Adult Nursing (pre-registration) Blended Learning MSc

Study level: Postgraduate
Professionally Accredited Programmes
Trainee nurses looking at a dummy patient on a hospital bed

Are you looking for a flexible way to advance your career in healthcare? Our two-year master’s degree is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in nursing practice while offering the convenience of online and blended learning.

Year of entry

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)
Coventry University (Vauxhall, London)
CU Scarborough (Scarborough)

Study mode

Full-time
Online/Blended

Duration

2 years full-time

Course code

HLST265

Start date

January 2025
May 2025


Course overview

  • Fully accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)1 providing eligibility for registration as a nurse on successful completion of the course (additional costs may apply).
  • The course consists of 50% academic content, of which 85% is delivered flexibly online and 15% face-to-face. The remaining 50% is placement-based learning, of which 20% will be simulated.
  • All eligible students on this course may qualify for a minimum payment from the Government of £5,000 per year, with additional payments for students incurring childcare costs6.
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5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

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Ranked 11th Modern University in UK by the Times

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

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Ranked 8th for Overall Satisfaction in PTES

Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2024

Why you should study this course

Successful completion of this course enables graduates from a range of backgrounds to enter the nursing profession in just two years:

  • Ideal for those with a prior undergraduate degree and experience in health and social care, our course combines 50% clinical placement with 50% academic learning. You'll have the opportunity to complete placements in a variety of healthcare settings2 and benefit from 20% simulated digital experience to enhance your practical skills.
  • With 85% of the academic learning delivered online, you'll have the freedom to study from anywhere in the UK for the majority of the course. It is a Nursing and Midwifery Council requirement that students must be resident in the UK during all the theory and practice elements of the course.
  • Previous undergraduate degrees may include (but are not limited to) health-related disciplines, psychology, criminology or sociology degrees. Those with non-health-related degrees must demonstrate extensive experience in the clinical health and social care sector. It is also suitable for existing nurses looking for dual qualification. More details on the type of experience required can be found in the entry requirements section.
  • The face-to-face skills and practical teaching elements will be delivered from either Coventry, Scarborough or Vauxhall, London campuses. We will try to accommodate your preferred choice, subject to availability. Please note you are responsible for your travel arrangements to attend these.
  • Clinical placements are integral and account for 50% of the course2. This includes clinical practice in a healthcare setting (organised by the university) and practice learning with local practice collaborators. You will be expected to complete placements across four practice modules in a range of areas such as emergency, high dependency care, community and home care delivery settings and medical/surgery acute hospital experiences. Practice assessment is divided into three parts which is designed to explore the proficiencies required to become an autonomous nurse practitioner.
  • There will be opportunities for 20% simulated digital experience as part of the clinical placements. This will be an online, cutting-edge simulated experience where you will be fully supervised, and it is designed so that you can work safely both individually and in groups, with the chance to explore and assess and interventions in ‘near to real life’ clinical scenarios. The hands-on elements of the clinical placements may be delivered in one of the following regions of England: Midlands, North East and Yorkshire, London, Bedfordshire/Hertfordshire, Kent and Medway, Gloucestershire and East of England. Please note you are responsible for your travel arrangements to attend your placements2,5.
  • Upon successful completion, in addition to eligibility for NMC registration (application and additional costs apply), you will also graduate with a Chartered Management Institute (CMI) accredited qualification in Global Professional Development in Leading and Creating Organisational Health and Wellbeing and you will have the opportunity to apply to become a member of the CMI. (Please visit the CMI website for full details.)

Accreditation and professional recognition

This course is accredited1 by the following professional bodies:

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Nursing and Midwifery Council

This course is accredited by UK Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for the 2023-24 intake.


Chartered Management Institute

Chartered Management Institute

As part of this course, you will undertake a professional development module which is currently accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) for the 2023-24 intake. Upon successful completion of this module, you will gain the CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice at no additional cost. Further details can be found on the Professional Development module page.


Exemptions

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

As the MSc Adult Nursing Blended Learning (pre-registration) course is a two-year course, there is a requirement to complete 460 hours in UK clinical practice prior to commencement of the course. This will be assessed by the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process to ensure it meets the NMC standard of nursing education of 2300 practice hours. The RPL process will credit students for 460 hours to meet the stated NMC criteria. Applicants will be supported in the RPL process.


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Nursing at Coventry University

We have an excellent reputation for the quality of the education provided to trainee and qualified nurses.

Why study with us
We have an excellent reputation for the quality of the education provided to trainee and qualified nurses.

What you'll study

The delivery of theory components is through a range of theory modules which focus on extending your knowledge and cognitive skills, providing you with a sound critical, analytical and reflective approach to person-centred care delivery. The practice component considers the knowledge base that underpins person-centred care delivery/management and explores the range of clinical skills required to care for individuals with specific physical, psychosocial and mental health-related problems.

In the first year, you will develop evidence-based nursing and health assessment study skills and be introduced to nursing clinical decision-making and therapeutic interventions. All modules are mandatory.

Modules

This final year of the programme consolidates the skills essential to safe and proficient care in practice. You will have the chance to develop confidence in working within a multidisciplinary, interprofessional arena, and in leadership and evidence-informed change management to promote service improvement. This is designed to enable you to be effective in your clinical work and as a future professional nurse.

In the final year, you will apply your knowledge gained from year one.

Modules

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.


How you'll learn

A range of teaching and learning methods are employed in the programme, including online learning materials, clinical simulation, online seminars, workshops, online tutorials, practical clinical work in a practice setting and work-based learning. The activities are intended to engage you with the relevant theory and to facilitate understanding of the course content, to question and formulate ideas and perspectives on the subject material.

You will have support in preparation for the assessments from a variety of sources including your module leaders or a subject specialist in the library resources on the course-web platforms. Furthermore, you will also have support from practice educators in the clinical placement areas which are an integral part of this programme of study. Please note that staff and the online platform are subject to change.

A key learning feature of the Adult Nursing Blended Learning MSc (pre-registration) course is independent study. This means you will have the opportunity to take the initiative and responsibility for working through the learning material and make decisions on how to collate, manage and present the information for their assessment. You are therefore expected to have the ability to make informed choices about the materials used for study and encouraged to be proactive and self-motivated in your learning.

The academic learning is a blend of 85% online and 15% face-to-face teaching. The 50% placement time includes 20% in a simulated learning environment (subject to a suitable Wi-Fi/internet connection). It is a Nursing and Midwifery Council requirement that students must be resident in the UK during all the theory and practice elements of the course.


Teaching contact hours

The number of full-time contact hours may vary from semester to semester, however, on average, it is likely to be around four contact hours per week.

Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study of approximately 40 hours each week, depending on the demands of individual modules.

The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.

As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.

Since COVID-19, we have delivered our courses in a variety of forms, in line with public authority guidance, decisions, or orders and we will continue to adapt our delivery as appropriate. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.


Assessment

All assessment methods are aligned to the Adult Nursing Blended Learning (pre-registration) MSc objectives, and the learning outcomes of each module are designed to reflect the programme objective. The theory modules include a range of different assessment methods, such as critical appraisal essays, presentations, viva-voce (oral test), reports, practice assessment and the service improvement dissertation.

A Practice Assessment Document (MYEPAD) and Personal Development Portfolio (PDP) are designed to enable you to provide evidence for the acquisition of core clinical nursing skills and field-specific skills.

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.


Entry requirements

Typical offer for 2024/25 entry.

Applicants for the MSc in Adult Nursing blended learning should ideally hold an honours degree of 2:2 or above in a health-related study.

However, applications with other degrees and relevant care experience will also be considered on an individual basis.

You will also need to demonstrate 460 hours of providing care which would qualify as practice hours by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Care encompasses meeting the physiological and psychosocial needs of the physically ill, mentally ill, and disabled people of all ages, in all healthcare and other community settings. It includes activities such as washing, dressing, feeding or toileting of an individual, as well as nursing intervention procedures. This must have been achieved in the UK in a formal workplace environment in either a paid or voluntary role within the last three years. (See exemptions in the overview section.)

You will also require GCSE Grade 4/C or above in English and Maths.

Please contact ukadmissions@coventry.ac.uk if you are unsure whether your experience meets the requirements above.

Speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

Additional requirements

Satisfactory health clearance and enhanced criminal record disclosure are also required. Please refer to the full requirements in the disclaimer section5.


Fees and funding

2024/25 tuition fees.

Student Full-time Part-time
UK £9,250 per year Not available

All eligible students on this course may qualify for a minimum payment from the Government of £5,000 per year, with additional payments for students incurring childcare costs6.

For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page and see the university’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

  • Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**EU Support Bursary

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.


Careers and opportunities

On successful completion, you will be eligible to apply for registration as an Adult Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to practice as a registered professional in nursing (subject to additional costs).

Successful completion of the course is a strong indication to potential employees that you have both the ability and the academic characteristics required for working in a variety of clinical Adult Nursing settings.

The programme is developed to position you, upon successful completion, for an accelerated career pathway to potentially become a future nursing leader, clinical expert, educator or researcher within the profession.

It may be possible to use your qualification to work overseas, which would be subject to competitive application, availability, meeting any applicable visa requirements and additional costs may apply.

Where our graduates work

For nursing provision there is a national shortage of nurses and so employment prospects for graduates are good in a variety of clinical/specialist areas in a range of public and private healthcare settings.


How to apply

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