| UCAS code | B700 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 years |
| Entry year | 2025 |
| Campus | St Luke's Campus |
| Discipline | Nursing |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | A-Level: BBB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: BCC |
Overview
- Harness your passion for helping people and gain the expertise you need for a rewarding career in nursing
- Receive a non-repayable maintenance grant between £5,000-8,000 per year through the NHS Learning Support Fund, plus additional financial support for placement travel and dual accommodation costs*
- Enjoy a wide range of career options and gain access to fast-track careers within the NHS and beyond
- Experience a multi-disciplinary approach, learning alongside other disciplines and in clinical placements as you develop your leadership, problem-solving and communication skills
- Options to graduate in Adult Nursing or achieve a dual qualification as an Adult Nurse and Mental Health Nurse
*Limited to UK applicants eligible for support from the Student Loans Company
6th in the UK for Health Professions
Guardian University Guide 2025
Option for dual qualification as an Adult Nurse and specialist Mental Health Nurse
*subject to additional mental health modules in years three and four
Graduate with MSci demonstrating excellent grounding in research that underpins professional practice
Development of practical skills in simulation environment and in a range of care contexts
including elective placement opportunities in the UK and overseas
“Starting my course I felt at home really quickly. They don’t throw you in the deep end, they ease you into it which is nice. A lot of work got put into this course – the teachers want to teach us how to become nurses, how they wanted to be taught themselves. I was pretty impressed by that. I was instantly hooked into Exeter as well, as a place, I love it.”
Harry
studying MSci Nursing
Accreditations
Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
Entry requirements (typical offer)
| Qualification | Typical offer | Required subjects |
|---|---|---|
| A-Level | BBB | n/a |
| IB | 30/555 | n/a |
| BTEC | DDM | n/a |
| GCSE | C or 4 | GCSE Maths and English Language at grade C or 4, or above. |
| Access to HE | 24 L3 credits at Distinction Grade and 21 L3 credits at Merit Grade | N/A |
| T-Level | Merit grade overall | T-levels in Health or Healthcare Science only |
| Contextual Offer | A-Level: BCC |
Specific subject requirements must still be achieved where stated above. Find out more about contextual offers. |
| Other accepted qualifications | ||
| English language requirements |
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile F. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country. |
|
NB General Studies is not included in any offer.
Grades advertised on each programme webpage are the typical level at which our offers are made and provide information on any specific subjects an applicant will need to have studied in order to be considered for a place on the programme. However, if we receive a large number of applications for the programme we may not be able to make an offer to all those who are predicted to achieve/have achieved grades which are in line with our typical offer. For more information on how applications are assessed and when decisions are released, please see: After you apply
Will there be an interview?
All shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an interview between January and March.
The interview will be in the multiple mini interview format. This will consist of three stations which will assess your suitability for our programme.
Where an in-person interview takes place, you’ll also be able to take a campus tour. For virtual interviews please visit our virtual tours.
All applications are considered on an individual basis and we’ll make offers shortly after an interview has taken place. A place on the programme will not be offered to those who do not attend an interview.
Please see the MSci Nursing Admissions Process Policy (pdf) for full details on our admissions selection process.
Are there any non-academic requirements?
All successful applicants after interview will be required to complete a health questionnaire and those accepting an offer will be screened by our Occupational Health Department.
You may be required to attend a medical examination as part of the admissions process. You will be required to have up to date vaccination records for relevant inoculations in line with University requirements and those of your placement providers.
We require all nursing students to be immunised against certain infectious diseases to meet health and safety standards required to work with patients. We will require students to provide evidence of two MMR jabs, and in addition undergo tests to determine their Hepatitis B surface antigen, TB and HIV status.
Enrolled nursing students will be unable to undertake their studies without evidence of completion of the vaccination process.
As you may be working with vulnerable people in a variety of clinical settings throughout the degree programme, all offers are conditional upon a Criminal Conviction Self Declaration and an enhanced disclosure check via the Disclosure & Barring Service (formerly the Criminal Records Bureau). We will review all significant reports of convictions, cautions and verbal warnings and decide on a candidate’s suitability to enter the programme.
All successful applicants will be required to sign the appropriate student agreement.
Course content
Our Nursing programme is a four-year course leading to an MSci Nursing degree and registration as an Adult nurse, with the possibility for some students to achieve a dual registration in Adult and Mental Health Nursing.
Develop nursing skills for the future
Nurses play a vital role in healthcare. As healthcare is changing in the UK and around the world, the role of nurses is changing too. Nurses are occupying more and more senior positions across the healthcare sector – in management, policy-making, research and education. Nurses are also at the heart of patient care everywhere, from ultra-modern super hospitals, to caring for the vulnerable at home, to providing critical support in refugee camps or countries affected by the consequences of climate change.
Our aim is for Exeter Nurses to be outstanding in all areas of nursing, and health and social care more widely. The University of Exeter is committed to developing the future of nursing, and our vision is reflected in the structure and content of our pioneering programme.
Become an exceptional professional nurse
The programme is structured around Exeter’s unique ‘seven pillars’ of nursing:
- Patient and public involvement;
- Fundamental essentials of nursing care;
- Evidence for practice;
- No health without mental health;
- Leadership and management of healthcare;
- Global health;
- Ethics and professionalism.
After graduation you’ll be able to start your journey anywhere as a highly professional nurse capable of leading exceptional, comprehensive, person-centred and evidence-based care in a true partnership with the people you are caring for.
Modules
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
The first year of your MSci is an exciting introduction to the world of modern nursing. You will study and get hands-on experience across Our Pillars of Learning, developing the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours that will be the foundation for the rest of your working life as a registered nurse.
You may take Option Modules as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module. Descriptions of the individual modules are given in full on the College web site
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NUR1000 | Clinical Immersion 1 | 60 |
| NUR1100 | Core Values and Complexity in Nursing Knowledge and Interventions | 60 |
NUR3000, NUR3600, NUR3200 Compulsory for:
Pathway A: Dual Registration MSci (Hons) Nursing (Adult & Mental Health Nursing)
NUR3050 and NUR3600 Compulsory for:
Pathway B: Single Registration MSci (Hons) Nursing (Adult)
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NUR3000 | Clinical Immersion 3 (Adult and Mental Health) Compulsory for Pathway A | 60 |
| NUR3600 | Managing Complexity Compulsory for Pathway A and B | 30 |
| NUR3200 | Introducing Mental Health Nursing in the 21st Century Compulsory for Pathway A | 30 |
| NUR3050 | Clinical Immersion 3 (Adult) Compulsory for Pathway B | 60 |
Optional modules
Note: Option module will run for nursing students only if selected by a sufficient number of students. Please check with the programme team when selecting your options.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NUR3500 | Understanding the Essentials of Education Optional for Pathway B (see note) | 15 |
| NUR3109 | The Art and History of Nursing Optional for Pathway B | 15 |
| BEP3172 | Future 17: Sustainable Development Goals Challenge Optional for Pathway B (see note) | 15 |
| NUR3001 | Care of the Older Adult Optional for Pathway B (see note) | 15 |
NURM100, NURM110, NURM111 Compulsory for:
Pathway A: Dual Registration MSci (Hons) Nursing (Adult & Mental Health Nursing)
NURM101, NURM110, NURM113, NURM112 Compulsory for:
Pathway B: Single Registration MSci (Hons) Nursing (Adult)
Option 1 Clinical focus
NURM101, NURM110, NURM114 Compulsory for:
Pathway B: Single Registration MSci (Hons) Nursing (Adult)
Option 2 Academic focus
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURM100 | Clinical Immersion 4A (Adult and Mental Health) Compulsory for Pathway A | 60 |
| NURM110 | Leading and managing change in nursing Compulsory for Pathway A and pathway B - Options 1 and 2 | 30 |
| NURM111 | Using Evidence-based Practice for Quality in Mental Health Care Compulsory for Pathway A | 30 |
| NURM113 | Enhancing Clinical Judgement and Decision Making in Adult Nursing Compulsory for Pathway B, Options 1 and 2 | 30 |
| NURM101 | Clinical Immersion 4B (Adult) Compulsory for Pathway B - Option 1 and 2 | 30 |
| NURM115 | Clinical Academic Internship Compulsory for Pathway B - Option 1 and 2 | 30 |
Optional modules
Pathway B: Single Registration MSci (Hons) Nursing (Adult)
Option 2 Academic Focus: You can select 30 credits of optional level 7 modules.
Note: Option module will run for nursing students only if selected by a sufficient number of students. Please check with the programme team when selecting your options.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURM109 | The Art and History of Nursing Option for Pathway B, Option 2 | 15 |
| HPDM118 | Structuring and Solving Public Health Problems Option for Pathway B, Option 2 (see note) | 15 |
| HPDM092 | Fundamentals of Research Design Option for Pathway B, Option 2 | 15 |
“The MSci Nursing course is great! I would strongly recommend it to anyone wanting to get into nursing. It’s a 4-year course but that extra year at Exeter gets you an integrated Masters degree. The course is really well structured and the balance between practical and theory is brilliant.”
Yasmin
Studying MSci Nursing
Placements
Fifty per cent of your time will be spent in clinical practice. The Academy of Nursing has six key NHS Trusts supporting placements:
- Devon Partnership NHS Trust (Mental Health and Learning Disability Services)
- Royal Devon University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – North Services (Acute, Community and Specialist Services)
- Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (Acute, Community and Specialist Integrated Healthcare Services)
- Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (Acute and Community Services, Adult Social Care)
- Somerset NHS Foundation Trust (Acute, Community and Mental Health Service - Across Somerset)
- Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust (Acute and Community Services – Across Cornwall) & Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (Mental Health Services – Across Cornwall)
The five main acute hospital sites you may be placed at are:
- Royal Devon University Hospital (RDUH) Exeter in Exeter
- Torbay Hospital in Torquay
- Royal Devon University Hospital (RDUH) North Devon in Barnstaple
- Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in Taunton & Yeovil
- Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.
Community and mental health placements
You will also have a variety of community and mental health placements throughout Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset. One of the requirements for the NMC is understanding the whole patient journey, so with this in mind, you will also undertake placements in primary care, social care and independent healthcare organisations and charities to support your learning.
'Spoke' placements
We use a variety of innovative placement models to support your learning throughout the programme. During your main placements there will be opportunities for you to do 'spoke' placements (short placements in different medical environments) within the Trust you are working in, local GP practices, care homes or learning disability settings to enrich your clinical experience.
Years 1 and 2
Placements are organised in blocks that range from seven to fourteen weeks. By the end of year one you will have had exposure to mental health and one of our NHS Trusts. By the end of year two you will have had exposure to mental health, either primary care or social care and a community placement with one of our NHS Trusts.
You will also have the opportunity to undertake a three-week elective practice learning experience in year 2, in the UK or abroad.
Years 3 and 4
Placements in the third and fourth year differ depending on your chosen pathway: Single Registration in Adult Nursing or Dual Registration in Adult and Mental Health Nursing.
Students following the Dual Registration pathway have two placements in the third and fourth years: one will be in mental health and one will be either in an acute Trust or in the Private, Voluntary, and Independent (PVI) sector.
Students following the Single Registration pathway will have two placements in the third year and one placement in the fourth year: in an acute Trust, Primary Care or in the PVI sector.
Fees
Tuition fees for 2025 entry
UK students: £9,535 per year
International students: £30,900 per year
NHS Learning Support Fund
Through the NHS Learning Support Fund, students starting or continuing study on a range of Nursing and Allied Health degrees at undergraduate or postgraduate level can apply for a Training Grant of £5,000 per academic year.
Potential extra payments worth up to £3,000 per academic year will be available for eligible students. This includes £1000 for those studying in an area of shortage specialism, including radiography (diagnostic and therapeutic) and mental health nursing. Find out more and how to apply on the NHS Learning Support Fund website.
The Schwab and Westheimer Trust - Westheimer Scholarship
The Schwab and Westheimer Trust was established to assist young refugees and asylum seekers in accessing education, especially where there are no adequate alternative sources of funding. Read more information, including the eligibility criteria. Applications close at midnight on 3rd June 2022. Interviews for successful candidates will be held in July 2022.
Scholarships
The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students, such as our Global Excellence Scholarships*. Financial support is also available for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, lower income households and other under-represented groups to help them access, succeed and progress through higher education.
* Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.
Learning and teaching
We have designed this unique programme to include a wide range of teaching, learning and assessment methods. We will use the best techniques, to produce the best nurses.
You will learn through a varied and challenging programme of lectures, workshops, seminars, small group teaching and learning in both simulated and real clinical environments.
We will give you plenty of opportunity to practise your knowledge and skills, as you work closely with professionals in the Clinical Skills Resource Centre and our purpose built simulated ward. You will be supported by practice supervisors in your clinical practice.
By the end of year two, you will have had the opportunity to practise, in clinical simulations and in real clinical practice, all the communication and relationship management skills and nursing procedures outlined in the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses.
You will also have had the opportunity to take a four-week elective practice learning experience, in the UK or abroad.
With the help of an elective tutor, you will choose and organise your own practice placement according to your interests and/or learning needs, and negotiate an individual learning contract.
Year three focuses on developing your understanding of complex care processes, interventions, organisation and delivery of care. You will choose a focus on either adult or joint adult and mental health fields of nursing.
Year four is an exciting and unique year, where you can subject to achieving all of the required standards and proficiencies you can register with the NMC as an Adult Nurse or dual registration of Adult and Mental Health Nurse. Year four also allows you to continue moulding your education to meet your career aspirations and plans by choosing from a selection of modules.
Assessment
You are assessed at Exeter via Objective Structured Clinical Examinations, essays, case studies, examinations and in clinical practice settings.
Clinical practice is assessed using a range of proficiencies which will be detailed in a Practice Assessment Document. These proficiencies are prescribed by the NMC and form the basis of discussion and assessment during each clinical practice placement. The proficiencies and related learning activities represent the range of nursing skills that you are expected to observe, acquire and develop during each year of the programme (although we cannot assess the proficiencies while you are on elective).
Overall, we are committed to giving every student the opportunity:
- to get the maximum benefit from this programme
- to understand what a career in nursing will involve and the wide range of exciting opportunities it can offer you.
- to be equipped and ready for that, and modern professional nursing, and
- to shine and be valued as a unique individual.
Your future
After you graduate, you’ll be able to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and thereby gain employment as registered nurses in health provider organisations such as NHS Trusts.
A nursing degree is a passport to an interesting job and a fulfilling career. The University of Exeter Academy nurse will be equipped for a fast-track career in nursing with rapid promotions to senior clinical, leadership and research roles.
Below are some of the advanced roles you may be eligible for, as suggested by our NHS Directors of Nursing partners.
| Role | Role description | Additional training required | MSci Nursing graduates Typical time to initial appointment |
BSc Nursing graduates Typical time to initial appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) |
Trainee ANP with 2 year fast track competence development. 3rd year prescribing. |
Placement in clinical area in Year 4 of MSci Nursing |
2 years with 3 to full competence |
Min 5 years |
| Nurse consultant |
High level clinical role in multiple specialisms following on from ANP. |
MSc/PhD and specialist clinical training |
5-7 years |
6-8 years |
| Clinical Academic |
Research, clinical practice, education, University leadership |
Teaching qualification, or PhD for research roles. |
3 years |
Min 5 years |
| Management role |
Research, clinical practice, education, University leadership |
Additional leadership programme |
2 years |
Min 3 years |
| ‘Portfolio’ roles including coaching, supervision, quality improvement |
Quality Improvement Practitioner [QIP]. |
Placement with QI Academy and Safety & Risk team learning QI methodology in Year 4 of MSci Nursing. |
Immediate |
Not available – some medics |
| Approved/responsible clinician in mental health |
Taking overall clinical accountability for a ward or specialist community team. |
MSc/PhD. Non-medical Prescribing. Portfolio training and Royal College of Psychiatry Assessment |
6-9 years |
7-10 years |
| Chief Nurse Fellow |
Allocated time to undertake work based research working to the Chief Nurse |
Placement with heavy focus on research methods in Year 4 of MSci Nursing |
Immediate |
n/a |
6th in the UK for Health Professions
Guardian University Guide 2025
Option for dual qualification as an Adult Nurse and specialist Mental Health Nurse
*subject to additional mental health modules in years three and four
Graduate with MSci demonstrating excellent grounding in research that underpins professional practice
Development of practical skills in simulation environment and in a range of care contexts
including elective placement opportunities in the UK and overseas
