BSc Nursing - Mental Health
Our Mental Health nursing degree is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. We'll train you in modern nursing so you can join a health care team upon graduation.
Key facts
- Award BSc
- Start date September 2023
- Duration 36 months
- Mode of study full time
- Delivery on campus
- UCAS Code B760
- Study abroad opportunities
Accreditations
Nursing and Midwifery Council
Overview
Mental Health nursing is a challenging yet rewarding profession where you can make a real difference to people’s lives.
Our innovative Mental Health Nursing course will prepare you to meet the needs of a modern profession and provide the best possible care. You will leave us as a confident and capable practitioner, fully equipped to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and join a health care team upon graduation.
Our course curriculum is informed by the latest research and encourages you to take an evidence-based approach to nursing care. We believe that mental health and wellbeing services must always respect the intrinsic value of people and their individuality.
In practice this means that teaching and learning activities are informed either directly or indirectly by people who have lived experience of mental ill health. This inclusive, values based approach will support your development as a reflective, resilient and socially aware mental health nurse with the capacity to engage in a diverse range of health and social care settings.
You will be allocated a personal tutor who will be a source of guidance information and support during your studies. Whilst undertaking practice learning experiences, you will also be allocated a Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor who will support your practice based learning.
We work with our course partner, NHS Forth Valley, to ensure that our course remains clinically excellent and our students get the best possible experience while they’re studying. We will inspire and challenge you, so that you leave as a confident and capable practitioner- ready to join a health and social care team upon graduation.
Top reasons to study with us
Professional accreditation
The course is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Prizes or awards
Students can be nominated for The Student Nursing Times Awards. These awards celebrate the very best in student nurses and nurse education, recognising educational establishments and honouring those who are committed to developing new nursing talent. The University of Stirling has won Student Nursing Times Awards in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021. Catherine Watson was awarded Student Nurse of the Year 2022.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
SQA Highers
BBB
GCE A-levels
CCC
IB Diploma
28
BTEC
MMM
Essential subjects
Mathematics National 5 (C), Intermediate 2 (C), Standard Grade (3), GCSE (C/4) or equivalent required.
English National 5 (C), Intermediate 2 (C), Standard Grade (3), GCSE (C/4) or equivalent required.
Preferred subjects
One of Higher/A-level in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics is preferred.
Preference will be given to those with a Science or Health Care background.
Widening access students
Widening access students may be eligible for an adjusted offer of entry. To find out if this applies to you go to our widening access pages.
Care-experienced applicants will be guaranteed an offer of a place if they meet the minimum entry requirements.
Other Scottish qualifications
Scottish HNC/HND
Year one minimum entry - Bs in graded units.
Access courses
University of Stirling access course - for mature students only. You must pass the course with 50% or above.
SWAP Access course - for mature students only.
Email our Admissions Team for advice about other access courses.
Foundation Apprenticeships
Considered to be equivalent to 1 Higher at Grade B
Essential subjects
Mathematics National 5 (C), Intermediate 2 (C), Standard Grade (3), GCSE (C/4) or equivalent required.
English National 5 (C), Intermediate 2 (C), Standard Grade (3), GCSE (C/4) or equivalent required.
Preferred subjects
One of Higher/A-level in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics is preferred.
Preference will be given to those with a Science or Health Care background.
Other qualifications
English, Welsh and Northern Irish HNC/HND
Merits and Distinctions
English access course
Access to Higher Education Diploma - 60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3. Email our Admissions Team for advice about other access courses.
Essential subjects
Mathematics National 5 (C), Intermediate 2 (C), Standard Grade (3), GCSE (C/4) or equivalent required.
English National 5 (C), Intermediate 2 (C), Standard Grade (3), GCSE (C/4) or equivalent required.
Preferred subjects
Preference will be given to those with a Science or Health Care background.
International entry requirements
Advanced entry
Advanced entry may by possible depending on your qualifications.
Additional information
What other criteria are required for BSc Mental Health Nursing?
The personal values and qualities that you’re able demonstrate in your personal statement will be considered. Explaining why you’re choosing mental health nursing should be evident. Voluntary or paid experience in a care setting would be useful. We advise you to show the links between the knowledge, values and skills gained in these experiences and how they might fit with the attributes of a Mental Health nurse. Other experience, which demonstrates your commitment and your ability to work in a team, is also valuable.
References required
References are required. Please provide an academic reference. If this is not possible we can accept an employer’s reference. Friends as referees are not accepted. If you’re applying to transfer from another institution we require a reference and a transcript from that institution.
Practical experience
You must be committed to go on practice learning experiences in conjunction with our practice partners. . These may cover an extensive geographical area and so you should be expected to be able to travel to all practice areas within NHS Forth Valley It is expected that you make your own arrangements to accessing these experiences. There is some reimbursement from SASS for travel costs.
You should also be aware that holiday periods are pre-determined within the course.
Will there be an interview?
If your application is successful, then you will be invited to attend a compulsory interview.
Disclosure Scotland check
All applicants are subject to a Disclosure Scotland check. This will show all spent and unspent criminal convictions including (but not limited to) cautions, reprimands, final warnings, bind over orders or similar and, to the extent relevant to this course, may also show details of any minor offences, fixed penalty notices, penalty notices for disorder.
Previous criminal convictions may not exclude you from entering the course, but all convictions must be declared and some may result in your application being unsuccessful.
Fitness for taking part in practical placements
All applicants must be passed fit by our Occupational Health team. We’ll ask you to fill out a questionnaire and also to visit our team on campus.
To protect your privacy, neither of these checks will normally be carried out until an offer has been made to you.
Other routes of entry
Some applicants may have varying levels of prior certificated or experiential learning. You’ll be assessed on an individual basis, according to the current University of Stirling Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Policy. RPL is facilitated within the Faculty and this may result in a shortened programme of study for you. Please get in touch to discuss any prior learning with a member of our recruitment team.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
- IELTS Academic or UKVI 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in writing and 7.0 in speaking listening and reading
- Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) 185 overall with a minimum of 176 in writing and minimum of 185 in reading, speaking and listening
- Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE) 185 overall with a minimum of 180 in writing and 185 in reading, speaking and listening
- Pearson Test of English (Academic) 67 overall with a minimum of 62 in writing and 67 in speaking listening and reading
- IBT TOEFL 94 overall with 19 in reading, 24 in writing, 20 in listening and 22 in speaking
- IBT TOEFL Special Home Edition 94 overall with 19 in reading, 24 in writing, 20 in listening and 22 in speaking
- Trinity ISE III Pass overall and in all sub-skills, ISE IV Pass overall and in all sub-skills
- Aptis (4 skills) CEFR C1 overall and C1 in all sub-skills
- LanguageCert International ESOL C1 Expert - Pass with minimum 33 in each sub-skill
Last updated: 23 August 2022
For more information on ways that you can meet our English language requirements, including options to waive the requirement, please read our information on English language requirements.
Pre-sessional English language courses
If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner INTO University of Stirling offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree.
Find out more about our pre-sessional English language courses
Course details
This course is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). New information about the modules will be displayed here soon. You will study alongside our Adult Nursing students throughout the programme and our BSc Paramedic Science students during Year 1 of the programme to gain an understanding of how health and social care professionals work together to bring about the best in person-centred care. Our course will develop your critical and reflective thinking and in doing so improve your self-awareness, self-confidence and personal resilience.
Each year of the course meets the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) requirement of 50% theory and 50% practice. You’ll be introduced to the fundamentals of nursing, and then progress to specialist areas such as therapeutic skills, recovery, trauma-informed and leadership skills.
Through our partnerships with a diverse range of health and social care organisations, you will have the opportunity to put theory into practice. You may work both day and night shifts to coincide with the patterns of the clinical area and your allocated Practice Supervisor and Practice Assessor, who will facilitate and support your learning in practice. You’ll also have the choice of undertaking a national or international placement.
This course is designed for you to achieve proficiencies required for registration in the UK as a nurse. You may also have the choice of undertaking a national or international placement.
You’ll be allocated a personal tutor, who will be a source of guidance, information and support during your studies.
In the theory learning, you will be supported to demonstrate a growing knowledge and understanding of the life sciences and relational and trauma informed care approaches. You will examine the skills and theory of leadership in practice and demonstrate these skills in your final practice learning experience. Clinical skills teaching are tailored around mental health scenarios.
In Year 2 you will study two mental health specific modules and in Year 3 one mental health specific module as well as shared modules with Adult Nursing students.
Advances in knowledge require that Mental Health Nurses continually incorporate new research findings into their practice; this awareness is embedded in our course. Your ability to incorporate evidence-based, outcomes-orientated practice is part of our course philosophy.
Modules
The module information below provides an example of the types of course module you may study. The details listed are for the current academic year (September 2022). Modules and start dates are regularly reviewed and may be subject to change in future years.
Course details
Teaching
We've been awarded five-star excellence for our teaching in the QS Stars University Ratings 2021. A wide range of approaches to learning are used on this course. We take a student-centred approach which uses small group teaching (enquiry and scenario based learning) along with lectures, seminars, group work and clinical skills teaching.
Assessment
Each semester you’ll be assessed by a range of methods including exams, essays, reports, clinical skills assessments, presentations and assessments of practice. You need to pass these before progressing to the next semester.
Work placement opportunities
Your course will provide you with a wide range of practice learning placements. These will take place in the NHS Forth Valley area. There may be opportunities to have placements within other health boards, but this is normally restricted to Year 3 students.
Study abroad
You can take advantage of opportunities to study abroad during the three independent study weeks at the end of Years 1 and 2.
Current international partner universities include:
- University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
- University of Indiana, Indiana, USA
- University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Paracelsus University, Austria
Contact
For any course related questions, please contact +44 (0)1786 466340 or nursingrecruitment@stir.ac.uk.
Fees and funding
Fees and costs
| Academic year: | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|
| Scottish students | £1,820* | £1,820 * |
| Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland | £9,250 | £9,250 |
| European Union students | £18,800 | £20,300 |
| Overseas students (non-EU) | £18,800 | £20,300 |
Scottish students
* This fee is set by the Scottish Government and is subject to change.
You will be charged the annual tuition fee each year when you enrol.
Although you’re liable for annual tuition fees, students domiciled in Scotland can apply to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) to have tuition fees paid by the Scottish Government on their behalf. If you’re unsure of your fee status, you can check your eligibility.
If you need to take additional modules or resit modules, you’ll be liable for an additional fee.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland
This tuition fee may be subject to change depending on guidance provided by the UK Government.
You will be charged the annual fee each year when you enrol. Your fees will be held at the same level throughout your course.
You can apply for financial assistance, including a loan to cover the full cost of your tuition fees, from your relevant funding body. Students from the Republic of Ireland are eligible for a tuition fee loan of up to £9,250 from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).
We also offer additional funding – such as our Honours Year Scholarship – for students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. See our funding opportunities below for more information.
If you need to take additional modules or resit modules, you will be liable for an additional fee.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
European Union students
Eligible EU students will automatically receive our EU Undergraduate Scholarship, which is worth up to £30,000 over the duration of your course.
Students from the Republic of Ireland should see the fee and funding information under England, Wales, NI and Republic of Ireland.
You will be charged the annual fee each year when you enrol. Your fees will be held at the same level throughout your course.
If you need to take additional modules or resit modules, you will be liable for an additional fee.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
Overseas students (non-EU)
You will be charged the annual fee each year when you enrol. Your fees will be held at the same level throughout your course.
If you need to take additional modules or resit modules, you will be liable for an additional fee.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
Additional costs
There are some instances where additional fees may apply. Depending on your chosen course, you may need to pay additional costs, for example for field trips. Learn more about additional fees.
Funding opportunities
Students domiciled in Scotland only
The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) offers a number of nursing funding options for students resident in Scotland.
All SAAS eligible students are entitled to a £10,000 grant per years 1-3 of study and an additional £7,500 if completing an Honours year.
Students domiciled in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland
Our Nursing Scholarship provides students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland a £2,000 cash award per year (for years 1 – 3 of study) on one of our undergraduate nursing courses. The scholarship can also be combined with our Honours Year Scholarship, which covers the full cost of tuition fees in students’ Honours year of study.
In addition to the Nursing Scholarship, the University covers the costs of occupational health consultations; criminal record checks; compulsory uniforms; and inoculations for undergraduate nursing students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. These benefits represent around £400 cost saving to students.
There’s no need to apply for these awards – students will automatically be identified as part of the admissions process.
EU students
For EU students starting studies in academic year 2022/23, we will award an automatic scholarship of up to £30k over the duration of your course. This is subject to eligibility criteria.
Students domiciled overseas
The University of Stirling offers generous undergraduate funding opportunities for overseas students. To find out if you're eligible to apply for an award, use our scholarship finder.
See what funding opportunities and loans are available to help you with tuition and living costs.
Cost of living
If you’re domiciled in the UK, you can typically apply to your relevant funding body for help with living costs. This usually takes the form of student loans, grants or bursaries, and the amount awarded depends upon your personal circumstances and household income.
EU and overseas students won’t normally be able to claim living support through SAAS or other UK public funding bodies. You should contact the relevant authority in your country to find out if you’re eligible to receive support.
Payment options
We aim to be as flexible as possible, and offer a wide range of payment methods - including the option to pay fees by instalments. Learn more about how to pay.
After you graduate
This course is the beginning of a career which involves ongoing professional development. Some of our graduates focus on initially consolidating their learning by working in practice. Others progress to postgraduate studies.
Many of our Mental Health nursing graduates find roles within the NHS, however others have found employment in other areas of the public sector, as well as within the third sector of health and social care. As the policy of health and social care integration continues to progress, the role of the mental health nurse is expanding, providing a diverse range of opportunities following graduation and post-registration.
Career options may include working in acute units, in the community or in specialist areas such as forensic psychiatry, alcohol or substance misuse or psychological therapists.
In addition, internships may be available through the Scottish Government’s One-year Job Guarantee scheme.
94.3% of our graduates were in employment or further study 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes 2019/20, HESA).
Male nurses today
Hear from some of our male nursing students talking about the reasons they decided to follow a career in nursing.
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What our students said
Scotland
BSc Nursing (Mental Health)
Read Ela's storyThe teaching in the nursing degree is led by staff who have backgrounds in nursing, or who are still working with the NHS. This allows teaching staff to impart interesting, valuable and current knowledge to students.
Scotland
BSc Mental Health Nursing
Read Daniel's storyThe enjoyment that you can get out of caring for individuals and trying to make people's days better can just be endlessly rewarding.
Flexible study
This course is not available as a combined degree.