BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing Practice

BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing Practice will allow you to learn how to deliver person-centred care to those experiencing mental distress and illness. You'll develop skills to promote recovery and positive mental wellbeing, and graduate ready for a rewarding career as a mental health nurse.

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A student nurse working with a manikin on the mock hospital ward

Start date/study mode:

UCAS codeB7S5

Duration3 years

Fee (UK)£9,535

Fee (Int)£17,500

LocationOn campus

Course summary

BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing Practice will help you learn how to deliver compassionate and restorative care to those experiencing mental illness.

To become a mental health nurse, you need confidence in supporting people across different settings, focusing on the wellbeing of individuals, their families, and carers. You'll use critical thinking to deliver person-centred care based on current evidence, combining clinical skills like physical health checks and therapeutic communication to support recovery and promote mental wellbeing.

Throughout the course, you'll gain hands-on experience through practice placements with our partner NHS Trusts, working directly with patients. On campus, you'll be taught by expert practitioners and enhance your skills further using our mock hospital wards, interactive Living Lab, and by learning from our Patient, Carer and Public Involvement (PCPI) participants.

On graduation, you’ll be eligible to register as a mental health nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). A nursing degree will make you highly employable both nationally and internationally, and career opportunities can be found in:

The NHS
Private healthcare
Charities
Prisons
The armed forces
Schools
Patients’ homes.

What you'll study

Many of our courses include a range of modules you can choose from. Some of these options may only be available if you’ve already studied specific required modules. If you’re not sure what you need before picking a module, your course leader can help.

Undergraduate module credits should total 120 credits per academic year. If optional modules are available alongside core modules on your course, you should choose an amount that totals 120 credits.

How you'll learn

We use various methods of teaching, including problem-based learning, seminars, interactive workshops, interprofessional learning, clinical skills sessions, patient and professional contact, and self-directed study.

Assessment methods include written reports, essays, examinations, oral presentations, portfolios, clinical reflection diaries, competency logs, patient care plans, and case studies.

Placements

Your first placement will take place in the first term, after ten weeks of teaching. You'll be assigned Practice Assessors and Practice Supervisors who'll directly assess and supervise you, as well as act as a means of support and guidance. Placements will occur in the following blocks at any of our partner Trusts within the region:

Year 1 – two nine week long placement blocks (18 weeks in total)
Year 2 – three seven week long placement blocks (21 weeks in total)
Year 3 – two blocks, which are nine and 16 weeks long (25 weeks in total).

Your standard working week will be around 37.5 hours on a shift pattern which can include nights, early starts, evenings, weekends, and bank holidays. Shifts can be anywhere between 7–12 hours, and the pattern can vary between Trusts. Your shifts will be confirmed four weeks prior to starting your placement. It's not possible to fit placements around school hours and holidays.

One of the best parts of the teaching is the simulation sessions as they allow us to immerse ourselves in different scenarios, helping us to think like nurses. The lecturers have a lot of clinical experience themselves, which they draw on to relate their teaching back to practice.
Jack Watson
Read Jack Watson's story

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is 96-112 UCAS Tariff points from a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications, which may include: A Levels, T Levels, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate. If you studied T Levels, it must be in health.

Please note, we don't accept General Studies AS or A Level, and you must show evidence of recent academic study within the last five years at entry level.

We also require GCSE mathematics and English language or equivalent at grade C or above, or maths and English language functional skills level 2. If you've studied for a GCSE which has a numerical grade, you'll need to achieve a grade 4 or above.

Your completed application form will be reviewed by our Admissions team to ensure that you have the required entry qualifications. If you meet these requirements, your application will be individually assessed by the Admissions Tutor and, if successful, you'll be shortlisted for interview.

The selection process will include a multiple mini interview (MMI), which will assess you on your values, problem-solving, and communication skills.

We require international applicants to meet the equivalent UK entry requirements and IELTS with a minimum of 6.5 in each element with an overall score of 7. To be eligible for an interview, you must currently have attained an overall IELTS score of at least 7 with 6.5 in each element.

Find out how many points your qualifications are worth using the UCAS Tariff calculator(opens in new tab).

Our admissions policy uses a range of flexible options to support you to study with us. This may include a reduced offer of up to 16 UCAS Tariff points, (or equivalent). Find out if you're eligible for a tariff point reduction.

Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)

This is available to applicants who meet the course-specific APL requirements. It may apply if you wish to transfer your NMC-approved nursing studies from another university where you've achieved 120 credits at Level 4 and a minimum of 675 placement hours. The APL entry route is also available to Nursing Associates who are aiming to become a registered nurse.

If you're interested in the APL route, please contact the nursing admissions tutors for further information by emailing nursing.admissions@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).

Fitness to practise

Medical assessments of your mental and physical health and disclosure of criminal convictions apply to all nursing courses and are based on current NMC requirements. Nurses are registered healthcare professionals and the ability to practise safely, effectively, and professionally is essential, so all applicants are required to follow our fitness to practise procedures. This means you're required to complete the following:

A health declaration form. Here, you must demonstrate that you're of good health, good character, and can satisfactorily pass occupational health screening. In addition, you'll be required to attend an Occupational Health Assessment with an NHS Trust. The University will, taking into account current NMC regulations, make any reasonable adjustments if required. Please refer to the HEOPS nursing student fitness standards(opens in new tab).
A self-declaration form about your conduct
Obtain an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The cost of the DBS check is covered by the University.

Instructions on how you complete these checks will be sent to you once you hold a conditional firm offer with us. These forms are then reviewed alongside your application, and you must meet both the academic and fitness to practise requirements before you'll be given an unconditional offer. If you're successful, you'll also need to complete an annual declaration form to confirm you're fit and there are no changes to your DBS.

Work experience

We appreciate that it's not always possible to obtain work experience in the health or caring environment. As an alternative, we'd recommend that you investigate the field of nursing you're interested in through online resources, professional body websites, and healthcare organisations so you can demonstrate a clear understanding of the role.

Personal statements

Your personal statement provides a unique opportunity to express your personal qualities and attributes related to a rewarding career in nursing. The statement should include a clear articulation of:

Rationale for your choice of career
How your personality lends itself to a career as a nurse
Evidence of investigation of nursing as a career that demonstrates insight of the role
What attracts you to the profession
Personal qualities and transferable skills that may contribute to success in the course and profession
What sports/activities you enjoy and what skills you've developed.

Interviews

Our interviews consist of an individual interview and group activity. Interviews start in late November and will run until the summer.

As part of the interview process, you'll be asked to rank your three preferred Trusts for placements, which will be confirmed once you start the course. Please note, it's not possible to guarantee your first choice. We'd recommend that prior to your interview, you consider your preferred Trust. All your placements will then take place in various locations within that Trust, so the travel distance will vary.

Visit our applicant interviews page for more information.

Fees and finance support

UK£9,535

International£17,500

Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2026/27 will be £9,535. You'll pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.

Check your fee status(opens in new tab).

You'll be expected to travel daily or stay in local accommodation for the duration of your placement, and you'll be responsible for any associated costs, including travel and accommodation.

As you may be expected to travel long distances, start your shift in the early hours, or finish your shift late at night, you could be entitled to Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses (TDAE). This allows you to make a retrospective claim for excess travel costs and/or expenses for temporary accommodation near to the location of your placement. Find out more about the NHS Learning Support Fund(opens in new tab). Please note, students who already hold a degree won't qualify for this fund.

A non-repayable grant of £5,000 and extra payments worth up to £3,000 is available to eligible home students for each year of study. Read more about the Training Grant on the NHS Business Services Authority website(opens in new tab).

If you currently serve (or have recently served) within the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence's ELCAS scheme may be able to help cover your funding for this course. Read more about funding for Armed Forces personnel.

See all course tuition fees.

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