Nursing with Leadership Dual Field (Mental Health and Children's Nursing) MSci

4 years

Nurses change lives, but they don’t work alone. Effective and efficient leadership is crucial to the smooth running of healthcare. On this four-year degree, alongside gaining core nursing skills and experience to become a competent dual registered nurse, you’ll discover what it takes to be a clinical and professional leader within the profession.

Nursing with Leadership Dual Field (Mental Health and Children's Nursing) MSci, 4 years

Nurses change lives, but they don’t work alone. Effective and efficient leadership is crucial to the smooth running of healthcare. On this four-year degree, alongside gaining core nursing skills and experience to become a competent dual registered nurse, you’ll discover what it takes to be a clinical and professional leader within the profession.

Start date:

2025

Course information

Typical offer BBB

UK fee £9,535

UCAS code B791

International fee £25,900

Institute code L34

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

NHS

Students on this course are eligible for the NHS Learning Support Fund

School of Healthcare

Course description

Course description

Important: This course is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council and fully reflects the NMC (2018) Standards for Pre-registration Nursing Programmes and Standards of Proficiency for Nursing from September 2021 entry. Details on this page describe the course as studied by all intakes of student nurses from September 2021.

The NHS needs nurses, nurses work in teams - and those teams need effective leadership. We are the only UK university offering a pre-registration nursing degree with an integrated leadership component.

Our unique degrees, led by the School of Healthcare, draw on the experience and expertise of more than 40 years of health education at the University of Leicester, partnerships with regional NHS trusts, as well as the expertise of our School of Business.

The four leadership modules, which are an integrated component of the programme, will enable you to develop your own leadership knowledge and skills. As part of the leadership modules, you will develop a leadership portfolio that will be part of your long-term career map - underpinning your accelerated career trajectory. You will prepare for professional practice, focussing on the knowledge and skills required for lifelong learning and professional practice, including specific interview preparation, presentation skills and numeric skills.

While at Leicester, you will study and work alongside other healthcare students in our superb facilities, which include a state-of-the-art Clinical Skills Unit with high-tech simulated mannequins to enable you to practise procedures in a safe environment. You'll even have lectures in Leicester Medical School's anatomy dissection room.

However, practical real-world experience is a vital part of training. You will spend at least 50% of your time on nursing placements, working alongside experienced nurses and the multidisciplinary team. Through these clinical placements, you will develop skills that enable you to act compassionately and professionally in a wide variety of clinical situations.

Students on this course are eligible for a grant of at least £5,000 a year, which you do not need to pay back.

This course is part of the Higher Education Pathway for Armed Forces project, which recognises the qualifications, skills and experience of ex-armed forces personnel.

Two pathways

These are dual registration, undergraduate masters degrees. This means you can choose to study mental health and adult nursing or mental health and children’s nursing.

This degree lasts four years, at the end of which you will have the security of employment opportunities in the local NHS.

Student Learning Contract

As part of the offer for a place on this course all students are required to agree to abide by the conditions of a Student Learning Contract which you will be asked to sign during the induction week at the beginning of the course. This learning contract will apply to the entire duration of the course and the signed copy will be stored as a PDF on your University electronic record.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

  • A-levels: BBB, to include one science from Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Psychology. General Studies, Critical Thinking and Global Perspectives not accepted.
  • GCSE: Maths, English Language and Biology at grade C/4. Combined Science or Double Science also accepted instead of Biology. Functional Skills not accepted as an equivalent to GCSE.
  • BTEC: DDD in Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care, Health Studies or Applied Science (including Medical or Forensic streams).
  • International Baccalaureate: Pass diploma with 28 points to include grade 6 in one relevant HL science subject from Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Psychology. Must include a minimum of grade 3 in HL Maths or 4 in SL Maths or 5 in SL Maths Studies if minimum of grade C/4 not held in Maths GCSE. Plus, a grade 4 in English A or 5 in English B if minimum of grade C/4 not held in English Language.
  • Irish Leaving Certificate: Grades H2, H3, H3, H3, H3, which must include a science subject (from Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Psychology). Minimum of O4/H4 in English Language and Maths.
  • Access to HE: Healthcare or Science based Diploma at Level 3: 60 credits overall, including 15 credits in topics relating to Human Biology, Anatomy or Physiology. Of the Level 3 credits, at least 30 at distinction and 15 at merit.
  • Graduate entry: Honours degree in a relevant subject at 2:1 (or international equivalent)
  • Armed Forces into Allied Health: Please contact our Admissions Tutors for an advisory consultation. More information about the AFIAH project.
  • T Levels: Merit in either - Health (with an Occupational Specialism in Supporting the Adult Nursing team), or Health (with an Occupational Specialism in Supporting the Mental Health team), or Health (with an Occupational Specialism in Supporting the care of children and young people)

Other official national and international qualifications considered from across the world. You can review some of the qualifications we accept on our countries page and English Language equivalencies.

If your qualification or country is not listed, please contact us for more information, including the name and result of the qualification you have studied.

Contextual offers

The University of Leicester is committed to providing equitable opportunities for all applicants from all backgrounds. We make contextual offers to support students who may be impacted by the area they live in, their personal circumstances or who have completed one of our progression programmes. These offers are usually one or two grades lower than the standard entry requirements. To qualify for a contextual offer, you must apply for an eligible course and meet specific criteria – check if you’re eligible.

Selection procedure

When considering your application, we will look for evidence that you will be able to fulfil the objectives of the course and achieve the standards required. We will take into account a range of factors including academic achievement. Suitable applicants will be invited for a values based Multiple Mini Interview (MMI). Your capability for digital and technological literacy is tested through submitting your application via UCAS and a further opportunity during the MMIs.

Occupation Health requirements and Criminal Records Check

Home Students

An offer to study this course at the University of Leicester is subject to satisfactory Occupational Health clearance, which will include current vaccination and testing requirements as stated by our placement providers. Students must be fully vaccinated, as per Department of Health guidelines, before they commence placement. Alongside our NHS colleagues and the NMC we consider vaccination to be a professional responsibility and the best way to protect students, NHS colleagues and their patients. If you receive an offer, you will be required to complete and submit an Occupational Health Questionnaire Form. 

Offers are also subject to a satisfactory enhanced check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Overseas Students

An offer to study this course at the University of Leicester is subject to satisfactory Occupational Health clearance, which will include current vaccination and testing requirements as stated by our placement providers. Students must be fully vaccinated, as per Department of Health guidelines, before they commence placement. Alongside our NHS colleagues and the NMC, and the GMC we consider vaccination to be a professional responsibility and the best way to protect students, NHS colleagues and their patients.  If you receive an offer, you will be required to complete and submit an Occupational Health Questionnaire Form.

Offers are also subject to you providing a Certificate of Good Standing or Good Conduct Letter from your embassy or local police force, which should be no more than 6 months old prior to starting the course. This must specifically include confirmation that there is no known reason that you cannot work with vulnerable adults and children.

If you have studied in the UK for a minimum of 12 months prior to starting the course we will not require the Good Conduct Letter but will require a satisfactory ‘Disclosure and Barring Service’ (DBS) check (as required for Home students) upon arrival.

English Language Requirements

IELTS 7.0 (a minimum score of at least 6.5 in writing and at least 7 in all other components): as required by the NMC regulatory body.

International Qualifications

Find your country in this list to check equivalent qualifications, scholarships and additional requirements.

Countries list

Fees and funding

Fees and funding

UK Students

Starting in 2025

The tuition fees that will be payable by you to the University for the 2025/26 academic year will be £9,535

  • £9,535 in your first year. Tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with inflation, subject to government regulations. The inflation rate used will be the Retail Price Index excluding mortgage payments (RPIX)

You may be eligible for support from the Learning Support Fund, administered by the NHS Business Authority. From September 2020, the LSF has been extended to include a non-repayable £5,000 per year bursary for new and existing students.

Find out more about scholarships and funding.

International Students

Starting in 2025

  • £25,900 per year

If you are resident outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland, you will need to pay a deposit of £3,000 to secure your place. This will be subtracted from your total tuition fee.

If you are an EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme, you may qualify for the UK fee (subject to criteria).

Find out more about scholarships and funding.

Accreditation

Accreditation

This programme has been approved by by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Careers and employability

Careers and employability

This course will develop key employability skills that are important to leadership positions in healthcare, including:

  • Leadership and management
  • Advanced interpersonal and communication skills
  • Entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity
  • Evidence based decision making
  • Change management
  • Team working

At the point of registration, it is expected that you will have the ability to practise autonomously and will be able to progress to specialist nursing roles in adult, child health or mental health.

You’ll also graduate with a clear plan to accelerate your career. You will start employment within the NHS at Band 5 and it is anticipated that, with support from your educators in practice, you will be able to use your leadership education and skills to fast-track into key NHS leadership roles.

If you aspire towards a career in academia or research, secondments to the university setting to engage with the education of students or assist with project work is also a possible career option.

Careers and Employability Service


Get career-ready at Leicester with guidance from our award-winning Careers and Employability Service. We're here to give you a lifetime offer of support, even after graduation. Our team of specialist careers advisers and mentors will help you every step of the way. From supporting you with CVs and interviews, to volunteering opportunities and placements, we're here to help you reach your professional goals.

Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals

We are committed to providing skills and knowledge to help prepare you tackle global challenges. We have mapped our undergraduate degrees for learning which aligns to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This degree includes learning which relates to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:

Find out more about the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Placement

Placement

As a Nursing student at Leicester, 50% of your time is spent on placement. Your placements take place in hospitals across Leicester and Leicestershire (University Hospitals of Leicester), and further afield, such as Northampton, Kettering and Coventry. We are always exploring new placement opportunities for our students.

During your placement

Your placement will adhere to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) guidelines, the recognised independent regulator for nurses and midwives across the UK and Northern Ireland.

Whilst on placement, you will apply your theoretical knowledge to a real-life healthcare setting with exposure to clinical practice. You will gain a variety of personal, clinical, and professional disciplines whilst being supervised by Nursing experts. Key areas of medical focus will include cannulation, venepuncture, and catheterisation, which form the foundations of Nursing. Working with patients in this environment will provide you with an understanding of patient empathy, confidentiality, and imperative interpersonal skills to equip you for the Nursing profession.

You must be fully vaccinated, as per Department of Health guidelines, before you commence placement.

Support

You will receive continuous support during your placement from a clinical educator and visiting tutor. As with all our Allied Health Subjects, you will have access to support from the wider clinical and academic teams and support from your personal tutor throughout your course. You will also access support via the School of Healthcare placements Blackboard site, which has information about placement providers, transport whilst on placement, the placement handbook, and other useful resources to support you throughout the process.

Additional financial support whilst on placement

For placements outside Leicester, UK students are entitled to reimbursement from the NHS Learning Support Fund for some of the additional costs of attending, including travel expenses and accommodation. Please note this is not available for international students.

Placement areas

Students currently complete placements in the following areas; however, we are consistently expanding and exploring new placement opportunities, so this may change*:

*placements are allocated by the School of Nursing and are dependent on availability. For further information, please email healthcare@le.ac.uk.

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Course structure

Year 1

Year 1

The first year of the course introduces fundamental knowledge required to be a nurse and a leader of the profession. The first year of the course, which is common to both our nursing degrees, introduces fundamental knowledge required to be a nurse and a leader of the profession. You will gain knowledge and skills that are key to nursing care which will underpin your learning in years two, three and four. You will be introduced to both core theory and clinical skills.

Modules

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Year 2

Year 2

During the second year you will undertake modules that specifically address the provision of safe and compassionate nursing care of both mental health and your chosen physical field of nursing (child). Year two of the programme focusses on assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation of care. Your knowledge will be complemented by clinical placements, a focus on leadership and inter-professional learning experiences.

Modules

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Year 3

Year 3

In year three you will build upon the foundations from the previous two years, and study more complex theory and application to nursing practice (e.g. pharmacology and medicines management, complex and long-term conditions). You will have the opportunity to undertake a short elective / internship placement that can embrace all aspects of nursing leadership roles; e.g. in clinical practice, education and research departments where you can work alongside effective role models and be nurtured in developing your leadership potential. Alternatively you may choose to study abroad for the elective opportunity.

Modules

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Year 4

Year 4

In your final year, you will prepare for clinical practice as a registered nurse, including interview skills. You will explore professional, legal and ethical challenges in clinical practice and complete the final leadership module. You will also undertake a project working alongside an academic supervisor who will guide you through a topic of your interest.

Modules

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Why Leicester?

Enhance your skills with superb facilities, including our state-of-the-art Clinical Skills Unit, which offers high tech simulated patients to enable you to perfect your clinical procedures. You'll also learn anatomy and physiology in Leicester Medical School's dissection room.

Get all the practical experience you need. Nursing placements account for 50% of the course, allowing you to develop your clinical skills, enhance your professional competencies and experience a whole variety of real life scenarios.

Study a unique course. We are the only UK university offering a pre-registration nursing degree with an integrated leadership component. Develop the skills and knowledge to be a healthcare leader.

Healthcare education at the University of Leicester has been established for over 40 years. This means you'll learn from a dedicated team of experts with a huge amount of experience in training you to succeed. You'll have the opportunity to study inter-professionally alongside students from other healthcare areas, including physiotherapy, midwifery and medicine.

Teaching and learning

Teaching

All modules ensure that you are able to function safely, competently and effectively in the core areas of nursing practice immediately after you graduate and register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Our academic year runs from September. You will receive your timetable at the beginning of each academic year. University teaching takes place in study facilities across campus, and balances a mixture of lectures, small group tutorials, clinical skills teaching and interprofessional group learning opportunities (alongside other healthcare students). This builds your professional knowledge, skills and attitudes over the four years.

The four leadership modules, which are an integrated component of the programme, will enable you to develop your own leadership knowledge and skills. As part of the leadership modules, you will develop a leadership portfolio that will be part of your long-term career map - underpinning your accelerated career trajectory. You will prepare for professional practice, focussing on the knowledge and skills required for lifelong learning and professional practice, including specific interview preparation, presentation skills and numeracy skills.

We have fully embraced the rapidly changing field of digital technology, both in its application to teaching but also to the provision of holistic personalised nursing care. In the first year you will be given an iPad. Lecture and group work material is delivered directly onto these iPads enabling you to annotate during sessions. Content can also be rapidly revised and updated, and the iPad can support you to organise your own self-directed study. 

At least 50% of the course will be based in nursing placements, building your professional knowledge, skills and attitudes over the four years. During these placements, you will develop that enable you to act professionally, exercise personal responsibility and make decisions in complex and unpredictable circumstances. A system of personal development planning and reflective practice will support you in developing these employment skills.

Assessment

Throughout the course, you'll have regular opportunities for formative assessments. These allow you to check your progress, test your knowledge, and receive feedback. Additionally, we will provide feedback on summative (formal) assessments, which you must pass to advance to the next stage of the programme.

We employ a variety of assessment methods to evaluate your ability to apply both knowledge and skills to real-world clinical problems and patient care. These methods are tailored to the specific subject matter and the practical demands of a nurse's role.

During your practice placements, you will receive formative feedback from your Practice Assessor/Supervisors, along with support from an Academic Assessor. At the end of each placement, your performance will be formally assessed and aligned to the NMC Professional Values and Standards. This process is designed to help you grow into an exceptional nurse. 

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Course Qualification Duration UCAS Code Availability
Course Nursing with Leadership Dual Field (Mental Health and Children's Nursing) Qualification MSci Duration 4 years, full-time UCAS Code B791 Availability How to apply

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