BSc(Hons) Nursing (Adult)
Page last updated 22 September 2025
This course is open for applications
Introduction
Study our accredited BSc(Hons) Nursing (Adult) to graduate as a registered nurse. Strong employer links and practical clinical placements, will help you develop the confidence and hands-on skills you need to propel your adult nursing career.
Accreditations and partnerships:
Why study adult nursing?
Nursing is a challenging but rewarding career that'll change lives, including your own. As a nurse you'll play your part in improving access to healthcare, wellbeing, social inclusion and quality of life for people of all ages.
Nurses are in demand across the UK across fields such as neurology, epilepsy and acute physical healthcare.
A £5,000 per year training grant is available for home students. Further information is available on the NHS Business Services website.
Why UWE Bristol?
BSc(Hons) Nursing (Adult) has a strong practical focus, allowing you to gain competence carrying out the hands-on tasks you'll perform in your career. About half your time will be spent on placements with our established partners, giving you the hands-on practical experience you need for a successful career in adult nursing.
You'll learn from a passionate, enthusiastic, skilled and supportive team with a range of experience across all the many different aspects of adult nursing, and other fields of nursing. Many are active researchers; your learning will be enriched by the very latest in best practice and clinical understanding.
While studying this Adult Nursing degree, you'll have the exciting opportunity to apply for an international experience. The application process will be competitive, but funding for these opportunities might be available. Gaining international experience provides opportunities to be internationally mobile and entrepreneurial, and to make a difference to our local community.
Hear from some of our nursing students on what life is like here as a student - What's it like to study Nursing at UWE Bristol?
Where can it take me?
As an Adult Nursing graduate, you could find roles in a variety of settings, including hospitals, people's homes, specialist and community services, prison services, or for private or voluntary sector employers.
Find out where a career in nursing can take you.
Personalised virtual tour
There's no need to visit us in person to explore our facilities and campuses. Take a personalised virtual tour and discover it all for yourself from wherever you are.
Take a virtual tourAdult Nursing - Documentary Shorts Series
Structure
Content
The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.
Year one
You'll study:
- Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology for Nursing
- Episodes of Care 1
- Fundamentals of Nursing Practice
- Principles of Nursing (Field Specific)
- Sustainable Global Public Health.
Year two
You'll study:
- Assessment and Decision Making
- Episodes of Care 2
- Episodes of Care 3
- Pharmacology and Medicines Management
- Research Methodologies of Nursing Enquiry
- Supporting People with Complex Needs.
Final year
You'll study:
- Episodes of Care 4
- Leadership and Supervision
- Nursing Final Project
- Transition to Registration.
Plus, one optional module from the following (which subject to availability, could include an international opportunity):
- Collaborative Approaches to Effective Pain Management
- Crossing Borders
- Health Needs of Children and Adults on the Autism Spectrum
- Healthy Ageing
- Introduction to Emergency Care
- Primary and Community Healthcare
- Public Health and Health Promotion for Professional Practice
- Solution Focused Practice - Developing Empowering Conversations with People
- Using the Mental Capacity Act in Practice
- World Wide Nursing/Nursing Electives.
The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we'll inform you.
"My course included placements in many areas of nursing. One of my placements in offender healthcare led me to find a graduate role as a registered nurse in a female prison. Without this placement I wouldn't be where I am today, working as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner." David, Adult Nursing graduate
Learning and Teaching
On this Adult Nursing degree, you'll benefit from flexible, progressive and innovative learning, helping you to become a caring, competent and critically thinking nurse. Our approaches include experiential learning, enquiry and action-based learning, group work and face-to-face learning.
Discover the importance of your relationship as a nurse with the service user and their family and friends. You'll develop the interpersonal skills needed to build therapeutic relationships with people in diverse cultural contexts.
Grow your expertise in healthcare systems, nursing management, and the sociology of health, wellness and illness. Explore the latest research and evidence-based practice, and learn to adapt and respond to changes in society and developments in care.
With a strong focus on independent learning and research skills, you'll be well prepared for future professional development. Self-directed materials will support you to take responsibility for your own learning.
See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.
Study time
Our Adult Nursing degree includes attendance in classes and online directed learning. During the timetabled blocks of the course, you'll study full time between 09:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays.
While you're on nursing placement, you'll be working full time (37.5 hours), participating in shifts over a 24-hour period, including nights and weekends. Your placements may take you anywhere across your Primary Placement Area (PPAs).
Assessment
You'll be continuously assessed on your clinical practice throughout the course. We'll also make use of a mixture of written assignments, case studies, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), project/portfolio work, timed examinations and presentations
Features
Professional accreditation
Our BSc(Hons) Nursing (Adult) is accredited by The Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Placements
During your Adult Nursing degree, you'll experience placements across a range of practice areas including hospital, community, and social care settings.
You'll be supervised, supported and assessed to achieve the course proficiencies and complete the 2300 hours of practice learning as required by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
You'll also experience simulated learning experiences, enhancing your practice learning, providing exposure to hard-to-reach areas of practice, and developing your advanced skills.
With two practice placements a year, you'll spend half the course applying your knowledge and building your professional skills working with people, their families and healthcare professionals in a range of settings.
We have excellent links with our local employers, and placements are normally split between NHS roles and positions in private or voluntary sector organisations.
You'll get a broad range of practice experiences, putting you in a strong position for future employment in either a community or hospital setting.
Study facilities
Adult Nursing students are based at Glenside, our dedicated healthcare campus.
Our Skills Simulation Centre is a replica hospital ward where you'll be able to build your confidence before going out into practice.
There are consultation rooms, adapted living spaces, a maternity unit, and a children's unit, as well as a range of manikins to develop your clinical skills.
All the apparatus you'll use is genuine equipment found in NHS hospitals, preparing you for your placements.
Take a personalised virtual tour of the Nursing and Midwifery facilities and experience what a typical day could look like here for you.
Start your dream career at UWE Bristol
Life
Accommodation
An excellent range of options for all of the Bristol campuses and the city centre.
Bristol
A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.
Sports, societies and activities
There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.
Health and Wellbeing
We provide support in the way you need it.
Campus and facilities
Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.
Careers
Careers / Further study
Registered nurses are in demand across the UK, so as a BSc(Hons) Nursing (Adult) graduate, you'll be highly employable.
Our graduates enter careers in a variety of roles, working with adults across a large range of settings and services. These include the NHS, private and voluntary sector employers in community and hospital settings.
You could go into specialist positions in hospitals, in healthcare centres as a community nurse, in GP surgeries and schools, as a health visitor, or working with patients in their homes.
Once qualified you can also combine clinical work with study on a post-qualifying course. By specialising further in a specific area, you can progress to more senior positions such as consultant nurse, nurse specialist, researcher, or local or regional services manager.
Learn more about careers in adult nursing.
Take the NHS Nursing careers quiz.
Get inspired
Our award-winning careers service will develop your employment potential through career coaching and help find you graduate jobs, placements and global opportunities.
We can also help find local volunteering and community opportunities, provide support for entrepreneurial activity and get you access to employer events.
Visit our employability pages to learn more about careers, employers and what our students are doing six months after graduating.
Fees
Full time course
Supplementary fee information
Additional costs are for items you could need during your studies that aren't covered by the standard tuition fee. These could be materials, textbooks, travel, clothing, software or printing.
A £5,000 per year training grant is available for home students. Further information is available on the NHS Business Services website.
If you undertake the international opportunity available on this course, you'll need to self-finance but Home students can apply for a means-tested bursary fund for support during that time.
Entry
Typical offers
You will need to meet the following Level 2 requirements:
- GCSE: Grade C/4 or above in English and Mathematics or equivalent.
In addition to the above Level 2 qualifications, you'll need to achieve the published tariff points from your Level 3 studies prior to entry. Below is an indicative list of the main qualification types. However, we will consider any Level 3 qualifications towards meeting our entry requirements.
- Tariff points: 112
- Contextual tariff: See our contextual offers page.
- English Language Requirement:
International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 or above with a minimum of 6.5 in writing, and 7.0 in all other sections of the test (or approved equivalent*).
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Please visit our English language requirements page. - A-level subjects: No specific subjects required.
- EDEXCEL (BTEC) Diploma: No specific subjects required.
- Access: No specific subjects required.
- Baccalaureate IB: No specific subjects required. We accept the IB Career-related Programme in conjunction with other Level 3 qualifications.
- Irish Highers: No specific subjects required.
- T Levels: No specific subjects required.
Selection process
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an online interview. For more details on the process, please visit our selection page.
Entry requirements
Please note that due to early clinical contact on this course applicants must turn 18 before the start of placement. Applicants who do not turn 18 by the commencement of the placement will be advised to defer or reapply as appropriate. Please see our admissions policy for further information.
If you don't meet the entry requirements of this course, you may be eligible for the Health Professions Foundation Year.
Additional requirements
Before you start your course, you'll be required to complete:
- an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check
- a Health Check.
Read more about professional checks.
International applicants
For country specific entry requirements please find your country on the country information pages. If you are an international student and do not meet the academic requirements to study this course, you can qualify by completing preparatory study at our International College.
If you are applying to study at UWE Bristol and require additional support to meet our English language requirements, you may be able to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Read more about our Pre-Sessional English Programme.
Deferred entry
We accept deferred entry applications for this course.
Read more about entry requirements.
How to apply
Read more about undergraduate applications.
Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.
For further information
- Email:
UK applicants
Admissions@uwe.ac.ukInternational/EU applicants
International@uwe.ac.uk - Telephone:
UK applicants
+44 (0)117 32 83333International/EU applicants
+44 (0)117 32 86644