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Nursing (Pre-Registration) Child MSc

2026-27 (also available for 2025-26)

How to apply Order a prospectusPostgraduate Open Days
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Start date

11 January 2027

Duration

2 years full-time

Places available (subject to change)

15

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About the course

Reasons to study

  1. For those who have studied a suitable undergraduate degree this course fast tracks you to become a registered nurse in two years rather than three.
  2. You will gain real-world experience through clinical placements in a variety of settings including children's wards, accident and emergency departments and neonatal intensive care.
  3. You will hear first-hand experiences and viewpoints from service users and carers, who are part of the Public Partnership Group to enhance your learning.

This course provides the opportunity for those who have studied an undergraduate degree to undertake a two-year full-time Master's course and upon successful completion receive eligibility for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The course helps you to develop the skills required, in order to become a confident, competent, caring and compassionate child nurse in a rapidly changing health and social care environment. This includes developing the vital skills required to care for children, young people and their families whatever their circumstances, including those with acute illness, long-term conditions or those who need help to maintain their health.

  • The course will assist you to develop both practical and theoretical skills, in order to achieve your full potential as a child nurse and meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards. These include professional values, communication and interpersonal skills, nursing practice and decision making, and leadership, management and team working. The course also teaches you how to respond to the needs of all patients and service users from all fields of nursing including adult, learning disability and mental health. *This challenging and intensive course comprises 50% theory and 50% practice, where you will undertake placements in a range of settings. The course consists of two years, each comprising of a number of compulsory modules, where you will have the opportunity to study alongside students from the other fields of nursing.
  • You will be taught by Lecturers who are committed and passionate, as well as supervisors and assessors who are research active and have extensive and varied experience in child nursing.
  • Teaching takes place in innovative and contemporary teaching and learning environments, including a fully equipped simulated children’s ward, in which you will learn in a safe environment.
  • Student support will be given from personal tutors and year leaders, as well as academic learning support and experienced practice supervisors and assessors.

If you are passionate about children and young people, and have the patience, good humour and people skills to care for children, young people and their families, then this course maybe ideal for you.

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

Becoming a professional - Child 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 child nurse. You will 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 children and young people with their health. You will also learn how to manage the transition to university and explore ethical and professional codes underpinning child and young people nursing.

Introduction to Child Nursing

This module provides the opportunity for you to develop the fundamental knowledge and skills required to have a critical understanding of theory and practice. This will assist you in providing effective person-centred support to people with a range of physical, mental and cognitive needs, with a specific focus on children and young people. You will integrate knowledge of anatomy and physiology with psychology, sociology and other relevant disciplines to explore factors impacting on an individual’s health across the lifespan to end of life. You will also have the opportunity to develop skills comprising of systematic assessments to inform intervention, including medicines administration and pharmacology.

Understanding knowledge and evidence for nursing

This module introduces you to the nature of knowledge and how it supports evidenced-based practice. You will learn about how to search for and read evidence to identify its value and relevance to nursing practice. You will 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.

Developing critical knowledge and skills in Child Nursing

This module builds on knowledge and skills you developed in Introduction to Child Nursing. You will expand your range of assessment skills and apply them to more complex neonate, child and young person care encounters. Using your knowledge, you will recognise deterioration and begin to identify appropriate interventions to meet the care needs for people with a range of complex physical, mental health and cognitive care needs. You will plan care needs and begin to formulate care plans to meet the needs of individuals and groups of people in your care.

Developing research knowledge and evidence for Child Nursing practice

This module builds on the Understanding Knowledge and Evidence for Nursing module, by introducing you to designing research studies, including literature reviews and empirical studies. You will have the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills of research methods and design preparing you to undertake a study relevant to child nursing in year 2. You will learn about research ethics, data collection, analysis and research approaches including qualitative, qualitative and mixed method studies, literature reviews undertaken systematically, systematic reviews and audits.

Nursing Practice 1

This module is the first practice module. You will be placed in clinical areas to undertake clinical practice and practice assessments. Providing further opportunity to develop the fundamental skills of nursing practice including personal hygiene, infection control, undertaking observations and holistic patient assessments and care. You will complete a practice learning experience, where you will put the theory you have learnt into practice.

Entry requirements

You must have the following:

  • An Honours degree (2:2 or above) and work experience relevant to the programme to be followed. Applicants with an Honours degree and considerable relevant experience may also be considered if they can demonstrate their ability to study at Masters level.
  • If successful at interview, applicants are required to successfully demonstrate that they have completed 550 hours of theory through studying/reading and a minimum of 700 hours of practice before they start the course using a Pre-Entry Portfolio. Students will have 700 hours of practice verified in the Pre-Entry Portfolio. A broad range of experience can be used for this including observations and reading. Your experience and learning may have occurred outside a typical 'practice' area but may still be applicable, for example you may have worked in a public-facing professional role in which you have demonstrated values relating to the professional standards that registered nurses must uphold (Nursing & Midwifery Council 2018).

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 International Entry Requirements page.

If you hold any other qualifications which are not listed, please contact us before applying for this course.

Offers will be subject to an interview, an Occupational Health assessment 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), occupational health clearances and RPL (NMC) evidence prior to registration on the course. We arrange these as part of the application process. You will 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.

In addition to the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) required for entry to the course, you may also be eligible to gain recognition for your prior learning towards the academic credit on 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 recognition of prior learning.

Please note: there are a limited number of places on the course and the demand is generally high, therefore we may not interview all applicants who meet the required entry criteria due to this competitive process.

Postgraduate Open Days

Learn more about Postgraduate Study at one of our upcoming Open Days

Come along to an on-campus Postgraduate Open Day and discover all there is to know about our wide range of postgraduate taught courses, research degrees and professional development options at the University of Huddersfield. 

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Placements

Nothing can really replicate working in the real-world, that’s why the course comprises of 50% practice, which is essential in your development. Practice includes placements, reflection, simulation and spoke visits. During the course you will undertake a number of compulsory practice learning experiences in a range of healthcare environments all related to child nursing. These may include NHS Trusts, children’s hospices, schools and community settings.

Throughout the practical experiences you will be supported, supervised and assessed by a qualified children's nurse or other suitably qualified professional who will provide expert help and advice if required.

To allow you the broadest professional experience possible, practice experiences are generally offered across West Yorkshire and beyond, covering 24 hour care including evening, weekend and 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 and include both hospital and community-based placements. You need to think very carefully about how you’ll travel across this region for your placements with awareness that when in placement you will often be required to start a shift at 7.00am and may not finish until 8.00pm. Your placements will also incorporate night-shifts and weekend working. For more information visit our placements page.

Enhance your career

Previous graduates from courses in this subject area have gone on to work in a variety of roles such as Adult nurse, Children's nurse, Health play specialist, Health visitor, High intensity therapist, Learning disability nurse, Mental health nurse, Midwife, Paramedic, Physician associate.*

*Source: Prospects
**Percentage of the University’s postgraduate students go on to work and/or further study within fifteen months of graduating. (HESA Graduate Outcomes 2021/22, UK domiciled, other activities excluded).

93.4%** 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.

Research excellence

Research plays an important role in informing all our teaching and learning activities. Through research our staff remain up to date with the latest developments in their field, which means they can help you to develop knowledge and skills that are current and highly relevant.

Find out more about our research staff and centres

Important information

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

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. 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. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If 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

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 an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. 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 non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes 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), 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 or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. 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, or pandemics.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation. 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.

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 in accordance with the student protection plan.

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

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