Learning Disabilities Nursing BSc (Hons)
Course Code
UCAS Code: B761
International Code: HLSU197
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
CU Scarborough (Scarborough)
Study mode
Full-time
Duration
3 years full-time
Start date
September 2022
Course overview
Study level: Undergraduate
Learning disabilities nursing is a great career choice if you are compassionate and keen to support people with learning disabilities who face physical, mental and social challenges.
- Fully accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) providing eligibility for registration as a nurse on successful completion of the course (additional costs may apply)
- Ranked 7th in the UK for Nursing and Midwifery in the Guardian University Guide 2021
- All students on this course will qualify for a minimum payment from the Government of £5,000 per year, with additional payments for students incurring childcare costs.
- Study in the state-of-the-art Alison Gingell Building which features hospital wards, operating theatre, critical care settings, community housing and other real-life nursing environments relevant to practice.

Global Ready
An international outlook, with global opportunities
Teaching excellence
Taught by lecturers who are experts in their field
Employability
Career ready graduates, with the skills to succeedWhy study this course
The Learning Disabilities Nursing BSc (Hons) emphasises the value of people with learning disabilities as equal citizens. It is designed to enable people who have a real contribution to make to work collaboratively towards the development of compassionate, innovative and autonomous professional nursing practitioners, upon successful completion.
You will be offered the opportunity to study and develop specialist skills in communication, comprehensive person-centred health assessment, and professional skills to enable you to work in specialist areas in the field of Learning Disabilities nursing practice following graduation.
In modern health and social care settings nursing students are increasingly required to work towards becoming autonomous practitioners, taking a leadership role in decisions regarding patient care within multi-professional settings. They routinely have frequent and what can be intense contact with service users and so must be competent in recognising changes in the patient’s condition so that appropriate action can be taken.
This course offers thorough preparation to help graduates make a valued and professional contribution to the dynamic and rapidly changing health and social care landscape.
Opportunities are provided to gain hands-on experience under supervision from qualified mentors, with 50% of the course spent in clinical practice placements across a wide range of healthcare environments including community and hospital settings, both within NHS and independent services.
You will have the opportunity to work and study in collaboration with other health and social care students, with the chance to work together to explore specific issues and challenges, designed to broaden the knowledge and professional expertise of nursing and health professionals.
You’ll have the opportunity to make use of our extensive simulation facilities – from basic life support manikins to high-tech simulation dummies, which emulate patient responses. You will have the chance to use equipment found in the real world of practice, such as medical devices to assist with all elements of care and especially medication administration. You will also have the opportunity to take part in our Mask-Ed character learning scenarios.
for Nursing and Midwifery
Guardian University Guide 2021
Accreditation and Professional Recognition
This course is accredited and recognised by the following bodies:

Nursing and Midwifery Council
The course is currently fully accredited by the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for the 2022/23 intake and on successful completion you will be eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (subject to application, meeting any applicable visa requirements and additional costs may apply). If the accreditation of this course and/or the modules on this course change, we would seek to notify applicants and students as soon as possible.
Simulating real-life situations
Our students use a persona-led teaching and learning tool to simulate scenarios they will encounter when qualified. See how this enables students to develop the soft skills which are vital to working in healthcare.
Training to be a Learning Disability Nurse has been a phenomenal experience. The versatile and transferable skills that are acquired whilst on the course are invaluable. Not only are you trained to care for service users across the lifespan but the communication skills that I have developed ensure that I am equipped to care for a variety of service users with many diverse needs. Overall, I cannot praise the Learning Disability Nursing course enough and would encourage anyone thinking of going into nursing to seriously give Learning Disability Nursing real consideration.

Nursing at Coventry University
We have an excellent reputation for the quality of the education provided to trainee and qualified nurses.
Learn why you should study with us

What you'll study
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
This course is designed to use a wide variety of approaches to teaching and learning to suit individual learning styles. This includes a series of interactive lectures with associated seminars, skills lab activities and the opportunity to engage in practical placements (subject to competitive application, availability, meeting any applicable visa requirements and additional fees may apply). All modules are mandatory so that upon successful completion you should have the knowledge, values and skills to be able to work within integrated care settings and enhance the delivery of care for service users, their families and carers.
With the chance to gain experience using simulation across a range of care settings, this is designed to build your confidence and knowledge about how to act in these situations and is a central part of the course. It is designed so that you have the opportunity to practise and develop your clinical and interpersonal skills in a safe but realistic environment. We also use actors, so that you have the chance to enhance your exposure to these experiences in scenarios such breaking bad news, demonstrating emotional resilience, conflict, aggression, teaching, child protection conferences, relationship issues in learning disability, alternative communication (e.g. Makaton, communication aids etc.), consent and capacity, ethical issues in caring for vulnerable people, and counselling individuals, parents and staff.
As 50% of the course is practice based, this requires approximately 40 hours per week in placements. In a typical teaching week, you will have up to 21 ‘contact’ hours of teaching. This generally includes:
- Personal tutorial/small group teaching
- Medium group teaching
- Large group teaching
Assessment
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which could vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods can include assessments within practice placements, coursework, a viva (oral test) and formal examinations.
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes. Assessments may include exams, individual assignments or group work elements.
Job ready
The course is fully accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), providing eligibility for registration as a nurse on successful completion of the course (additional costs may apply).
Successful completion of the Learning Disabilities Nursing BSc course can play a critical role in helping you gain the skills required to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities. Specialist skills should be developed in order to offer support across the lifespan and in all areas of health and social care service provision upon graduation. This includes physical and mental health, reducing barriers to independent living and the provision of support to enable people with learning disabilities to lead a fulfilling and healthy life as an equal member of the community. This area of nursing practice is hugely rewarding and offers an excellent career option, upon graduation, for the compassionate individual who is keen to offer support to individuals of all ages through the many physical, mental and social challenges faced by people with learning disabilities.
International experience opportunities
Throughout the course, we aim to provide key insights into cultural diversity and global issues of significance to public health and in most fields of nursing practice. For example, we look at what it means to be culturally competent within healthcare today. Some of this is supported by guest lecturers or simulation facilitators and others through topical issues covered within the course (subject to availability).
Students and visiting lecturers from other countries can provide an input into the course, previously from areas such as Hong Kong, Hungary and USA. We have also previously participated in a number of senior staff exchanges, for example, from India and China, which has provided additional insights for past students into international issues.
Entry requirements
Fees and funding
Student | Full time | Part time |
---|---|---|
UK | £9,250 per year | Not available |
International | £18,050 per year | Not available |
A non-repayable grant of £5,000 and extra payments worth up to £3,000 is available to eligible home students for each year of study. Read more about the Training Grant on The NHS Business Services Authority website.
For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see The University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.
We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.
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. Find out what's included in your tuition costs.
Facilities
Careers and opportunities
There are currently around over 3,500 learning disabilities nurses within the NHS and demand for these specialist nurses is high. Typically, past final year students have been offered a range of posts within the NHS and the private sector prior to qualifying.
As a learning disability nurse, you will have opportunities to support people of all ages with learning disabilities in a range of settings, which may include hospital wards such as epilepsy and palliative care; mental health trusts; adult education; residential and community centres; patients' homes; workplaces; and schools. Career options, upon successful completion, may include working in specialist areas such as education, sensory disability or service management or moving into areas such as management, teaching or clinical research.
During your three years on the programme, you will have the opportunity to undertake six placements in a range of service settings, with the chance to work with and alongside qualified learning disability nurses, and therefore potential local and regional employers. On graduating successfully from this course, you can apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which can enable you to practise immediately (additional costs apply). Please see the Accreditation and Professional Recognition section for further information.
Where our graduates work
The majority of our graduates find employment as qualified nurses in the NHS with a growing emphasis on community settings, in acute hospitals, military nursing or within the private and independent healthcare sector, in private hospitals, nursing or care homes. As your career progresses, a number of options are open to you as a lecturer or specialist practitioner, advanced nurse practitioner, consultant nurse or manager.
Recent graduates have gone on to roles such as working in forensic services, generic and specialised children’s services, end of life care (adults and children), neurology services, dementia services, prison and court diversion, police diversion, schools, research and many more.
The course at Coventry University offered me the opportunity to gain an in-depth experience and the academic staff were supportive and encouraging throughout. The skills and knowledge gained have allowed me to develop and become a compassionate Learning Disability Nurse.

How to apply
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UK Students
Full-time students applying to start in September should apply for this course through UCAS. Part-time students should apply directly to the university. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
For further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form.
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International Students
Full-time students applying to start in September should apply directly to the university. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
How to applyFor further support for international applicants applying for an undergraduate degree view our International hub.
You can also download our International guide which contains lots of useful information about our courses, accommodation and tips for travel.
Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.
Chat with our admissions team.
Complete our contact form.
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Disclaimer
Student Contract
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2021/22 Contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
Tuition fees
The tuition fee for the course that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU students should be aware that there may be a change to UK laws following the UK’s exit, this may change their student status, their eligibility to study part time, and/or their eligibility for student finance. We will act in accordance with the UK’s laws in force in relation to student tuition fees and finance from time to time.
For International students the tuition fee that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For international students, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.
Accreditations
The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.
Facilities
Facilities mentioned on this page may not be relevant for every course. Due to the ongoing restrictions relating to COVID-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.
Placements and study abroad opportunities
Please note that we are unable to guarantee any placement or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.
Additional costs
This course may incur additional costs associated with any field trips, placements or work experience, study abroad opportunities or any other opportunity (whether required or optional), which could include (but is not limited to), equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas).