Nursing (Adult) BSc(Hons)

Course structure

You can choose to be based at our Eastbourne or Brighton: Falmer campus – we'll discuss this with you at interview.

You’ll share some modules with students on our other nursing courses, allowing you to benefit from interprofessional collaboration, sharing knowledge and expertise. You will also benefit from patients contributing to your learning through shared stories.

In each year of the degree you engage with both theory and practice learning. The course alternates between academic terms and blocks of practice. Theory sessions in academic terms take place at the university. You will attend Monday to Friday with independent study days. Practice placement blocks are 32 hours per week and are eight and 10 weeks long.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through Student View.

Year 1

You are introduced to the profession of nursing and begin your development of the required knowledge and skills. You will develop an understanding of the structure and function of the human body. 

Modules

• Nursing Assessment in Partnership with People

  This module will enable you to undertake a holistic nursing assessment of a person in terms of their mental, physical, social and spiritual needs. You’ll learn the importance of completing an assessment in partnership with the person, taking into account their circumstances, characteristics and preferences.

  You will also gain an understanding of the role of the nurse in assessing the person’s needs as a member of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT).

• Planning Nursing Care in Partnership with People

  This module will enable you to plan nursing care based on the information gained from a holistic nursing assessment. You’ll learn the importance of identifying priorities in the mental, physical, social and spiritual needs of the person and formulating a plan of care in partnership with the person and the multi-disciplinary team (MDT).

• Human Biology for Nursing

  This module will enable you to explore human biology in relation to the health, well-being and illness of a person across the lifespan. You’ll develop an understanding of how human biology and altered physiology underpins your developing nursing practice.

• Practice Learning for Nursing Year 1

  This practice assessment of the course is divided into three parts. This module comprises part one, which will enable you to begin developing the knowledge, skills and values required for nursing practice.

  You will integrate learning from your placement and at university in order to meet the Future Nurse: Standards of proficiency for registered nurses (Nursing and Midwifery Council [NMC] 2018).

You will also get the opportunity to take part in the Alzheimer's Society's award-winning Time for Dementia programme, following a family's dementia journey over a 12-month period. Students have described this as an ‘inspirational’ element of the course.

Year 2 

You continue to build your skills and knowledge in professional practice. You will start to develop the principles of adult nursing and gain an insight into the clinical settings in which nurses work such as public health, acute services, community and research.

Modules

• Quality Improvement Using Evidence-Based Nursing Practice
• Nursing to Promote Health and Prevent Illness
• Nursing Assessment and Management of Clinical Deterioration in an Adult
• Approaches to Nursing Adults with Long-term Conditions
• Practice Learning for Adult Nursing Year 2.

Final year

You will complete an extended project and develop your professional practice further in the areas of leadership, physical assessment and complex care needs.

Modules

• Contemporary and Future Nursing Practice
• Leading and Managing Nursing Care and Effective Teams
• Enhanced Nursing Assessment and Clinical Decision Making
• Palliative and End of Life Care Using an Integrative Nursing Approach
• Practice Learning for Adult Nursing Year 3.

Facilities

Placements 

Our flexible approach to practice-based learning and excellent links with local healthcare trusts enable us to offer clinical practice in hospital and community settings, working alongside multi-professional teams.

You will spend 50% of the adult nursing degree studying theory which requires attendance in lectures and the other 50% on placement. You must accumulate 4,600 hours in total over the three years before you can register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Practice placements are up to 32 hours per week and you will be supported by a practice supervisor. Clinical placements take place across across Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

Community placements offer experience in schools, doctors surgeries, with health visitors and community staff.

It is currently possible to claim back excess travel costs, this is reviewed each year by the NHS.

A day on placement can be between 07.00 and 22.00, some weekends and some nights.

Supporting you 

You will receive lots of support throughout your nursing degree. During your degree you'll have access to: 

• personal tutor
• practice liaison lecturers
• practice supervisor in clinical practice
• PASS (peer-assisted study sessions) nursing student leaders
• student support and guidance
• welfare.

Nursing Society
Our student-run Nursing Society provides support for all nursing students at every stage of their degree.

The society facilitates group learning and extracurricular lectures from speakers across the multidisciplinary team.

Study abroad

Personal statement 

Tips for writing a good personal statement

• Identify why you are interested in the course.
• Only apply for one field of nursing (adult, mental health or child).
• Provide insight into your personal experiences, work or voluntary work.
• Do not discuss Florence Nightingale or quote words of wisdom as an opening statement.
• Consider how your referee may describe you and reflect this in your statement.
• Our nursing degree is theory and practice so discuss your ability to cope with the demands of the whole course.

Our applying to Brighton section provides more information on writing a personal statement.

Application timeline

June

• Receive email regarding occupational health and DBS – start completing these forms
• Receive email regarding accommodation

July

• Complete your occupational health and DBS forms

August 

• From mid-August – enrolment – you will receive an email with instructions.

September

• Early September – receive your one-week induction timetable.
• Mid September – deadline for completing your occupational health and DBS forms

You must be enrolled for your course before the start date.

Occupational health check

Your offer is subject to occupational health and DBS clearance.

All applicants must complete a University of Brighton occupational health clearance check. If you are working within an NHS/healthcare organisation you will still require a University of Brighton health clearance check.

Once you receive your health questionnaire you must fill this in immediately and return your completed and signed form to the occupational health department by the deadline provided (usually a couple of weeks before your start date), failure to do this will affect your ability to attend your first placement.

Send your form by email or registered post, see the form for contact details. Please note that the questionnaire will need your GP's signature which your GP may charge for, this will need to be paid for by you. We suggest that you use your current GP to complete this form rather than a university-based GP who will not have immediate access to your medical records.

The University of Brighton will pay for your occupational health clearance throughout your course. However you will personally have to pay for any travel to occupational health appointments at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

We will send you your occupational health questionnaire by email in June if you are starting in September.

DBS check

All applicants must complete a University of Brighton DBS clearance check. 

If you are currently working within an NHS/healthcare organisation you will still require a University of Brighton DBS check. Failure to complete a University of Brighton DBS will affect your ability to attend your first placement. 

• We will send you an email regarding filling in your DBS form in June if you are starting in September. 
• The deadline for completing your DBS form will be provided but it is usually required at the beginning of the month in which you start your course.

Course fees

Additional funding support

UK students studying nursing, midwifery and some allied health professions subjects receive a non-repayable grant of at least £5,000 each academic year. Find out more on the NHS website.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2023–24.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

If you've already got a degree in another subject you are still eligible for the student finance package for this course.

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

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