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Nursing (Pre-Registration) Child MSc

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Start Dates

11 January 2027

Duration

2 years full-time


Recent Awards For Excellence

Nursing - QS 2025
Find out more about these awards
About this course

Overview

Why choose Huddersfield for this course?

  • You will be taught by lecturers, supervisors and assessors who are research active and have extensive experience in child nursing.
  • Teaching takes place in a modern learning environment,with a fully equipped simulated children’s ward.
  • Learn how to respond to the needs of patients from all fields of nursing including adult, learning disability and mental health.

Accreditation and Professional Links

Recognised connections to give you an extra edge when you graduate. Read More

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.
    *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.

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.

Who can apply?

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.

What will you learn?

Course Details

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This module builds on the year one Becoming a Professional and supports you to develop the professional knowledge and transferable skills needed to become a Registered Nurse. You'll gain an understanding of professional, legal, and ethical frameworks, and their role in your clinical decision-making. You'll also develop the knowledge, understanding and skills required for effective leadership, management, and teamworking to enable you to positively influence management, decisions, and care delivery of patients and service-users in your care.

This module provides you with the opportunity to further develop your skills of nursing practice including cannulation and phlebotomy. You will complete a practice learning experience, where you will put the theory you have learnt into practice.

This module builds on professionally themed modules in year one and consolidate your preparation to become a qualified nurse. You will have the opportunity to develop future nurse leader skills to prepare you to positively influence care beyond the organisation to a national and global level. You will also have the chance to develop skills in promoting quality care and service improvements across and beyond the organisation. The module prepares you to undertake the role of teacher to individuals and groups, as well as the role of practice supervisor for future nurses.

This module builds on the knowledge and skills developed in year one. You will have the opportunity to expand your range of assessment skills and apply them under minimum supervision whilst managing and coordinating the care of neonates, children and young people with a range of conditions varying in complexity and in a range of settings. The module also assists you to develop skills in advanced care management and complex discharge or transfer planning.

This module builds on the evidence and research modules in year 1, enabling you to systematically undertake a literature review or a small-scale research project based on the research proposal developed in Developing Research Knowledge and Evidence for Child Nursing Practice. You will have the opportunity to develop a detailed literature review report or research study report. You will use one of a variety of approaches including qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods, audit, or a review of literature undertaken in a systematic way within the child nursing field. You will also be involved in data collection and analysis.

This module provides the opportunity for you to gain fundamental skills of nursing practice including intravenous medicines administration. You will complete a practice learning experience, where you will put the theory you have learnt into practice.

Teaching and Assessment

Discover what to expect from your tutor contact time, assessment methods, and feedback process.

Interested in a placement?

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.

Where could this lead you?

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

98%
Percentage of the University's postgraduate students go on to work and/or further study within fifteen months of graduating.

* HESA Graduate Outcomes 2022/23, UK domiciled.

How much will it cost?

Fees and Finance

£9,790 per year

This information is for Home students applying to study at the University of Huddersfield in the academic year 2026/27.

Please note that tuition fees for subsequent years may rise in line with inflation (RPI-X) and/or Government policy.

From January 2027 the UK government is launching a new student funding system for people starting university education. Read more about the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE)

For detailed information please visit https://www.hud.ac.uk/study/fees/

£19,800 per year

This information is for international students applying to study at the University of Huddersfield in the academic year 2026/27.

Please note that tuition fees for subsequent years may rise in line with inflation (RPI-X) and/or Government policy. 

For detailed information please visit https://www.hud.ac.uk/international/fees-and-funding/

Placement Funding:
Throughout your studies placements may incur additional costs for accommodation, parking and travel. You may be able to claim costs back through the Learning Support Fund (LSF).

We strongly encourage you to read the information available on the NHS Learning Support Fund Website to understand your eligibility and how the LSF works: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-learning-support-fund-lsf

Uniform:
Students receive an initial set of uniforms required for placement. After these have been issued, any additional uniforms may incur a cost. In 2025/26, one extra set costs approximately £30.

Students studying eligible courses may receive a non-repayable grant of at least £5,000 per year.

NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF) | NHSBSA

Scholarships and Bursaries

Discover what additional help you may be eligible for to support your University studies.

Tuition Fee Loans

Find out more about tuition fee loans available to eligible postgraduate students.

What’s included in your fee?

We want you to understand exactly what your fees will cover and what additional costs you may need to budget for when you decide to become a student with us.

If you have any questions about Fees and Finance, please email the Student Finance Team.

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Why Hud

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Careers support

We know you’re coming to university to study on your chosen subject, meet new people and broaden your horizons. However, we also help you to focus on life after you have graduated to ensure that your hard work pays off and you achieve your ambition.

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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.

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Teaching Excellence

Great teaching is engaging and inspiring — it helps you reach your full potential and prepares you for the future. We don’t just teach well — we excel — and we have the awards and recognition to prove it.

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Inspiring Academics

Our researchers carry out world-leading work that makes a real difference to people’s lives. Staff within the Department of Nursing may teach you on this course.

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Research Excellence

You’ll be taught by staff who want to support your learning and share the latest knowledge and research.

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Accommodation

Looking for student accommodation? Huddersfield has you covered. HudLets has a variety of accommodation types to choose from, no matter what your preference. HudLets is the University’s approved accommodation service, run by Huddersfield Students’ Union.

Take a look at your options

Further Study

Many of our graduates stay at Huddersfield to complete postgraduate research degrees at Masters or PhD level.

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