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Nursing (Adult)

BSc (Hons)

UCAS code: (Oxford based) B705 (Swindon based) B706

Start dates: September 2024 / September 2025

Full time: 3 years

Part time: 8 years maximum (limited part-time places available)

Location: Headington, Headington (Marston Road site), Swindon

Department(s): Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery

Overview
Course details
Careers
Entry requirements
How to apply
Tuition fees

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Overview

Healthcare delivery is changing fast, and adult nurses are in high demand. Working flexibly with other health and social care professionals is essential. Our adult nursing degree shows you how to care for people in a variety of settings, meeting their mental and physical health needs across their lifespan.

Our facilities let you practise nursing in immersive virtual environments. You could be responding to an accident on the streets or taking care of somebody in a nursing home. Then you’ll go out and do it for real.

The course has been commended by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for our partnerships with placement organisations, and for its focus on public health. And there are opportunities to study abroad at destinations like the University of Pennsylvania, one of the top nursing universities in the world.

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Male nurse finding a pulse on a medical dummy

Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • Tailored support

    With small class sizes, we’ll get to know you on a personal level and offer help that suits you.

  • Interactive facilities

    Practise nursing care in augmented reality and other simulations before applying them in real scenarios.

  • Community spotlight

    There’s an equal amount of focus on community and hospital nursing, and the relationship between them.

  • Placement opportunities

    We have good links with local healthcare providers, allowing you to gain practical, hands-on work experience.

  • Not just coursework

    Your time on placement is assessed, so employers know this experience is reflected in your final grade.

  • Free language courses

    Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.

  • Accreditation(s)

    Approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

    • Nursing and Midwifery Council

Course details

Course structure

In Year 1, you’ll learn the foundations of nursing across the human lifespan and various fields of practice. You’ll cover biosciences, influences on peoples’ health and wellbeing, the values and beliefs that underpin their lives, and the theories that shape nursing practice.

Year 2 explores therapeutic relationships, communication and collaboration, and planning, implementing and evaluating nursing care within the field of practice you want to pursue.

You’ll focus on becoming a registered adult nurse in Year 3. This includes looking after people with multiple health conditions. You’ll learn how to lead, manage, and coordinate nursing care, and what to do when supervising others. We focus on wellbeing and providing the support that shapes you into a confident, resilient practitioner.

You’ll also complete a dissertation. This is your opportunity to showcase the skills you’ve gained over the last two years by presenting research based on your nursing practice experiences.

Student taking notes

Learning and teaching

The teaching and learning approaches have been designed to reflect the transformational ethos of the philosophy.  Learning will be facilitated by a range of approaches during both the practice and university experiences such as:

  • Experiential learning;
  • Mentoring and supervising
  • Active learning; 
  • Student-centred learning; 
  • Blended and on-line learning; 
  • Use of technology and informatics; 
  • Collaborative learning with other disciplines in practice, interprofessional learning; 
  • Problem-based/solution-focused learning; for example, small group working using complex, multi-faceted scenarios, prioritising or decision-making in practice.

Assessment

All modules have an assessment component, where we ask you to demonstrate your learning and its application to enhancing patient care. 

Examples of assessments include:

  • Reflective essay
  • Presentations
  • Episodes of care
  • In-class tests
  • Multiple choice examinations
  • Neighbourhood study
  • Case studies.

During placements your progress will be assessed by a Practice Assessor (NMC Pre-registration Standards, 2019) using the Brookes electronic Practice Assessment Document (BePAD).

Each Clinical Practice Experience module must be achieved in order to progress into the next year of the course, as well as fulfil the professional requirements to be eligible for registration as an Adult Nurse at the end of the programme. 

Study modules

Year 1

Compulsory modules

  • Preparation for Academic and Professional Learning

    As a nursing student, this module will help to prepare you for academic and professional learning. You will develop the skills for academic writing, including your academic integrity. You will be introduced to evidence informed practice and critical thinking. 

    You will select reflective tools and explore the concept of reflection as a tool for developing your self-awareness and learning in the academic and clinical environments.
     

  • Bioscience for Nursing Practice

    Following the UK Bioscience in Nurse Education guidance, this module will help you to build confidence in bioscience knowledge that underpins nursing clinical practice. This will include developing your knowledge of anatomy, scientific terminology and physiological principles that underpin health and illness, including microbiology and genetics. You will also look at how medications act on body systems.

    The knowledge you develop and build will help to inform your clinical decision making and communication regarding patient care.
     

  • Foundations of Nursing Practice

    This module is your introduction to professional values, professional identity, ethical principles and the culture and practice of nursing. You will study themes such as 

    • team working
    • collaborative practice
    • person and family centred care
    • nursing models.

    Which will also include the nursing process; within the context of your field of practice. You will also look at caring for people across the lifespan and to meet the specific care needs of people within your chosen field of practice. To help you develop a sound basis of nursing practice.
     

  • Adult Health and Wellbeing

    This module complements your first year modules by exploring health in a wider context. You will explore health and health inequalities from an individual, family and societal perspective acknowledging that health inequalities are unfair and often avoidable. Looking at key Public Health, Health Promotion and Education strategies you’ll address such health inequalities and the role adult nurses play. Also you will examine wider influences and determinants of health considering political, geographical and socioeconomic factors and how these impact on health across the lifespan and though populations. 

    You'll build knowledge of the value of the adult nurse’s role in education, empowerment and advocacy. Also you’ll gain understanding of the importance of sound professional judgement and collaborative working practice. 

    This module prepares you for your second year modules:

    • Assessment and Planning Adult Nursing Care
    • Promoting Health in Adult Nursing Practice.
       

  • Clinical Practice Experience 1 (Adult)

    Through simulation based education and direct care, this module will help you to develop a relevant knowledge base, skills and behaviours to fulfil the professional requirements for the adult nursing programme.  

    Your placement experience for this module will usually include two placements during the year. Completion of this module will contribute to the achievement of Part 1 of your programme.
     

Year 2

Compulsory modules

  • Research Methods and Analysis

  • Enhancing Therapeutic Relationships in Nursing Practice

  • Clinical Practice Experience 2 (Adult)

  • Assessing and Planning Adult Nursing Care

  • Promoting Health in Adult Nursing Practice

Year 3

Compulsory modules

  • Dissertation (Honours component)

  • Nursing Care of Adults with Complex Needs

  • Consolidation of Adult Nursing Practice

  • Clinical Practice Experience 3 (Adult)

Work placements

Compulsory modules

  • Work placements

    We enjoy an excellent working partnership with our local health providers collaborating closely with our clinical colleagues to plan and deliver your programme of learning. This means that you can gain experience in community and acute placement settings that have national and international reputations for innovation and quality of care. You will undertake six placements during your degree. Students will work alongside their Practice Supervisors and are required to work both day and night shifts, according to the shift pattern used within the practice setting. This allows the student to experience care as it is provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is in accordance with NMC (2018) Standards for Pre-Registration Nursing Education. We offer a range of support mechanisms within both the University and the placement area. While on placement, you will be supported by a named member of staff from the placement known as a Practice Supervisor.

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.

Careers

Once you become a registered adult nurse, you’ll have the opportunity to pursue a career in a variety of healthcare settings. Our graduates have gone on to work in many areas of the NHS and the Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) sector. These include cancer care units, emergency departments, and surgical and medical wards.

Some work in nursing homes and hospices, and community settings like district nursing. Others have pursued nursing careers in the military. One works for the World Health Organisation in Denmark, working on cross-border nursing treatment.

If you want to carry on with your studies, we offer Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Learning Beyond Registration (LBR) opportunities. Since nurses need to be lifelong learners, you may want to consider short refresher courses or postgraduate study. Options include our MSc in Advanced Nursing Practice and Professional Doctorate in Nursing, plus PhDs and MPhils.

Entry requirements

Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.

Standard offer

UCAS Tariff Points: 104

A Level: BCC

IB Points: 29

BTEC: DMM

Contextual offer

What is a contextual offer?

UCAS Tariff Points: 88

A Level: CCD

IB Points: 27

BTEC: MMM

International qualifications and equivalences

How to apply

Application process


Full time Home (UK) applicants
Apply through UCAS


Part time Home (UK) applicants
Apply direct to the University


International applicants
Apply direct to the University

Full time international applicants can also apply through UCAS

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£9,250
Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module
International full time
£15,900
Home (UK) full time
£9,250
Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module
International full time
£16,700

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Tuition fees

2023 / 24
Home (UK) full time
£9,250
Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module
International full time
£15,900
2024 / 25
Home (UK) full time
£9,250
Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module
International full time
£16,700

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

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.

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 nursing 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)

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.

Extra costs

Costs that are NOT included in tuition fees are as follows:

  • Books
  • Binding dissertations
  • Exchanges and elective modules
  • Library loans and fines
  • Living accommodation at university
  • Graduation
  • Photocopying
  • Travel

This list is not exhaustive and other course-specific costs may be incurred.

For the most up-to-date information on additional costs, please keep checking the website as we will update this as further information becomes available.

Information from Discover Uni

Full-time study

Part-time study

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.