Skip to main content

Nursing (Mental Health) BSc(Hons)

2024-25 (also available for 2025-26)

It’s not too late to apply for September.
It’s not too late to apply for September.

Start date

16 September 2024

Duration

3 years full-time

Entry requirements

A Level - BBB-BBC

BTEC - DDM-DMM

See full entry requirements

Places available (subject to change)

55

About the course

Reasons to study

  1. This course is regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), and after successfully graduating, you’ll be eligible to apply for registration with the NMC and work as a Registered Nurse in Mental Health. 
  2. On this Nursing (Mental Health) BSc(Hons) course, you’ll develop and hone your skills through allocated clinical placements in a range of statutory, private, voluntary and student-led services.
  3. To enhance your learning, you’ll hear first-hand experiences and viewpoints from service users and carers, who are part of the Public Partnership Group.

Mental health nursing involves working with people, their families, carers, and communities, all of whom may experience the impact of mental ill health. This could include people with formal diagnoses, such as psychosis, bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and personality disorders, as well as those who do not accept or recognise these diagnostic labels.

Mental health nurses work within the recovery framework to help people make sense of their own experiences; our nursing mental health course is designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive as a healthcare professional.

Why study Nursing (Mental Health) BSc(Hons)

If you’re keen to enter the world of mental health nursing, this course could help open doors to a rewarding, lifelong career. It is designed to help you become a confident, competent, and compassionate nurse – and, following successful graduation, you’ll be eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), and work as a Registered Nurse in Mental Health.

Alongside building your theoretical knowledge in lectures and seminars, you’ll be able to focus on your practical skills through simulation and group work. On the course, you’ll practice and develop your skills through allocated clinical placements in a range of statutory, private, voluntary, and student-led service.

To enhance your learning, you’ll hear first-hand experiences and viewpoints from service users and carers, who are part of the Public Partnership Group. Our teaching staff rank in the top three in England for the proportion who hold doctorates, who have higher degrees, and hold teaching qualifications (HESA 2022), so you can be sure you’re learning from the best, too.

What’s more, in 2024, the University’s new Daphne Steele Building will open on the site of the National Health Innovation campus, which will allow our Mental Health Nursing students to benefit from specialist, clinical teaching facilities and world-leading research facilities.

Students studying this course may be eligible to receive a non-repayable grant of at least £5,000 each year. Further information is available on the NHS Learning Support Fund website.

Not quite ready to start Nursing (Mental Health) BSc(Hons)? Successful completion of our Health Foundation Pathway leading to a BSc(Hons) Degree will equip you with the foundation knowledge to study Mental Health Nursing.

Course detail

Core modules:

Becoming a Professional - Mental Health Nursing

This module involves exploring your development as a professional, examining your personal and professional attitudes and beliefs, as well as relating these to your future professional role as a mental health nurse. You’ll gain an understanding about how you can develop as a learner and maintain your physical and mental health, so you are able to promote and support people who have mental health care needs with their health. You’ll also learn how to manage the transition to university and explore ethical and professional codes underpinning mental health nursing.

Introduction to Mental Health Nursing

This module provides the opportunity for you to develop the fundamental knowledge and skills to care specifically for people with mental health care needs, as well as people of all ages from conception to end of life, with a range of physical, mental health and cognitive care needs. You’ll learn the principles of holistic assessment and management of well and sick people of all ages. You’ll gain an understanding of development through the lifespan by exploring the principles of anatomy and physiology. You’ll also be introduced to pharmacology and medicines administration.

Nursing Practice 1

This module provides the opportunity for you to develop the fundamental skills of nursing practice including personal hygiene, infection control, undertaking observations and basic life support. You’ll complete a practice learning experience where you’ll put the theory you’ve learnt into practice.

Nursing Practice 2

This module provides you with a further opportunity to develop the fundamental skills of nursing practice including personal hygiene, infection control, undertaking observations and basic life support. You’ll complete a practice learning experience, where you’ll put the theory you’ve learnt into practice.

Understanding Knowledge and Evidence for Nursing

This module introduces you to the nature of knowledge and how it supports evidenced-based nursing practice. You’ll learn how to search for and read evidence to identify its value and relevance to nursing practice. You’ll explore how to evaluate published research and will be introduced to the concept of ethics within healthcare research. You’ll also have the opportunity to develop and use a variety of transferable skills including literature searching, critical appraisal of evidence and application of evidence to your own and the nursing practice of others.

Entry requirements

BBB-BBCat A Level . If you are studying A Level Science, the endorsement for practical work is essential and a requirement for entry to our degree course.

120-112 UCAS tariff points from a combination of Level 3 qualifications. If you are studying A Level Science, the endorsement for practical work is essential and a requirement for entry to our degree course.

Merit at T Level

DDM-DMM in BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma

  • NCFE CACHE Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma/Level 3 Extended Diploma at grade B.
  • Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits, 15 at Distinction, 30 at Merit.
  • 120-112 UCAS tariff points from International Baccalaureate qualifications.

In addition, you must have GCSE English Language or English Literature and Maths at grade 4 or above, or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme, or Ofqual regulated Level 2 Functional Skills in Maths and English.

If you do not have the appropriate qualifications for direct entry to this degree you may be able to apply to our Health Foundation Pathway leading to a BSc(Hons) Degree.

Successful applicants will also demonstrate:

  • Desirable values and attitude – caring, compassionate, confident and committed.
  • Experience of working with people with mental health difficulties.
  • An understanding of the role of a mental health nurse and the ability to identify transferrable skills.
  • Offers will be subject to an interview and references. Please note all the information provided in support of your application may be checked and must be verifiable as a true record.
  • You also need satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and occupational health clearances prior to registration on the course. We arrange these as part of the application process. You'll be required to sign a self-declaration at the start of each year and at the end of the course. All police contact during the course must be reported to the course leader as a matter of urgency and may lead to suspension or termination. We will request an Overseas Police Check if you have lived in a country outside of the UK for 6 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the last 10 years before applying to us and whilst aged 18 or over.
  • You may be eligible to gain accreditation for your prior learning towards this course. Please note that the course you are applying for is regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) which allows a maximum of 50% of credits for the award to be conferred through accreditation of prior learning.

Placement providers for this course may require you to have received a number of vaccinations, unless medically exempt, and provide evidence of these. As a student on a course with a clinical or healthcare placement, we strongly recommend that you complete any courses of vaccinations required under current guidelines for your future profession. Failure to do so may result in your inability to undertake a placement in certain clinical settings, therefore impacting upon your academic progression, and may result in academic failure of your course.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.5 overall with no element lower than 6.0, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our Where are you from information pages.

If you have alternative qualifications, including the nursing associate foundation degree, you may wish to contact us for advice before applying. Please note places are limited and attainment of the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee an interview or offer. You must include details of any previous study. Other suitable experience or qualifications will be considered. For further information please see the University's minimum entry requirements.

Please note places are limited and attainment of the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee an interview or offer. You must include details of any previous study.

Emma's story


Watch Emma’s film to hear why she choose to study mental health nursing and how placements are her favourite part of the course. Emma also talks about what her future career plans are.

Placements


Nothing can really replicate working in the real-world, which is why practice placements are essential and a compulsory part of the course. The Nursing and Midwifery Council require you to complete the minimum of 2300 hours over the three years in order to obtain registration. Each year you'll complete two blocks of placement.

You'll have the opportunity to complete your practice learning experiences in a diverse range of health and social care settings. These may be in private, voluntary, charitable or statutory settings and include forensic services, assessment teams, in-patient treatment units, rehabilitation centres, community teams, respite services, crisis and home based treatment, liaison services, child and adolescent mental health services and prisons. You'll be mentored throughout your practical experiences by qualified nurses, who will provide you with any required help and advice.

In order to provide you with the broadest professional experience possible, practice experiences are generally offered across West Yorkshire and beyond, covering 24 hour care including evening, weekend and occasional night shifts.

Please note that you will be required to travel to and during your placements. Your placement areas could be anywhere within the wider Calderdale, Kirklees, and Wakefield metropolitan districts of West Yorkshire. You need to think very carefully about how you’ll travel across this region for your placements with awareness that when in placement you’ll often be required to start a shift at 7.00am and may not finish until 8.00pm. Your placements will also incorporate night-shift and weekend working. For more information visit our placements page.

“Placements are extremely useful as they have provided the opportunity for me to apply the knowledge I have gained, practice and further develop my skills, gain an insight into the different roles within a team and experience a range of settings where mental health nurses work.”

Esther Bakare, Student mental health nurse

Esther Bakare, Graduated from Nursing (Mental Health) BSc(Hons) in 2022

Your career


A career in mental health nursing can be varied and interesting with a wide range of satisfying career opportunities. Our graduates have gone on to work in local healthcare trusts, private hospitals and in the community.**

Other career opportunities could include working in child and adolescent mental health services, forensic settings, substance misuse, accident and emergency liaison, self harm, criminal justice system, youth offending, management of violence and aggression, as well as specialist roles such as admiral nursing and nurse consultant.

After qualification further professional development opportunities are available in relation to enhancing knowledge relating to psychological therapies and intervention, medicines management and nurse prescribing, and becoming an approved mental health practitioner.


* Percentage of graduates from this subject area who go on to work and/or further study within fifteen months after graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes 20/21, UK Domiciled)
** LinkedIn.

97% Graduates employed*

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.

A wide range of resources are also offered within the School of Human and Health Sciences, which provides you with support in a variety of areas. These include:

Student Hub: a one stop shop for students, studying within the School. Their services include offering advice on extenuating circumstances, extension requests, course progression, suspension and welfare support, organising appointments with academic staff and signposting to other support networks.

Academic Skills Development Team: support students to develop their academic skills and build their confidence in order to improve their grades. The team provide support with academic skills including essay writing, being critical, reflective writing, numeracy, research skills, presentations and group work skills; as well as personal development for example time management.

Learning Technology Support Unit: helps students with any problems they experience with the University’s Brightspace Learning System, including logging on or difficulties experienced when accessing and using modules, and with the PebblePad platform, which is used by students when they go out on placements.

Important information

We will always try to deliver your course as described on this web page. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below.

Changes to a course you have applied for

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment.

Cancellation of a course you have applied for

Although we always try and run all of the course we offer, we may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants to ensure you have a good learning experience. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will contact you to discuss other suitable courses with us we can transfer your application to. If we notify you that the course you have applied to has been withdrawn or combined, and you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

We will always try to deliver your course and other services as described. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below:

Changes to option modules

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have a range of options to choose from and we will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes

We will only make major changes to the core curriculum of a course or to our services if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change in this context is a change that materially changes the services available to you; or the outcomes, or a significant part, of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), classes, type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum.

For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators; to meet the latest requirements of a commissioning or accrediting body; to improve the quality of educational provision; in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback; and/or to reflect academic or professional changes within subject areas. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but this may not always be the case. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation with affected students. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

Termination of course

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed and we will notify you as soon as possible about what your options are, which may include transferring to a suitable replacement course for which you are qualified, being provided with individual teaching to complete the award for which you were registered, or claiming an interim award and exiting the University. If you do not wish to take up any of the options that are made available to you, then you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the course without liability to the University for future tuition fees and you will be entitled to a refund of all course fees paid to date. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. These include regulations regarding the assessment of your course, academic integrity, your conduct (including attendance) and disciplinary procedure, fees and finance and compliance with visa requirements (where relevant). It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to abide by them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you will also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to. You should read these carefully before you enrol. Please note that this information is subject to change and you are advised to check our website regularly for any changes before you enrol at the University. A person who is not party to this agreement shall not have any rights under or in connection with it. Only you and the University shall have any right to enforce or rely on the agreement.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

You may also be interested in...

Nursing (Blended Learning) Mental Health BSc(Hons)

Specialise in mental health nursing on this blended learning degree, where you can learn using digital technologies and gain practical, hands-on experience.

Find out more How to apply

Full-time

Undergraduate


Nursing (Pre-Registration) Mental Health MSc

By learning from experienced lecturers using state-of-the-art learning environments and real life practice settings, you could make a difference to people’s everyday lives. If you are interested in caring for and helping those with mental health related issues, then this course maybe ideal for you

Find out more How to apply

Full-time

Postgraduate


Registered Nurse (Degree Apprenticeship) (Blended Learning) Mental Health BSc(Hons)

This apprenticeship course provides a flexible way to learn the skills, knowledge and values required to care for people with mental health conditions.

Find out more How to apply

Full-time

Undergraduate


Registered Nurse (Mental Health) (Degree Apprenticeship) BSc(Hons)

Acquire the critical knowledge, skills and attitudes required to work in the challenging and rewarding field of mental health nursing.

Find out more How to apply

Full-time

Undergraduate