Iain Schrantz
Senior Lecturer in Practice Development
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Mental Health Nursing BSc (Hons)
Key Facts
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UCAS Code
B710
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Duration
3 years Full-time
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BBC at A level
DMM at BTEC -
Full Time £9,535
Updated 04/12/2025
Updated 04/12/2025
Get in touch
UK STUDENTS ENQUIRIES
study@northampton.ac.uk
0300 303 2772
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ENQUIRIES
The University of Northampton’s Mental Health Nursing course takes you on a service user’s journey within community and hospital settings, allowing you to see the service through the patient’s perspective. The BSc Mental Health Nursing degree will equip you with the skills to respond to individuals in distress or crises, reduce stigma associated with mental illness and advocate for the holistic health and wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities.
This course provides you with evidence-based knowledge and equips you with effective practice skills, allowing you to learn to work collaboratively and thrive as a mental health nurse across and within multidisciplinary teams, co-ordinating safe, evidence-based care. We also offer extra student support throughout your studies and during your practice. This means that you will be supported by a nursing academic during your mental health nursing placements.
For Mental Health Nursing – Guardian University Guide 2026
For Career Outcomes 15 Months After Graduation
For Nursing & Midwifery – Daily Mail League table 2025
Guardian Data from the 2026 Mental Health Nursing subject table. Daily Mail data from their league table for Nursing & Midwifery
NMC Approval
Our three-year Mental Health Nursing degree gives you the ability to cope with a demanding and satisfying profession, leading to a BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing qualification and a registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Highlights
- Leads to Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registration.
- Clinical learning will take place.in a diverse practice-based environment where you will apply your theoretical knowledge into the real world.
- Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) delivered within this programme.
- RSPH Level 4 Award in Suicide First Aid®. (SFI) accredited by Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) delivered within this programme for mental health student nurses only.
- All eligible learners on this course can apply for a minimum government of £5,000 per year. You can apply for additional payments if you incur childcare costs. More information: NHS Learning Support Fund (NHS LSF)*
- Guaranteed paid internship with the Northampton Employment Promise.
- HP laptop and software included with this course for eligible mental health nursing students* (*see eligibility criteria and terms and conditions).
Waterside campus has everything students needs from: Learning Hub featuring 24/7 library, Creative Hub, on-site shop, restaurant, cafes and food outlets, multi-faith chaplaincy, student village hall, Students' Union and more. With only a short walk over the bridge into the town centre.
The Learning Hub and Student Information Desk would be a student's first point of call when needing support.
Our library covers three floors of the Learning Hub, with IT rich learning environments, including silent and group study spaces, physical books. Don't forget there are plenty more resources available online!
The Student Information Desk is the first place a student should go if they need any help. Here the team can direct you to academic support, mental health support, financial support, IT support, and more.
The Learning Hub is where every student will go for library support and classes, as well as food outlets and social events.
The Learning Hub also has lots of outdoor space for meeting with friends or finding some silent time between classes.
The Learning Hub is the biggest building on campus, home to our Student Information Desk, 24/7 library, teaching spaces, cafes, and more.
The big and spacious modern Senate building has various types of learning spaces, teaching rooms, our Bloomberg suite, Morley Room lecture hall, and cafes.
Entry Requirements
You need one of the following qualifications:
- BBC at A level
- BTEC level 3 Extended Diploma or National Diploma or Cambridge Technical at DMM
- T Level – Merit
- A kitemarked Access to Higher Education course with 45 credits at Merit or above
- Successful completion of the first year of a relevant Foundation Degree
- Health and Social Care Diploma at Level 3 (advanced level)
- CACHE Diploma achieved at grade B or above.
We welcome applications from students with a mix of A levels and BTEC/Cambridge Technical qualifications.
Please note that we may consider other qualifications not listed above on an individual basis, please contact our Admissions team to discuss these in further detail.
The following are essential Mental Health Nursing entry requirements for all pre-registration nursing programmes;
Applicants must be 18 years old by the 2nd month of commencing pre-registration nursing programmes and all applicants must have 10 years of consecutive education.
All mental health nursing applicants must have:
- English Language and Maths GCSE, or the equivalent, at grade C/4 or above. These must be achieved prior to commencement of the course. (Common equivalents are: Functional skills level 2 and 3, Key skills level 2 and 3, Adult Literacy/Numeracy Level 2).
All offers of a place on the mental health nursing degree are subject to:
- successful Occupational Health Screening,
- satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) report, and
- successful interview at the University.
Occupational Health Clearance:
All healthcare students are required to undertake a standard Occupational Health Clearance which will assess your health and immunisation record and assess your fitness for the programme you have chosen. Courses such as midwifery, dental nursing and paramedic science also require an enhanced Occupational Health clearance and appropriate immunisation to undertake exposed prone procedures (EPP). Without the enhanced occupational health clearance your ability to attend some clinical placements/activities in Trust areas may be limited or refused, causing delays with course progression and employment.
Further information for healthcare students can be seen through the following link (appendix 1) Green Book: Chapter 12 Immunisation of healthcare and laboratory staff.
All International and EU students applying for the mental health nurse course with us must meet the following minimum English language requirements:
- IELTS 7.0 with no lower than 7.0 in Reading, Listening and Speaking as well as no lower than 6.5 in Writing for study at the undergraduate level.
For more information on the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) English language entry criteria, please follow the NMC website.
For information regarding English language requirements at the University, please see our IELTS page.
What You'll Learn
This mental health nursing degree has been designed to contribute towards achieving the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: SDG3 of Good Health and Wellbeing and SDG5 Gender Equality.
There is no health without mental health. One in four people are likely to experience some degree of mental distress. A mental health nurse can make a positive contribution in people’s lives and wellbeing. Our vision is to promote compassionate care through effective communication.
We want to make this a reality by recruiting people who are passionate about caring for those with mental health problems reduce stigma surrounding mental illness and become an advocate for individuals to be actively involved in decisions related to their own care. On successful completion of the BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing degree, you will be able to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a mental health nurse.
If you already hold a professional registration you can study for a second registration. You will study generic and Mental Health Nursing specific modules, focusing on the care of individuals with mental health problems. Your modules are also complemented by appropriate placement learning opportunities within hospitals and the community.
Compulsory Modules
The purpose of this module is to develop nursing students self awareness, personal and professional resilience and professional identity as a nurse understanding how health science, social and political knowledge, behaviour, vocabulary and skills form their nursing identityAdditionally the module will develop communication skills and understanding of how constructive feedback can be used to evaluate self and effect positive change.
The purpose of this module is to provide the student nurse with underpinning theoretical knowledge of the scientific, legal, professional and personal context of nursing in order to participate in practice safely, ethically and lawfully across all fields of nursing and within a range of clinical practice settings.
The purpose of this module is to equip nursing students with the theoretical foundation, skills and evidenced based knowledge to fully participate in person centred decision making, influence positive lifestyle choices and beginning the students own professional development.
The purpose of this module is to provide the essential clinical learning and simulation and practice experiences a student requires to achieve the NMC proficiencies, enabling progression through to the 2nd part of the programme Through their electronic portfolio (Pebblepad), signed by their practice supervisor and practice assessor, and moderated by the academic assessor, students will demonstrate achievement of the skills and professional behaviours dentified at the first progression point by the Nursing and Midwifery CouncilDuring clinical learning all students will be required to undertake clinical skills via a range of simulation techniques to meet the Achievement of Proficiency in the PADThese will be signed off by the Module Team/Practice Assessor.
Please note the modules shown here relate to the academic year 25/26. The modules relating to the academic year 26/27 will be available from June 2026.
You will be expected to study a minimum of 2,300 hours theory and 2,300 hours practice across the 3 years. The practical placements that you will take throughout this Mental Health Nursing course will be in a variety of health, education and social care settings.
The practical experiences in healthcare are gained within private, voluntary and independent sector areas including social care, community trusts and hospitals within Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and surrounding areas.
This Mental Health Nursing University Course is compliant with Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) requirements.
BSc Mental Health Nursing has been approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). This means you can be confident that this mental health nursing course meets the standards of education, training, conduct and performance required for nurses in the UK.
After successful completion of this programme, you’ll be awarded an honours degree and can register as a mental health nurse the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). This will allow you to practice in accordance with the NHS Constitution which is underpinned by the core NHS values.
The University of Northampton is one of only four universities in the country to belong to the European Nursing Module. This offers the possibility of a two week placement in one of around 24 different European countries.
You can experience a different health system, culture and life experience and gain an insight into the issues that are faced in an overseas nursing environment. This opportunity is available at a specifically negotiated time during your nursing course, usually within the second year of study.
Please note that you will have to meet the entire costs of this module yourself including flights, accommodation, food and travel within these countries however students are able to claim for many of the costs via the Learning Support Fund Travel & Accommodation. The two weeks spent overseas for this module count as placement hours as agreed with the NMC.
The University of Northampton is also pleased to offer in partnership with the Work The World program an experience for students in the final year of their programme an opportunity to work and travel to many international destinations including learning opportunities in Ghana, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Nepal and Tanzania. Students are also able to apply for additional funding for this trip via the Santander Travel Fund comprising of 15 awards of £1,000 to support students wishing to undertake an international visit or project which supports their academic or career aspirations.
At the University of Northampton, everything we do, from funded trips to paid internships, is to give you everything you need to make a difference when you leave.
If you join our full-time BSc Mental Health Nursing degree at Northampton, you will receive a laptop when your course begins*. The laptops are built to a bespoke custom specification ideal for use in the seminar room, collaborative group work or studying at home.
Whatever your ambitions, we’re here to help you to achieve them. We’ll support you to identify the skills you’re learning during your course, find your strengths and secure practical experience so that when it comes to applying for jobs or further study you’ll feel confident in standing out from the crowd. We’ve created the Northampton Employment Promise because we are so confident that if you focus on your studies and complete one of our awards you’ll be highly employable by the time you graduate. Putting you in a great position to secure employment or continue your studies.
To check out the full list of perks, visit our Student Perks page or dedicated International Perks page.
* UK fee payers only (see Terms and Conditions for further details)
How will I develop my skills in nursing labs?
The nursing skills labs, based at our Waterside campus, are used throughout the mental health nursing degree to enhance learning in the clinical settings. The Nursing labs have a purpose-built clinical ward where students can learn and develop their clinical skills through practice-based, hands-on education. You will practise scenarios from a real-life hospital ward in a realistic, yet safe clinical environment.
‘Being Brilliant’ at Northampton focuses on ways of thinking and behaving that allows us to be the best version of ourselves. To develop a culture where all students and staff aspire to be the best that they can be, the principles are simple and focus on small changes in behaviour that can have a big impact. If you want to become a brilliant mental health nurse then we can inspire you and transform your life and the lives of others.
How will I be taught on the Mental Health Nursing degree?
You will have approximately 4,600 hours of blended study throughout the three years of this mental health nursing course, which is split 50/50 between theoretical and practical learning. (37.5 hours per week academic study and clinical learning)
This course is compliant with Nursing and Midwifery Council requirements. You will be expected to study a minimum of 2,300 hours theory and 2,300 hours practice across the 3 years. For more information on educational standards required for nursing please visit the Nursing and Midwifery Council web pages.
The curriculum also offers practical placements that you will take throughout this Mental Health Nursing course will be in a variety of health, education and social care settings. Your clinical learning can be gained private/charitable, voluntary and independent sector areas including social care, community trusts and hospitals within Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and surrounding areas.
How will I be assessed?
You will be continuously assessed throughout this mental health nursing course to test your knowledge. These include, written reflections, presentations, case studies. Literature reviews for example. Placements will also be assessed to ensure that you can effectively apply theory into practice within a healthcare environment.
Are there any further opportunities?
Our University is now a part of a well-established, professional European network for Nursing and Midwifery. The Florence Network offers opportunities for future health careers and development to staff, academics and students. For more information visit the Florence Network.
What is the selection process based on?
Values Based Recruitment is an approach which attracts and selects students, trainees or employees on the basis that their individual values and behaviours align with the values of the NHS Constitution.
The purpose of Values Based Recruitment is to ensure that the future and current NHS workforce is selected against the values of the NHS Constitution, so that we recruit people with the right skills and values to support effective team working in delivering excellent patient care. Please visit the Health Education England website for more details.
Please visit the Health Education England website for more details.
Fees and Funding
2025/26 Tuition Fees
- UK Full Time: £9,535
- International Full Time: £18,200
Fees quoted relate to study mental health nursing in the Academic Year 2025/26 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years. UON will adjust UK fees annually in line with Government Policy.
Please be aware that there will be additional costs that are not covered by Mental Health Degree fees, these include:
- Travel costs to and from placements, and extra costs associate with placements, may be incurred throughout your studies depending on where you are based.
- shoes for placement
- appropriate outer wear
- car parking fees on/off site
- optional European placement (flights, accommodation, living expenses, etc.)
- other costs: dissertation printing, books, stationary purchases, IT costs
- living and eating costs
- accommodation
- participation in events.
Students, studying nursing, midwifery and many of the allied health professions courses from September 2020, may be eligible for a payment of at least £5,000 a year which they will not need to pay back. They may be able to apply for Financial support at the university through the NHS Learning Support Fund (NHS LSF) which offers eligible students additional support while studying for their degree. This is in addition to the Student Loan from the Student Loans Company.
Financial contribution towards your travel, and expenses in relation to your practice learning opportunities, may be available to you from the NHS Learning Support Fund. Details, including eligibility criteria, can be found on the NHS website.
The information provided above is correct for the academic year 2024/25 but please check the NHS LSF website for full details, any changes and updates.
For more information about possible funding options, please visit our Fees and Funding pages.
Fees quoted relate to study mental health nursing in the Academic Year 24/25 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.
- UK – Full Time: £9,250
- International – Full Time: £17,700
Staff
Karen Graves
Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing
Tim Alexander
Senior Lecturer - Mental Health Nursing
Sarah Wickes
Senior Lecturer - Mental Health Nursing
Bianca Harris
Senior Lecturer in Nursing Practice Dev - Mental Health
Rosie Frost
Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing
Careers and Employability
On completion of this BSc Mental Health Nursing Course, you can pursue a wide range of professional careers in health and social care and research.
As a Mental Health Nurse, you can work in hospitals or in the community. If you work in a residential setting, you may do shifts and provide 24-hour care. Within a hospital you might work in a psychiatric intensive care unit, psychiatric ward, outpatients unit, or a specialist unit dealing with eating disorders.
In the community you could work at a GP surgery, prison, community health care centre, residential centre or patients’ own homes.
For further information visit the NHS careers webpage.
Master’s Opportunities
Our postgraduate and Master’s courses are a great way to enhance the skills you have already learnt. Benefit from our 20% alumni discount on postgraduate fees to give you a CV that will catch the eye of employers.
Successful completion of this mental health nursing course could lead on to one of our Master’s programmes: MSc Public Health, MSc Advanced Clinical Practice, MSc Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
At the University of Northampton, we offer a range of short courses and continuing professional development (CPD) programmes. These will enable you to learn new skills, progress into specialisms or take on new responsibilities.
Facilities
Learning Hub
The Learning Hub is at the heart of the campus and home to the student information desk.
View Facility
Clinical Skills Simulation Lab
A realistic, acute clinical environment with mannequins, hospital beds, medical gases systems, clinical equipment, and more.
View Facility
