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Midwifery - Pre-registration

MSc or PGDip or PGCert

Start dates: September 2026

Full time: 3 years (8 years maximum)

Location: Headington (Marston Road site)

School(s): Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery

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Overview

Are you passionate about making a difference in the world? Do you want to work in midwifery, a valued profession that is in demand both locally and globally? Join us at Oxford Brookes and do just that.

Having already completed an undergraduate degree in any subject (except nursing), you'll learn to apply your critical thinking skills to support women throughout the pregnancy journey, from early pregnancy to post-birth care.

You’ll learn how to support women to make informed decisions, and you’ll become familiar with the full range of midwifery care. You will experience community midwifery, home and midwife-led units and will be part of a multidisciplinary team caring for complex cases in hospitals.

By combining your academic expertise with a rewarding career in midwifery, you’ll make a significant impact on the lives of countless women and their families.

The recent influx of midwifery funding has created many opportunities to take on leadership roles, once you’ve embedded yourself into the profession. As a master’s level graduate, your options to make a positive impact are endless.

Attend an open day or webinar Ask a question Order a prospectus

Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • Small year group sizes

    Benefit from more personalised support from teaching staff and experience a stronger sense of community and collaboration among students.

  • Unbeatable partnerships

    Participate in the full range of midwifery care. From community midwifery and midwife-led units, to multidisciplinary teams caring for complex cases.

  • Bespoke teaching experience

    You’ll benefit from tailored MSc specific seminar and tutorial sessions to develop your critical thinking and research skills.

  • Influential teaching team

    The lecturing team is engaged in research, international project work or work in clinical practice, taking your education to the next level.

  • Finesse your research skills

    Take the opportunity to complete a bespoke module, where you’ll develop your primary research skills ready for your dissertation.

  • Accreditation(s)

    Approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

    • Nursing and Midwifery Council

Course details

Course structure

Year 1 starts with an introduction to core universal midwifery care. You’ll dive into anatomy and physiology, learn about the changes and adaptations that occur during pregnancy, labour, birth and postnatal. You’ll also explore the public health role of the midwife and its impact on the pregnant women and birthing people you’ll be supporting.

Practical experience starts early in the skills labs. You’ll then put it into practice in clinical placements alongside registered midwives within 6 weeks of starting the course.

In Year 2, you’ll discover how to support women with additional complexity, from medical conditions to mental health issues and social complexities. You’ll also take a bespoke research proposal module to develop your research skills, in preparation for your dissertation.

In Year 3, you’ll have the opportunity to provide caseloading midwifery care to a small group of women in supervised student groups. Alongside this you’ll explore your personal midwifery philosophy. You’ll also investigate a topic of your choice through your dissertation using primary data collection.

Students in a lecture

Learning and teaching

At Oxford Brookes, no professional group works in isolation. We teach a wide range of pre-qualification and foundation courses. These include health and social care, all branches of nursing and occupational therapy.

On this course you will:

  • learn in a friendly and stimulating environment
  • share your learning with other healthcare students
  • develop your teamwork skills
  • gain understanding of the other roles which you will encounter in practice.

We have excellent teaching facilities, including:

  • dedicated clinical skills suites and simulation resources
  • a well-equipped movement laboratory
  • a family of computerised simulation manikins (including a simman, simbaby and birthing mother)
  • a wide range of anatomy models.

You can access an extensive range of learning resources through 'Brookes virtual'. This is an online repository of:

  • lectures
  • handouts
  • information and learning exercises.

Assessment

We use a wide range of assessments including:

  • case studies
  • reflection in and on practice
  • observed structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) held in our skills labs
  • a variety of written assessments, including some examinations.
  • poster presentations.

These assessments ensure that you are competent at both:

  • academic writing
  • practical and emergency skills.

Grading of practice is a central feature of practice assessment.

Study modules

Teaching for this course takes place face to face, and you can expect around 24 hours of contact time per week during semester time. While on placement, you should expect to complete approximately 30 hours per week, under the supervision of a clinical midwife. In addition to this, you should also anticipate a workload of 1,200 hours per year. Teaching usually takes place Monday to Friday, between 9.00am and 6.00pm.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

  • Public Health in Midwifery 1

    This module will introduce you to the role of the midwife in relation to public health and health promotion. You will explore current public health issues, and associated policy documents, alongside prevention, behaviour change, and health living. You’ll investigate and evaluate best practice in relation to particular public health issues, helping you to provide optimal care for women’s physical and mental health during pregnancy and beyond.

    This module will include support in developing your academic writing skills for university in collaboration with our colleagues from the Centre for Academic Development.

  • Midwifery Practice 1: Core skills

    During this module, you will focus on developing the core midwifery skills, and the theoretical knowledge underpinning these, which midwives use when providing care for a childbearing woman and her family across the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal periods. Half of the learning in this module will take place in practice where you will work alongside your Practice Supervisor to provide direct care to women and their families in a range of settings.

  • Midwifery Practice 2: The continuum of care

    During this module, which follows on from Midwifery Practice 1, you will broaden your focus to consider different approaches to midwifery care implementation. This will include exploring different models of midwifery care globally, as well as nationally and locally. You’ll further develop your midwifery skills and underpinning knowledge, considering topics such as the transition to parenthood and the impact of policy on care provision. You’ll also explore effective and compassionate communication. You will undertake a detailed reflection of your practice learning thus far, including considering barriers to effective midwifery care provision. As with the other practice modules, half of your learning on this module will take place in placement working with your Practice Supervisors to provide care to women and their families.

  • Introduction to Research and Evidence

    Fundamental to effective midwifery care is knowing how to access, read, understand and appraise appropriate evidence - and then communicate this with those in our care. This module will enable you to build your enquiring mind and develop crucial skills in finding, and then understanding, the underpinning evidence base for care provision. The module will provide you with the foundational knowledge you need in order to develop into an effective scholar and future leader of midwifery.

  • Anatomy and Physiology for Midwives

    This module will equip you with the required knowledge and understanding of anatomy and physiology (A and P) in childbearing. Reproduction, fetal development, maternal responses to the growing fetus, labour, birth and postnatal physiology are perhaps some of the most awe inspiring and magical elements of A and P - and you will learn all about these on this module. You will explore how this knowledge can then be used to support effective midwifery care.

    Importantly, the learning from this module will lay a sound foundation of knowledge which you will take with you into future years of the programme, and into your future role as a qualified midwife.

Year 2

Compulsory modules

  • Dissertation

    This module provides you with a unique opportunity to select a topic, theme or issue of personal interest that is relevant to midwifery practice and critically investigate this in depth. Via 1 of 3 overarching approaches (literature review, research proposal or analytical essay), you will explore your topic by implementing a suitable methodology and method. You will explore your findings in the wider context of maternity care, including considering future practice and research recommendations. You will demonstrate your ability to consolidate and progress a systematic and coherent body of knowledge within your project write-up.

    This module commences in May of Year 2 and runs until May of your final year.

  • Childbearing and Neonatal Complexities

    This double module will enable you to investigate the most common, as well as some of the less common, complications affecting the mother, fetus or newborn. You’ll build upon your existing knowledge of anatomy and physiology to analyse chronic and acute conditions affecting the mother, fetus or newborn. This new knowledge will give you the foundation to provide holistic care throughout the antenatal, intrapartum, postpartum and neonatal periods.

  • Public Health in Midwifery 2: Human Rights and Contexts of Care

    In this module you will deepen your knowledge and skills related to Public Health. In particular, you will explore how to provide effective care to those with additional complexity due to public health issues. This complexity may be due to physical, psychological, social, cultural or spiritual circumstances, and may be one or a number of these. You will learn to apply your knowledge to care for women across the continuum of pregnancy, labour, post-natal care and neonatal care.

    Via use of specific case studies, and working together in small groups, you will explore the optimal care required to support your specific case - including multidisciplinary and multiagency working. By the end of this module, you will have the opportunity to propose an intervention embracing the principles of health promotion suited to the demographic group.

  • Midwifery Practice 3: Childbirth Emergencies

    This double practice module will prepare you to care for women and their families when experiencing acute or life-threatening complications during childbirth.

    You will exercise your critical thinking and problem-solving techniques when faced with childbirth emergencies, developing your own contribution as a member of the multidisciplinary team. You will participate in several rehearsed acute emergency situations which will equip you with the confidence needed to deal with emergency childbirth situations in whatever setting they may occur. This will ensure that maternal and neonatal wellbeing are at the centre of the care you provide.

    As with the other practice modules, half of your learning on this module will take place in placement working with your Practice Supervisors to provide care to women and their families.

  • Midwifery Practice 4: The Midwife as Clinician

    In this module, you will consider the role of the midwife as a clinical decision-maker in care. You’ll explore effective communication with the woman and the wider multidisciplinary team in more complex situations, learning how we work together to provide safe, compassionate and effective care.

    You will use your developing knowledge and skills to determine best practice approaches to individualised, evidence-based care plans - including when women decline elements of their care. In addition, you will explore pharmacology and medications management, and how to safely and currently prepare and administer these in the clinical context. By the end of this module, you'll feel well prepared to care for women and childbirth in a clinical setting as part of the multidisciplinary team.

    As with the other practice modules, half of your learning on this module will take place in placement working with your Practice Supervisors to provide care to women and their families.

  • A Midwifery Research Proposal (alternative compulsory)

    In this module, you will further develop your research-based knowledge and skills which you were introduced to in Year 1. You will learn how to identify a research gap, and will then develop your own proposal to address this gap in knowledge. You’ll explore the relevant skills and techniques needed to do this, including developing new knowledge in methodology, theory, and research skills.

Year 3

Compulsory modules

  • Midwifery Practice 5: Implementing Caseloading

    You will have a unique opportunity to provide, in small groups, continuity of carer for a small group of women under appropriate supervision. The focus will be on providing safe, effective and compassionate care. You'll work in teams of around 3 or 4 students, providing care to 6 to 8 women during the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal period. You'll explore the theoretical basis both for continuity of carer models of care, and effective teamwork, and reflect critically on these. You'll create a portfolio of your experiences for submission, including peer, Practice Supervisor and service user feedback, carefully considering the NMC Code of Conduct and how to anonymise the care you provided within this appropriately.

    Half of your learning on this module will take place in placement working with your Practice Supervisors to provide care to women and their families. During your final year, you may begin to work under indirect supervision as is appropriate for your stage of learning.

  • Midwifery Practice 6: Towards Autonomy

    In this final practice module, you will consolidate all of your learning on the course thus far, and prepare for life as a newly qualified midwife. You’ll consider the skills of accountability and autonomy, preparing you to be the lead professional caring for women and newborn infants throughout the whole continuum of care. You’ll be encouraged to increasingly work under indirect supervision, identifying your learning needs towards the achievement of your goals.

    By the end of this module, you will have completed all of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) requirements for entry onto the NMC register. Alongside this, you’ll also have met other core requirements such as completion of theoretical and practical based learning of Newborn and Infant Physical Examination (NIPE), and evidence of UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative infant feeding support.

    You will also complete all practice requirements across the national practice assessment document (MORA) and the Brookes Practice Portfolio.

  • Philosophy for Midwifery Practice

    In this module, you will explore your own personal philosophy for midwifery practice. As you head into the final year of the course, you will look towards the future, and what sort of midwife you would like to be. To support you with this, the module will provide you with learning opportunities to explore the wide range of midwifery practice - locally, nationally and internationally. Your study will encompass leadership, and risk and quality, including patient safety concerns. You will consider change management via group work, and individually will reflect critically on your journey to this point, as well as your future vision for your practice as a midwife.

  • Dissertation

    This module provides you with a unique opportunity to select a topic, theme or issue of personal interest that is relevant to midwifery practice and critically investigate this in depth. Via 1 of 3 overarching approaches (literature review, research proposal or analytical essay), you will explore your topic by implementing a suitable methodology and method. You will explore your findings in the wider context of maternity care, including considering future practice and research recommendations. You will demonstrate your ability to consolidate and progress a systematic and coherent body of knowledge within your project write-up.

    This module commences in May of Year 2 and runs until May of your final year.

Work Placements

Compulsory modules

  • Work placements

    We currently work with 3 placement providers: Oxfordshire University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH), Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GH) and Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust (RBH).

    You will experience high quality, safe, effective and compassionate care across the range of care settings. Each year you will have core placements in community, on the antenatal and/or postnatal wards and in an intrapartum placement. You may also experience placements in triage units, high dependency, newborn intensive care, infant feeding clinics and working alongside senior leaders such as consultant midwives and managers. You’ll have the opportunity to work in a range of intrapartum care settings which may include obstetric units, alongside and freestanding midwifery units, and home birth.

    In all placement areas, and across all partners, you will be allocated a Practice Supervisor/s and a Practice Assessor - as is required by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Research

Our academic staff have extensive experience of NHS, clinical practice and general management at senior level. They also have a significant record of research and publications on a range of topics, including water birth and breastfeeding.

We have a strong research profile, with experienced researchers working in:

  • maternal and women’s public health
  • cancer care
  • children and families
  • drugs and alcohol
  • physical rehabilitation and enablement
  • interprofessional education and collaborative practice.

We have excellent library resources, accessible both online and through a range of locally based facilities on university and NHS sites.

Midwifery researcher

Careers

Studying midwifery at MSc level at Oxford Brookes will prepare you for a multitude of rewarding opportunities beyond university. You’ll become an expert in applying your analytical academic thinking to all stages of pregnancy, birth and postnatal.

We'll support your independence and encourage you to learn higher levels of critical thinking. This will lead to opportunities in leadership and management and clinical specialisms, as well as the more academic side of midwifery.

Roles include:

  • consultant midwifery
  • specialisms such as infant feeding, bereavement, and public health
  • clinical educator
  • delivery suite coordinator
  • research midwifery.

Or perhaps you fancy deepening your knowledge and career further? At Oxford Brookes, we offer the option to complete a professional doctorate in midwifery or a PhD as a progression route, allowing you to enjoy a career in research and academia or extend your area of specialism further.

Student profiles

Luthfa Khalid

"After coming here, all the practical exposure that I’m getting during placement is really rewarding to see that you’re doing something that’s actually making a change, helping someone so when I go to sleep at night I feel content and worthy of what I’m doing on a daily basis"

Read more about Luthfa
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Entry requirements

International qualifications and equivalences

How to apply

Application process

International applicants will need to apply early to allow enough time for obtaining visas.

If you are offered a place you may be asked to pay a deposit of £3,000 to secure a place on the course. Applications are dealt with on a first come, first served basis, so please act early to avoid disappointment.

All Oxford Brookes University Health and Social Care Programmes conduct Value Based Recruitment (VBR).

We recognise that values and attitudes have the greatest impact on the quality of people's care and their experiences.

VBR is a way of helping our Programme recruitment teams to assess the values, motives and attitudes of those who wish to work with people in health and social care settings. When we refer to values we mean, for example, the values included in the NHS constitution.


Apply now

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£9,535
International full time
£17,150
Home (UK) full time
£9,790
International full time
£17,250

Tuition fees

2025 / 26
Home (UK) full time
£9,535
International full time
£17,150
2026 / 27
Home (UK) full time
£9,790
International full time
£17,250

Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.

Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.

For further information please see our tuition fees FAQs.

Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students. 

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

Financial support and scholarships

All eligible midwifery students on courses from September 2020 (new and continuing) will receive a payment of at least £5,000 a year which they will not need to pay back. For more information please visit NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF).

Find out more from the Student Loans Company about accessing loans for new postgraduate pre-registration nursing, midwifery and allied health professional students.

For general sources of financial support, see our Fees and funding pages.

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Placement costs:

These are costs that need to be paid for by midwifery students when travelling to and from clinical practice placements throughout Oxfordshire. As an example, a random sample of first year students spent approximately £30 - £700 travelling to placements during the first year of their programme. For students eligible for tuition fee and maintenance support from the Student Loans Company, these costs are recoverable through the Learning Support Fund. Midwifery students spend 50% of their programme in clinical placement.

Other costs:

  • Books and other learning resources: £50 - £300
  • Shoes for practice to be worn with clinical uniform: £30 - £60
  • Equipment (for example stethoscope and watch) and suitable non clinical clothing for community placements; £60 - £250

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.