MSc Mental Health Nursing - Preregistration (February Start)
Key Details
- Attendance
- Full Time
- Award
- Degree of Master of Science
- Course Length
- 2 years
- Course Start Date
- February 2024
Course Overview
Studying Mental Health Nursing at UEA prepares you for a career that can be as varied or specialist as you choose. Working with people of every age, from childhood to older age, it could see you caring for people recovering from acute illness or living with a disability, as well working alongside and supporting people to stay mentally and physically well.
Our innovative, accelerated course is ideal if you already have a degree and are looking for a fast-track into the nursing profession. Exposing you to theory and practice, our Master’s programme will build on your prior life experience, graduate attributes and enable you to qualify as a Mental Health nurse in just two years.
You’ll explore all aspects of nursing, gain experience working with people receiving nursing care in a variety of settings while working alongside other health and social care professionals.
With the NHS Constitution at its core, our MSc Mental Health Nursing programme will offer you the excitement and challenge to achieve your very best and provide you with the rigorous training you need to become a dynamic nurse.
Our Master’s course has been designed for students who already have an undergraduate degree and who demonstrate the personal attributes and commitment needed to pursue a career caring for others. Your time with us will help you develop into a nurse who’s not only committed, but who is also able to deliver the highest quality of person-centred care. Informed by the four pillars of Advanced Practice you will be exposed to theoretical and practice-based learning addressing themes of Clinical Practice, Research, Education and Leadership ensuring you are equipped to pursue a variety of exciting career opportunities at the point of qualification.
The course entails learning in the University setting, independent online learning, self-directed study, simulated practice and placements in a variety of health and social care settings. The course will help you develop high standards of patient centred care, as well as clinical nursing, education, leadership and research skills. This will enable you to excel in the way you work with service users, their families and carers – and maximising your contribution to the multidisciplinary healthcare team. Throughout the course, you will undertake professionally-supervised placements in a wide variety of care settings. Working closely with service users, placements provide a fantastic opportunity to apply and develop your knowledge and skills in a clinical environment. Placements will also enable you to appreciate the importance of research, education and leadership in providing quality care.
Placement opportunities will be provided across the two years of the programme.
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Entry Requirements
- Degree Classification
- Minimum 2:1 or equivalent; this programme is applicable if you are a registered Adult, Learning Disabilities or Children's nurse who wishes to become a NMC registered Mental Health Nurse. If you are a registered nurse looking for post-registration study opportunities within your own field of practice then this course is not suitable and you may wish to consider our other post-registration, professional nursing courses delivered at Degree and Master's level.
- Degree Subject
- All subject areas considered
- GCSE
- Applicants will be required to have a minimum of GCSE Maths and English at Grade 4 / C or equivalent.
- English Foreign Language
We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English. To ensure such students benefit from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:
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IELTS: 7.0 (minimum 7.0 in all components)
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PTE (Pearson): 76 (minimum 76 in all components)
Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.
Other tests, including Cambridge English exams and the Trinity Integrated Skills in English are also accepted by the university. The full list of accepted tests can be found here: Accepted English Language Tests
INTO UEA run pre-sessional courses which can be taken prior to the start of your course. For further information and to see if you qualify please contact intopre-sessional@uea.ac.uk (INTO UEA Norwich)
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- Interviews
The strongest applicants will be invited to interview. Please note that meeting the minimum academic entry requirements will not guarantee that you will be selected for interview. Interview invitations will be sent by email. Please keep a close eye on all emails from UEA after you submit your application.
Note that we will not disclose interview questions in advance of the interviews, but in general terms the interviews will explore a range of issues, including your suitability for the profession and the NHS values (as reflected in the NHS constitution). We’ll look to consider your motivation to study this course, as well as whether you have an interest in people and a clear understanding of the profession (ideally with relevant voluntary or paid work in healthcare).
Applicants will be offered an online interview.
Experience of Healthcare
We are aware that it is a difficult time to try to gain relevant experience in healthcare. We will take this into account and will adapt our expectations.
Keep in mind that clinical work experience is not generally a requirement for applying to train in healthcare, but it is important to show that you are able to work with people and appreciate the health and social care setting. It is important to remember why we look for work experience in an application; this in turn can help you think of the numerous ways that you might be able to demonstrate how you have acquired relevant experience.
We will want to see that you understand what a career in Health involves. Work experience, and other related experiences, are only as valuable as the way you talk about them and what understanding you take from them. While we will expect you to show some understanding of what it is like to be the professional of your choice, part of this involves demonstrating that you know what it is like to work in a responsible role, particularly with the public.
Any activity or life experience that helps you to prepare for training to be a healthcare professional will help. This means any activity that allows you to demonstrate that you have:
- Had people-focused experience of providing a service, care, support or help to others, and that you understand the realities of working in a caring profession.
- Developed some of the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to being a Nurse, Midwife or Allied Health professional such as conscientiousness, effective communication and the ability to interact with a wide variety of people. The values that we are looking for are set out in the NHS Constitution.
- A realistic understanding of Health and Social Care and in particular the physical, organisational and emotional demands of the career.- Intakes
This course is open to UK, EU and International applicants. The annual intake for this course is in February.
Additional Information or Requirements
The University will also take into account the employment experience of applicants where relevant.
Applicants will be required to have a minimum of GCSE Maths and English at Grade 4 / C or equivalent.
PLACEMENTS
As this course includes patient facing placements in health or social care settings, and these are a mandatory component of the course, you will need to comply with the placement vaccination policy. Failure to meet the placement vaccination policy may prevent you from joining the course or may lead to your withdrawal from the course in the future. Future employment may also be subject to this condition.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Following interview, successful candidates will be required to complete a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) online portfolio set against defined NMC outcomes (NMC, 2018), which, on confirmation of achievement, candidates will be eligible to commence the MSc accelerated programme in 2 years.
Due to its ‘shortened’ design graduate entrants are required to demonstrate 460 equivalent theoretical learning hours before starting the programme as a condition of the admissions process. This is achieved through the completion of a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Portfolio. In order to start the programme and progress you need to successfully complete the RPL.
As this course includes patient facing placements in health or social care settings, and these are a mandatory component of the course, you will need to comply with the placement vaccination policy. Failure to meet the placement vaccination policy may prevent you from joining the course or may lead to your withdrawal from the course in the future. Future employment may also be subject to this condition.
Fees and Funding
Tuition fees for the Academic Year 2023/24 are:
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UK Students: £18,500. Pre-Registration courses are full-time on a two-year basis. Course fee charged £9,250 per academic year.
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International Students: Course fee charged as £39,600 over two academic years, £19,800 per academic year. 2022-23 entrants are liable for £18,500 in 2023-24.
If you choose to study part-time, the fee per annum will be half the annual fee for that year, or a pro-rata fee for the module credit you are taking (only available for Home students).
We estimate living expenses at £1,023 per month.
Further Information on tuition fees can be found here.
Scholarships and Bursaries
The University of East Anglia offers a range of Scholarships; please click the link for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
See our additional course costs page for more information.
How to Apply
Please note - this course is now closed for applications for the 2023-24 cycle.
Applications for Postgraduate Taught programmes at the University of East Anglia should be made directly to the University.
The closing date for receipt of complete applications is 1 June 2023.
To apply please use our online application form.
FURTHER INFORMATION
If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances prior to applying please do contact us:
Postgraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk
International candidates are also encouraged to access the International Studentssection of our website.
Employability
After the Course
You’ll graduate with an MSc in Mental Health Nursing and full registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. You will be equipped with the clinical, communication, research, education and leadership skills that will enable you to provide high quality, person-centred care. Mental Health Nursing is a rewarding, challenging and exciting career, and the qualities and qualifications you will possess will open doors to a huge range of settings, in the UK and internationally. As a UEA graduate, you’ll continue to enhance your lifelong learning skills to ensure you develop professionally throughout your career.
Careers
A degree at UEA will prepare you for a wide variety of careers. We've been ranked 1st for Job Prospects by StudentCrowd in 2022.
Examples of careers you could enter include:
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NHS
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Private Sector
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Voluntary Sector
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Nursing Management
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Education
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Research