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Midwifery Studies BSc(Hons)

2023-24 (also available for 2024-25)

Start date

18 September 2023

4 March 2024

Duration

3 years full-time

Entry requirements

A Level - ABB

BTEC - DDM

See full entry requirements

Places available (subject to change)

90 (FULL)

About the course

Reasons to study

  1. You’ll gain real-world experience through clinical placements in a range of settings including birth centres, midwife-led units, labour suites, antenatal/postnatal wards and in the community.
  2. You’ll be taught by an experienced midwifery team, that have worked in a range of settings and roles, who will use their expertise to bring their teaching to life.
  3. A wide range of support services including dedicated staff and resources will be available to help you whilst you're studying at the University.

This course is now full for September 2023 entry.

In communities everywhere, it’s a basic human right of every single woman, baby and family to experience the best and safest care possible during pregnancy, birth and postnatally (NMC, 2021). Our Midwifery Studies degree is designed to help you to deliver this care, in partnership with women and families, and the wider multidisciplinary team. During the three years, you'll be guided to become a competent, confident and autonomous practitioner. This will involve a blend of on-campus taught theory, clinical skills simulation and real-world clinical practice, working alongside NHS midwives and other maternity health professionals.Learning from experienced midwives and gaining real-world experience in a variety of healthcare settings, you’ll be able to prepare to make a difference in the lives of women and their families.

  • The course is designed by midwives for midwives and regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
  • You’ll undertake clinical placements throughout the course in a range of settings including birth centres, midwife-led units, labour suites, antenatal/postnatal wards, as well as in the community.
  • We’ll help you learn how to provide individualised care for the mother and baby throughout pregnancy, labour, childbirth and the early days of parenthood.
  • You’ll be encouraged to build your communication and interpersonal skills alongside the theoretical and practical learning.

Many different cultural, social and health-related influences affect child-bearing women. On this course, we know just how important it is for student midwives to learn about midwifery in context, to gain a broad perspective on the delivery of care and to be supported by enthusiastic lecturers who know exactly what it’s like to be a midwife. Throughout the course you’ll have the opportunity to build excellent knowledge of the theory of midwifery. Across all areas of teaching, we focus on the promotion of normality, health and the safe management of pregnancy, to ensure the best possible outcomes for parents and the newborn.

We are proud to be one of only four universities and the only one in the north of England that offer two intakes each year onto our Midwifery BSc(Hons) course. We work closely with the NHS workforce planning teams to help meet their recruitment demands, and having two intakes onto the course results in qualified midwifes graduating in both the spring and autumn months.

Choosing when to start your Midwifery degree will depend on individual circumstances, what suits one-person may not suit another. In terms of course content, placements, support available, etc everything remains the same. We have approximately 60 places available for those that wish to start in September and approximately 40 for those wishing to start in March. Therefore, for those that want to be a part of a larger group you may prefer to start in September and for those that feel more comfortable in a smaller group you may prefer to start in March. You’ll need to indicate when you would like to start on your UCAS application.

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.

Course detail

Core modules:

Biology for Midwifery Practice

This module provides the opportunity for you to develop your understanding of the anatomy and physiology, genetics and genomics relating to pregnancy and childbearing. You’ll learn about the female reproductive system including the physiology of pregnancy, labour, birth and postnatal periods, as well as for boys and men. You’ll be introduced to pharmacology and pharmacokinetics. You’ll learn about basic pathology, bacteriology, virology and parasitology as well as basic biophysics, biochemistry and radiology. This knowledge will help you to understand how to optimise physiological processes.

Introduction to Evidence-Informed Enquiry in Midwifery

In this module you’ll be introduced to research and evidence-based practice in midwifery. You’ll learn about critical thinking, reasoning and reflection, which are essential skills for contemporary midwifery practice.

Introducing Newborn and Family Health

This module introduces you to the midwife’s roles and responsibilities in promoting and supporting family and newborn health and wellbeing. You’ll learn about fetal development and physiological adaptation to newborn life with a view to working alongside parents and health and social care colleagues to assess, plan, implement and evaluate family-centred care. This includes screening and diagnostic testing, as well as safeguarding mothers and babies. You’ll have the opportunity to learn how you can support parents in building nurturing relationships with their newborn baby, considering their cultural, psychosocial and health education needs. You’ll also explore the importance of supporting safe, informed and responsive infant feeding and protecting breastfeeding.

Introducing Universal Midwifery Care for all Women

This module introduces you to the roles and responsibilities of the midwife in providing universal care to all women, their babies and families. You’ll have the opportunity to gain an insight into the accountability, autonomy and professionalism required for safe, respectful and effective midwifery care across women’s maternity journey. This will include pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, labour and birth and post-partum. Through this module you’ll start to recognise the importance of midwives working with women and their families, multi-professional and inter-agency teams to provide care that best meets women’s individual needs.

Participating in Midwifery Care

You’ll have the opportunity to complete 750 hours on clinical placement within a midwifery practice environment. You’ll be supported to participate in midwifery care that is universal for all women and their families during pregnancy, labour and birth and the postnatal period. This will involve you participating in caring for the newborn and supporting effective infant feeding. This practice-based module will help you to start developing and applying knowledge, skills, values and attitudes within a range of clinical practice settings. It will also provide you with opportunities to work towards the proficiencies and standards required of a registered midwife.

Entry requirements

ABBat A Level including a Biological Science, but excluding General Studies. If you are studying a Science A Level, the endorsement for practical work is essential and a requirement for entry to our degree courses.

128 UCAS tariff points from a maximum of three Level 3 qualifications including an A Level Biological Science at a minimum grade B and excluding General Studies. If you are studying a Science A Level, the endorsement for practical work is essential and a requirement for entry to our degree courses. Alternatively, a Distinction in BTEC Subsidiary Diploma/Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Health and Social Care is acceptable.

DDM in BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care (with a minimum of 4 units in Biological Sciences).

  • NCFE CACHE Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care at grade B.
  • Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits, at least 30 at Distinction and the remainder credits at Merit. The course must contain 18 credits in a Biological Science.
  • 128 UCAS tariff points from International Baccalaureate qualifications including a Biological Science at Higher Level at grade 6.

In addition, you must have completed 12 years of general education and have GCSE English Language or Literature and Maths at grade 4 or above, or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme.

You should have:

  • The ability to demonstrate that you have a broad understanding of the role of the midwife and midwifery practice.
  • Relevant work experience that enables you to discuss and provide evidence of transferable skills, which will help you meet the requirements of the role and midwifery practice. This should also enable you to demonstrate an understanding of women’s needs and that you have ‘customer facing’ skills for example communication and team work.
  • Offers will be subject to an interview. 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

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.

Rebecca's story


Watch Rebecca’s film to hear why she chose to study Midwifery and how her first placement is her most memorable experience on the course. Rebecca also talks about what surprised her most about coming to University and what she would like to do in the future.

Placements


You'll spend between 24 and 27 weeks each year undertaking compulsory clinical practice where your learning will be facilitated and assessed by experienced practising midwives. An exciting range of placement opportunities are available for student midwives including midwife led units, birth centres, labour suites, antenatal/postnatal wards, community midwifery, neonatal care and surgical experience. Placements are usually undertaken within local NHS Trusts, however in Year 3 you may have the opportunity to arrange and undertake an elective midwifery placement.

Please note that you may be required to travel for/during your placements across West Yorkshire and occasionally beyond, covering 24 hour care including evening, weekend and occasional night shifts. For more information visit our placements page.

“Placements within different settings of maternity care have enabled me to gain a real insight, develop various skills, put theory into practice and shown how each department liaises and provides a multidisciplinary team approach.”

Jadie Jack, current student

Jodie Jack, Graduated from Midwifery Studies BSc(Hons) in 2021.

Your career


Our graduates have gone on to work as midwives within the National Health Service in a variety of roles, including community and hospital-based midwifery.**

 

*  Percentage of graduates from this course who go on to work and/or further study within fifteen months after graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes 19/20, UK Domiciled)
** LinkedIn.

95% 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.

Equal opportunities

The University of Huddersfield is an equal opportunities institution. We aim to create conditions where staff and students are treated solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and potential, regardless of gender, age, race, caste, class, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, family responsibility, trade union activity, political or religious belief, or age. Please visit our website to see our Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy

Data protection

The University holds personal data on all enquirers, applicants and enrolled students. All such data is kept and processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Legislation. The University’s Data Protection Policy and Privacy Notices are available on the University website.

Students’ Union membership

Under the 1994 Education Act, students at all UK universities have the right to join, or not to join, the Students’ Union. There is no membership fee. If you choose not to join you have the right not to be disadvantaged; however, you are not entitled to vote, take part in elections, or hold any office. The following arrangements apply in order that non-Union members are not disadvantaged: Non-members are welcome to take part in the activities of Affiliated Clubs and Societies on payment of the appropriate subscription. However, they may not vote or hold office in the society or club. Union members may be offered a discounted subscription. Non-members are free to use Union facilities on the same basis as members. Welfare, catering and shops are available to non-members as well as members. Union members may be offered a discounted price.

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

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