in working health and social care environments.

You'll also need to undertake a significant amount of personal study, including general background reading, preparing for seminar activities, working on assignments, revising for examinations, and engaging with virtual learning environments (VLE) and e-learning packages. To help support your learning, the University also offers additional study skills sessions, such as essay writing, library skills and electronic searching, and numeracy.

We use a range of assessment methods, including essays, reports, presentations, portfolios, set exercises via multiple choice questions, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), traditional examinations and, in clinical modules, assessment of practice in simulated clinical environments. These contribute to your final module mark and demonstrate that you have met the learning outcomes.

We also use other assessment forms to help you learn, provide feedback, and inform your development. These do not, however, count towards your final module mark.

The programme comprises 180 credits at level HE7. There are three core modules: two worth 20 credits each and one worth 60 credits (the dissertation). The remaining 80 credits are achieved by successfully completing option modules from a range available in consultation and agreement with the programme leader.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

  • Professional Practice Research Project
  • Developing critical analytical skills for professional practice
  • Contemporary Nurse Leadership
  • The Complexities of the UK Health and Social Care Environment

Assessment methods

Level Assessment method
Level 1 Coursework 100%

Learning Activities

Level Activity
Level 1 Guided independent study 76%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 24%

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.

Programme Contacts

Help Centre

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Help Centre

We have the answers to your questions, find all the advice and support in one place.

Part of the University of Bolton Group

Bolton college
Alliance learning
Anderton centre2
QQA Scheme Participant