MSc Nursing (Adult) Post-registration

• 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.

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

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2023-2024 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.

Bursaries

Click here for more information on our Master's Bursaries.

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

Learning activities

Disclaimer

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.