Nursing Science, Registered Nurse (Adult) BSc (Hons) at Northumbria gives you a direct route to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, blending university study with real clinical placements.
Built around the NMC's Future Nurse standards, this course develops your skills in assessment, evidence-based care, and leadership, preparing you to support adults through every stage of health and illness. You'll train in our Clinical Skills Centre using virtual reality and simulated patients, before applying those skills on placement with our clinical partners, where practice learning makes up half your studies.
Your curriculum is built around core nursing concepts rather than isolated topics, helping you connect what you learn directly to the realities of patient care, with online preparation before each session so classroom time is spent on hands-on practice.
Core concepts in anatomy, physiology and evidence-based practice come together with your earliest placements, building the fundamentals of safe, compassionate care. Combining lectures, virtual reality simulation and skills training, you'll be ready to assess and support patients under supervision.
This year moves into the complexities of caring for people with acute and long-term conditions, sharpening your decision-making. You could also apply for an elective placement in the UK or abroad, to complement your existing placement experience.
Everything comes together as you take on a leadership and management placement and an independent research project in a topic of your choosing. Working with increasing autonomy, you'll be equipped to apply for registration as an accountable, adult nursing professional.
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Core concepts in anatomy, physiology and evidence-based practice come together with your earliest placements, building the fundamentals of safe, compassionate care. Combining lectures, virtual reality simulation and skills training, you'll be ready to assess and support patients under supervision.
This year moves into the complexities of caring for people with acute and long-term conditions, sharpening your decision-making. You could also apply for an elective placement in the UK or abroad, to complement your existing placement experience.
Everything comes together as you take on a leadership and management placement and an independent research project in a topic of your choosing. Working with increasing autonomy, you'll be equipped to apply for registration as an accountable, adult nursing professional.
Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.
You will be introduced to the term Evidence Based Practice and learn how it underpins professional registered nursing care. You will spend time exploring the various types of evidence that nurses are required to i) find and ii) appraise and iii) use when they deliver care. You will learn to appreciate that the terms “health” and “ill health” are multi-faceted and need to be understood from a professional perspective as well as that of people of all ages, families and communities. This will help illustrate the range of clinical settings nurses work in.
You will discuss the role of the Adult Nurse in relation to optimising health at national, regional and local level. You will spend time identifying the rationale for anatomical, physiological and psycho-social assessments and the related support required by patients as part of a wider and more systematic approach to nursing care delivery. This will include links to pharmacological and non- pharmacological interventions.
Nurses require an in-depth knowledge of anatomy, physiology and physical and mental health problems across the age spectrum and all fields of nursing. These are considered an essential basis for safe and effective practice. This module will enable you to apply biosciences to understand the determinants of health- social, psychological, behavioural, environmental and genomic factors and how they impact on health at a physical and psychological level. You will develop an understanding of the functioning of the body at different levels (cell, tissue, organ, system) and how this knowledge will assist you in delivering safe, holistic, compassionate nursing care.
You will enhance your understanding of the structure and function of the human body by exploring the complex relationship between health, anatomy, physiology and disease. This will be achieved through an exploration of diseases and conditions that arise from a malfunction of the systems of the body which will include an element of biochemistry and genomics. Pharmacology will be examined in relation to pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. You will analyse and apply this information to help you examine the role of the nurse in anticipating the needs of patients, making care decisions and supporting an individual with illness.
During this module you will explore the following concepts:
• body systems, altered pathology and their relationship to disease and illness.
• assessment and anticipating changing health needs.
• understanding the fundamentals of safe and quality care provision.
You will develop your understanding of academic conventions in UK higher education aligned to your level of study, including expectations around critical analysis, structure, argumentation, evidencing, and referencing. The module focuses on developing communication strategies that will help you express your ideas clearly and coherently in written assignments and spoken activities. You will also reflect on your current academic and language skills and develop strategies for development ahead of your assessments.
This practice module will provide you with a unique opportunity to develop skills and knowledge directly relevant to your current practice placement experiences. The practice module will both support your learning while you are in practice and provide an environment, within university, to consolidate the skills and knowledge necessary to progress effectively. By using a concept curriculum approach, the nursing practice module will support you to learn how to become an accountable professional, lead and manage nursing care, and work in teams.
During the first year, you will learn the fundamental skills that are necessary for safe, effective and professional practice.
During the majority of your first year clinical placements you will return to university for two days a week to reflect on your experiences. You will learn together with your peers and examine theoretical concepts such as professionalism, interprofessional learning, medicines management and safeguarding that will enhance your practice. Seminars and workshops will focus on a range of subjects that will enhance your professional nursing practice. Innovative teaching and learning strategies will be used to enhance your learning, This will include the use of digital educational resources to support your learning in relation to concepts such as medicines management.
You will learn how to develop your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA) and how to reflect on your personal and professional development. You will learn about the importance of patient centred and recovery focussed approaches and will be asked to reflect on feedback given by Experts By Experience (EBE). These skills are the start of your development as an evidence-based practitioner.
The content of Nursing Skills 1 will be informed by the proficiency standards outlined in Annex A and B in ‘Future Nurse: standards of proficiency for registered nurse’ (NMC 2018).
The module will introduce the concept of safe nursing practice and the proficiencies nurses need when undertaking the physical assessment of people of all ages. You will learn how to observe and assess people of all ages in terms of symptoms and signs of physical ill health. You will learn how to take, record and interpret a patient’s vital sign and use communication tools to support verbal and written reports. These skills and proficiencies will be supported by opportunities to participate in simulated education utilising a range of specialist technology and taught by experts. These nursing skills are directly relevant to your practice learning and include nursing procedures that are necessary for safe and effective patient care. Before your first placement you will complete a number of mandatory requirements, which will enable you to practice with confidence and ensure patient safety. The learning opportunities in this module are designed to support you to develop knowledge, which will inform the attainment of communication and relationship management skills and nursing procedures as identified as Part 1 in your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA).
Nursing Skills 2 will build on the concept of communication and safe and effective practice which you have been introduced to in the previous skills module. You will further develop your communication and clinical skills relevant to your practice placement experiences. You will continue to learn a range of skills, such as recognition of the deteriorating patient, that are necessary for safe, effective and professional practice. You will have the opportunity to participate in simulated education utilising a range of specialist technology, including human patient simulators, and taught by a specialist module team of lecturers in nursing, midwifery and health.
You will consider and develop your nursing skills, acting with integrity, applying the principles of The Code (NMC, 2018). You will demonstrate your ability to practise in a holistic, individualised, person centred, non-judgemental, caring and sensitive manner, acknowledging the diverse needs of a contemporary society. You will continue to develop your understanding of team working and its importance in nursing practice. You will learn about the importance of person-centred care and effective communication skills. These learning opportunities will continue to help you gather evidence of your abilities and confidence and will inform your attainment of communication and safe and effective practice as identified as Part 1 in your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA).
On this module you will be analysing what you have learned in practice placement and other modules. You will investigate contemporary nursing practice and recent innovations in health and social care. Your studies will include an overview of the effect of social networking and broadcast media on health literacy and the Adult Nurse’s role in information management. You will analyse the contribution made by technology and innovation to screening, diagnosis and treatment and the impact these processes have on patients of all ages, families and communities. You will compare varying styles of care management. In doing this you will come to recognise the enhanced functions of the Registered Nurse (Adult) in teaching, leadership, health economics and start to formulate your own sense of political awareness. You will link key concepts that underpin a systematic approach to nursing care and person-centeredness. You will examine context specific bio –psychosocial and spiritual dimensions of person-centred care, including end of life care. You will distinguish between traditional and contemporary approaches to research design, inquiry and evaluation. This will include analysis of the level of involvement of people of all ages, families and communities within these designs.
Within this year 2 semester 2 module you will explore the nursing knowledge required to support and underpin the care of the acutely and chronically ill patient who are managed in a variety of care settings. You will expand your knowledge regarding the role of the nurse in providing safe and effective care to the patient with complex needs. You will learn to do this by analysing a range of nursing tools and frameworks and investigating the wider evidence base underpinning nursing interventions. In addition, you will examine the illness trajectory from acute presentation and diagnosis of a condition to living with a chronic illness and preparing for end of life across all age ranges. The module will support you to understand the relevance and importance of decision-making, problem solving and critical thinking to meet diverse patient needs.
On this module you will explore the following topic areas:
• Biological basis of illness and applied pharmacology to help you problem solve and anticipate the needs of the patient including managing the deteriorating patient and living with complex needs.
• Evidence based practice that will help you to understand and apply contemporary nursing interventions for this patient group.
• Management and governance issues related to providing safe, effective and ethically sound care in the acute and chronic periods of illness or accident recovery.
• Theoretical underpinnings of nursing care and patient management across a variety of settings.
You will develop your understanding of academic conventions in UK higher education aligned to your level of study, including expectations around critical analysis, structure, argumentation, evidencing, and referencing. The module focuses on developing communication strategies that will help you express your ideas clearly and coherently in written assignments and spoken activities. You will also reflect on your current academic and language skills and develop strategies for development ahead of your assessments.
This practice module will provide you with an opportunity to build upon and extend your portfolio of skills and knowledge relevant to your clinical practice. This module will both support your learning while you are in practice and provide an environment, within university, to consolidate the skills and knowledge necessary to progress effectively. By using a concept curriculum approach, the nursing practice module will support you to learn how to become an accountable professional, lead and manage nursing care, and work in teams.
During your module you will explore clinical decision making in practice through collaboration and partnership working. In your clinical placements you will return to university for two days a week to share your experiences with your peers and module tutors to help develop effective decision making. You will be provided with opportunities to critically reflect on your own role and professional responsibilities in making shared decisions for your continued development as a safe and effective student nurse. By using a developing concept curriculum approach, you will be able to practise safely and have an awareness of your own limitations, demonstrating increasing autonomy and independence when performing a range of practical skills. You will apply your developing knowledge of pharmacology, social and life sciences to nursing practice. Innovative teaching and learning strategies will be used to enhance your learning. This will include the use of digital educational resources to support your learning in relation to concepts such as medicines management. The module will also incorporate simulated practice learning hours to support you to develop appropriate nursing skills.
You will continue to develop your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA) and reflect on your personal and professional development as an evidence-based practitioner. You will reflect on the importance of patient and family centred approaches in addition to the effectiveness of patients and client feedback. Some of your learning will be online via online learning resources stored on BlackBoard Ultra as we help you to facilitate, and organise your independent learning.
This module will build on the concepts from year one and introduce more complex skills linked to the proficiency standards outlined in Annex A and B ‘Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurse’ (NMC, 2018). This will support your practice learning and help you further develop the knowledge and skills you have gained from your year one clinical placements. The module will help you develop greater confidence and autonomy, allowing you to contribute effectively to a multi-disciplinary team of healthcare providers. This skills module will support your learning while you are in practice and provide an environment, within university, to consolidate the skills and knowledge necessary to progress effectively. While in university you will also be updating, consolidating and learning new communication and relationship management skills, nursing procedures and elements of patient safety to ensure safe and effective practice.
The content of Nursing Skills 4 will be informed by the proficiency standards outlined in Annex A and B in ‘Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurse’ (NMC, 2018).
This module will build upon your knowledge of medicine administration whilst being exposed to the challenges of complex care needs. You will learn about nursing interventions associated with people of all ages with complex care needs exploring the principles, approaches and concepts of safe nursing practice and the delivery of holistic care. You will build your knowledge of safe ethical medicines management with an emphasis on the clinical application of these skills and understanding. There will be a particular focus on the challenges of medicines optimisation in people with complex care needs, which requires understanding of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Alongside this you will learn to develop professional accountability to ensure safe administration of medicines including competency in drug calculation. You will continue to develop your understanding of team working and its importance in nursing practice.
You will be learning more about nursing and the legislative and policy drivers that shape care delivery; locally, nationally and globally. The module examines the tools used to ensure evidence-based practice is delivered, taught, managed, evaluated and adapted so as to fit the needs of people of all ages, families and communities. You will learn how to synthesise information and consolidate your knowledge, skills and abilities so that you can move into a more advanced stage of your professional development. You will learn about the accountability and responsibility of managing a team. You will design a practice-based project so you can learn about the necessity for scholarship. This will be captured in a project proposal focussing on a particular clinical topic; one embedded in the real world of nursing practice and service user/carer experience. Completing a project proposal will provide insight and experience of various stages of inquiry, project management, problem solving and decision-making and the need for emotional intelligence. The module will continue to support your engagement in a holistic and systematic approach to nursing care; with critical analysis of systems, models and cross boundary working used in health and social care. During this module, you will learn about the process of transitioning from student to an accountable practitioner; this will encompass your roles as a leader, practice developer, creative and independent thinker, and someone who can challenge peers and colleagues appropriately. The module will facilitate some key components of your employability.
You will develop your understanding of academic conventions in UK higher education aligned to your level of study, including expectations around critical analysis, structure, argumentation, evidencing, and referencing. The module focuses on developing communication strategies that will help you express your ideas clearly and coherently in written assignments and spoken activities. You will also reflect on your current academic and language skills and develop strategies for development ahead of your assessments.
In this third year module which is based in practice, your learning will be predominantly online via BlackBoard Ultra. This will be supported with some additional face to face seminars to explain expectations as we help you to facilitate greater independent learning as you transition to become a registered nurse. This module will provide you with the opportunity to advance your skills and knowledge directly relevant to your third year practice placement experiences and prepare you for working life as a registered nurse. It will specifically focus on leadership, quality and team work.
By using a concept curriculum approach, the nursing practice module will support you to become an accountable professional, working in teams to lead and manage quality nursing care. Within the context of your practice placements you will critically reflect and debate contemporary theories and explore service improvement models, which support sustainable service improvement. Applying your knowledge of team and Interprofessional working you will learn how to coordinate safe and effective high quality care. This will include a collaborative approach embedding the views of service users, lay carers and colleagues in the delivery and enhancement of care. You will be provided opportunities to critically reflect on your own personal and professional responsibility for your continued development as a manager and future leader of service improvement. You will learn how to manage uncertainty and put into practice the strategies that develop resilience in yourself and others.
Through dynamic learning opportunities in practice you will gather evidence to aid completion of your North East Electronic Practice Assessment Document (NEEPAD). Through critical reflection and self-assessment you will complete your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA) demonstrating your capability and readiness for independent practice. This demonstrates to a future employer that you are fit to practise as a registered nurse caring for people of all ages and across all care settings.
Nursing Skills 5 will build on the concepts from years 1 and 2 and further enhance your skills. The module focuses on aspects of leadership to build your competence in the delivery of safe and effective person-centred care. You will update and explore in greater depth skills you acquired in previous years, including mandatory skills and a range of more advanced techniques and procedures whilst preparing you for your role as a newly qualified nurse. In addition, you will build on your knowledge and experience of safe nursing practice, promotion of health and medicines management in relation to caring for people with acute, complex and advanced conditions. You will develop advanced communication and nursing procedure skills as appropriate to your field of nursing.
This module will consolidate the concepts and nursing interventions from the previous skills modules and be delivered following Nursing Skills 5. Building on your existing knowledge and skills you will enhance your development and become an agile skilled practitioner in your relevant field of nursing. You will be learning to apply high level communication and medicines management skills, previous knowledge and experience as well as your advanced knowledge of nursing procedures to prepare you for autonomous practice. History taking skills will be developed and used as a framework for enhanced assessment and care of people of all ages. A range of dynamic learning opportunities both in the simulated and real-life practice setting will help to generate evidence, which will aid you in the completion of your Ongoing Record of Achievement, demonstrating that you are capable of a high standard of competent, safe and independent nursing practice.
Standard Offer 112 UCAS Tariff Points
From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.
Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator
Contextual Admissions 96 UCAS Tariff points
Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions and we understand that every applicant’s circumstances can be different, which is why we take a flexible approach and assess your individual circumstances and potential when reviewing your application.
To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo
GCSE Requirements:
Applicants will need Maths and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or recognised equivalents.
Additional Requirements:
Applicants will be required to attend an interview. Admission is subject to a suitable DBS Enhanced Certificate and a satisfactory health check. Applicants must meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council's suitability for registration requirements.
International Qualifications:
We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above.
If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry
English Language Requirements:
International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0, with a minimum writing score of 6.5 and all other components at a minimum score of 7.0, or Occupational English Test (OET) with at least a grade B (350 to 440) in reading, listening and speaking, and at least a grade C+ (300 to 340) in writing.
For further admissions guidance and requirements, please visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/admissionsguidance Please review this information before submitting your application.
The UK tuition fee for 27/28 is £10,050 and is set in line with the UK Government's tuition fee cap. The University may increase this fee in subsequent years in line with any changes to the tuition fee cap. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect.
The remaining fees for 27/28 are to be confirmed and relate to the International Soccer Academy and accommodation fees. Accommodation fees may increase in subsequent years. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of the re-issuing of tenancy agreements.
The University may increase tuition fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift, as decided by the UK Government, up to the maximum amount for fees permitted by UK law or regulation for that academic year. To give students an indication of the likely scale of any future increase, the UK government has suggested that increases may be linked to RPIX (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments). If the University intends to exercise this right to increase tuition fees, notification will be communicated with all students affected by the end of June in the academic year before the one in which we intend to exercise that right. Student fee loans have risen in line with the level of uplift decided by the UK Government.
Extended Degrees: Students will pay the applicable Foundation Year fee in the first year of study. Tuition fees will follow the Level 4 cap in the first year of Undergraduate study, with tuition fees in subsequent years increasing as per the above information.
* Fees subject to annual increases over the course of the period of study. Students will be liable for payment of any/all tuition fees which are not sponsored by their employer or other third party.
This is the tuition fee for your first year of study. You should expect to pay tuition fees for every year of study. The University may increase fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect.
Tuition fees in the academic year 2027/28* will be £10,050. Fees are set in line with the UK Government's tuition fee cap. The University may increase fees in subsequent years in line with any changes to the tuition fee cap. Increases will be linked to inflation. For example, increases may be linked to RPIX (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments) Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect. Student fee loans rise in line with the tuition fees cap.
This is the programme fee for your first year of study. The programme fee includes the international tuition fee, International Soccer Academy and accommodation fees. Accommodation fees may increase in subsequent years. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of the re-issuing of tenancy agreements.
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Learn from academics whose work is ranked 8th in the UK for research power in Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy, out of 91 submissions (REF, 2021).
Benefit from established partnerships with NHS trusts across the region, giving you access to diverse placement settings and experienced practice supervisors from your first year.
Northumbria is ranked 12th in the UK for General Nursing studies, out of 91 institutions (Guardian University Guide, 2027), reflecting sector-wide recognition of course quality.
Over 93% of Adult Nursing students surveyed in the 2026 National Student Survey positively rated the learning resources on their course.
Northumbria is ranked 8th in the UK for Nursing (Times Good University Guide, 2027), reflecting our focus on teaching and learning resources throughout your course.
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Learn from academics whose work is ranked 8th in the UK for research power in Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy, out of 91 submissions (REF, 2021).
Benefit from established partnerships with NHS trusts across the region, giving you access to diverse placement settings and experienced practice supervisors from your first year.
Northumbria is ranked 12th in the UK for General Nursing studies, out of 91 institutions (Guardian University Guide, 2027), reflecting sector-wide recognition of course quality.
Over 93% of Adult Nursing students surveyed in the 2026 National Student Survey positively rated the learning resources on their course.
Northumbria is ranked 8th in the UK for Nursing (Times Good University Guide, 2027), reflecting our focus on teaching and learning resources throughout your course.
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Page last reviewed: 30 October 2026
