BSc(Hons) Nursing (Mental Health)
This course is open for applications
Accreditations and partnerships:
About
Study our accredited BSc(Hons) Nursing (Mental Health) to graduate as a registered nurse. With strong employer links, and practical clinical placements, you'll develop the confidence and critical skills you need to propel your mental health nursing career.
Why study mental health nursing?
Nursing is a challenging but rewarding career that'll change lives, including your own. As a mental health nurse, you'll make a meaningful difference by improving access to healthcare, promoting wellbeing, and supporting social inclusion and quality of life for people of all ages.
A £5,000 per year training grant is available for home students along with an additional £1,000 per year grant because mental health nurses are in demand in the UK and worldwide. Further information is available on the NHS Business Services website.
Why UWE Bristol?
BSc(Hons) Nursing (Mental Health) 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.
Learn from a passionate team with a range of experience across all the many different aspects of mental health nursing. As many of our staff are active researchers, your learning will be enriched by the latest in best practice and clinical understanding.
There's also the opportunity to develop and apply your skills working abroad. Throughout your mental health nursing degree, you'll have the exciting opportunity to apply for an international experience with a variety of options. In some instances, the application process will be competitive.
International experiences can be between one to five weeks. You'll need to self-finance these experiences, but Home students can apply for means-tested bursary funds.
Gaining international experience enhances your global mobility and entrepreneurial skills, while also empowering you to contribute positively to your local community.
Where can it take me?
Mental health nurses are in demand across the UK. You could work in broad settings, including the NHS, hospitals, specialist and community settings, people's homes, the armed forces, prison service, the private sector or voluntary organisations.
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'll 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.
- Welsh Baccalaureate: We accept tariff points achieved from the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales in conjunction with other Level 3 qualifications.
- Cambridge Technical: 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
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:
- 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
- The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Children and Young People
- The Principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
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.
"I completed six placements on my course, including one in community Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). This gave me the confidence to apply for my first role at CAMHS after qualifying, where I now work as a Senior Mental Health Practitioner." Emily, Mental Health Nursing graduate
Learning and Teaching
Our philosophy of nurse education encompasses flexible, progressive and innovative approaches to learning, ensuring you'll 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 service users, their family, and carers. Develop the interpersonal skills you'll need 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 building independent learning and research skills, you'll be prepared for future professional development. Distance learning and self-directed materials will support you to take responsibility for your own learning.
See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.
Study time
The course includes attendance in classes and online directed learning. During the timetabled blocks of the course, you'll study full time Monday to Friday, except bank holidays. Occasionally this can include evenings and may finish at 21:00.
While you're on 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 continuously be 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.
Fees
Full time course
Indicative Additional Costs
Supplementary fee information
The UK Government has announced that the Undergraduate tuition fee cap for home students (including offshore) will increase every year in line with inflation. Legislation still needs to be passed for this increase to happen so the above home and offshore fees for 2026/27 are likely to increase should legislation be passed. Any tuition fee which is impacted by this change will be updated following Government approval.
Find out more about the new higher education reforms.
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 along with an additional £1,000 per year grant because mental health nurses are in demand in the UK and worldwide. 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.
Features
Professional accreditation
BSc(Hons) Nursing (Mental Health) is accredited by The Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Placements
During your Mental Health 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 complete the 2,300 hours of practice learning as required by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. You'll also experience simulated learning experiences, 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 working with people, their families and healthcare professionals in a range of settings.
We have excellent links with 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. In each placement setting you'll receive support and guidance from supervisors and assessors.
Fieldwork
Springpod Subject Spotlights video try your course before you apply
UWE Bristol has partnered with Springpod, an online platform that provides immersive career and education opportunities. On this platform, you can sign up and log in to watch a Subject Spotlight video for our BSc(Hons) Nursing (Mental Health) course. The video is entitled Understanding Depression. In this Subject Spotlight, Rob Williams uses his professional experience as a Mental Health Nurse to help you understand depression. He takes you through what depression actually is, how it's diagnosed, and the range of ways mental health professionals can support people experiencing depression.
Study facilities
Mental Health Nursing students are based at Glenside, our dedicated healthcare campus. It's a welcoming community that combines beautiful surroundings with first-rate facilities and equipment.
Our Skills Simulation Centre is a replica hospital ward where you'll be able to refine your clinical skills and 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 on which you can develop your clinical expertise.
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.
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 tourCareers
Careers / Further study
Registered mental health nurses are in demand across the UK, so as a BSc(Hons) Nursing (Mental Health) graduate, you'll be highly employable.
Graduates from our Mental Health Nursing degree enter careers in a variety of roles for the NHS, private and voluntary sector employers, in community and hospital settings.
You could go on to work in both adult and children's mental health services across a large range of settings and services.
You could go into community settings, including community mental health services, hospital outpatients and emergency departments, secure residential units or service users' 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 mental health nursing.
- Take the NHS Nursing careers quiz.
- See the NMC guidance for students.
- Watch this short film to learn more about accountability from the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Get inspired
Our award-winning careers service will develop your employment potential through career coaching and 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.
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.