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Nursing (Mental Health) - NTU in Mansfield BSc (Hons)

UCAS code: B761

Start year

Information for 2025

About this course

Our BSc (Hons) Nursing (Mental Health) course at NTU Mansfield prepares you to make a positive impact on individuals, families, and communities. We embed the core NHS values of care, compassion, competence, communication, courage, and commitment throughout our teaching. Combining expert teaching, practical experience, and a supportive learning environment, this course helps you build the skills and confidence needed for a rewarding career in mental health care.

You’ll study key topics such as the mental health conditions you will encounter as a nurse, recovery-focused therapeutic approaches, and modern healthcare practices while developing your communication and leadership skills. Our hands-on learning includes access to state-of-the-art facilities and placements in real healthcare settings, providing you with a wide range of valuable practical experiences. With guidance from experienced professionals at NTU and in practice, as well as experts by experience, you’ll be well-prepared to tackle the challenges of a mental health nursing career.

By the time you graduate, you will be fully prepared to register as a Mental Health Nurse, ready to deliver evidence-based care across a variety of healthcare settings. The course's strong emphasis on professionalism and clinical skills ensures you are well-equipped to make a positive impact in the nursing profession.

We also offer BSc (Hons) Nursing - Adult at our Mansfield site.

Visit us

Visiting us is the perfect way to see what makes life and learning at NTU in Mansfield special. Book your place on an upcoming site tour to experience some of our teaching and learning spaces.

  • You'll be taught by a dynamic team of lecturers who are also qualified nurses.
  • Our amazing facilities in the Centre for Health and Allied Professions allow you to learn effectively and become part of a close-knit NTU Mansfield Nursing community.
  • Service users and carers are involved in the development of our curriculum and take part in face-to-face sessions.
  • The course is delivered 50% at University, and 50% in a wide range of clinical practice areas.

Accreditation

  • NMC Logo

What you’ll study

Our facilities allow us to promote learning using traditional, creative and innovative teaching methods. This ensures you will be able to relate to the theory you encounter at University, and apply it to clinical practice while you are on placement.

This course provides you with the opportunity to engage with a wide and diverse curriculum including:

  • a holistic view of a person's psychological and physical needs to support recovery
  • an understanding of person-centred care
  • the Mental Health legislation.

Core modules

Introduction to Nursing Practice (40 Credit Points)

This module introduces you to the values and responsibilities of mental health nursing, as set out by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. You’ll cover a wide range of key foundational areas – from professional accountability to reflective practice and emotional intelligence. This module is the perfect introduction to your studies in person-centred mental health care.

Integrative Nursing Practice (40 Credit Points)

This module builds on your general healthcare knowledge with learning that’s specific to mental health nursing. You’ll focus on the biological, psychological and social processes that maintain people’s health, as you learn from experts who’ve worked throughout the sector. This module gives some valuable context and background to the key role nurses play in alleviating mental health problems. It will help you to understand the various drivers of mental health problems.

Foundations of Applied Nursing Practice (40 Credit Points)

This module helps you develop your therapeutic nursing skills – you’ll continue to work on your own reflective practice as you build your independence and confidence. Through a range of practical sessions and workshops, you’ll learn how to deliver fundamental nursing care, whilst developing your communication skills. You’ll also study body systems to help you understand physiology and development. This will help you to develop effective therapeutic relationships with people who use mental health services.

Core modules

Evidence in Nursing Practice (40 Credit Points)

To begin your second-year studies, we’ll be exploring research methods and evidence-based practice in greater detail. This will help you to understand how evidence – alongside clinical expertise – drives quality in mental health nursing care and service development. We’ll also be looking at how to build resilience as a nursing professional – one of the field’s most important and valued attributes.

Biopsychosocial Approaches in Nursing Practice (40 Credit Points)

This module explores a number of social and psychological models, helping you to understand a wide range of perspectives on the development of mental distress in different populations. You will also study anatomy, physiology and body systems, as well as the effect of medications on the body. Supported by experienced professionals from across the sector, you’ll examine the impact of mental health conditions on individuals, families and communities.

Applied Nursing Practice in Complex Care (40 Credit Points)

In this module you will take a deeper look at delivering care to individuals with complex needs – as well as their families. To do this, you’ll explore a range of therapeutic skills within the classroom, our simulation environment, and real-world practice settings. Through this, you’ll develop your understanding of the kinds of interventions – such as psychological therapeutic techniques – that can improve service users’ health. You’ll also explore the planning, delivery and evaluation of mental health care for people with complex and / or long-term conditions.

Core modules

Innovating and Improving Healthcare Practice (40 Credit Points)

This module looks at the strategies that help mental health nurses to maintain and improve quality in healthcare – including a focus on managing change within the healthcare setting. You’ll also develop your knowledge of evidence-based nursing practice to a deeper level: with the support of our academic team, you’ll undertake an independent written project to generate your own recommendations for healthcare practice education or research. In turn, your work will provide new learning opportunities for your peers and colleagues in mental health nursing.

Leadership in Nursing (40 Credit Points)

The module examines the role and responsibilities of registered mental health nurses as leaders in healthcare, and mangers of interprofessional teams. You’ll examine the key concepts that underpin successful leadership, drawing on the reflective skills you’ve developed throughout the course to develop your own leadership style. This will prepare you effectively for the role of Practice Supervisor, once you are a registered practitioner. You’ll benefit from our “interprofessional” approach, as you learn from – and work directly with – experts across the healthcare sector.

Managing Applied Nursing Care (40 Credit Points)

This final module consolidates everything you’ve learned throughout the course – combining the hands-on experience you’ve developed on placement to the theoretical and academic skills you’ve acquired in the classroom. With this approach, you’ll be fully prepared to practice as a registered mental health nurse. By completing this module, you should be able to show values-based, evidence-informed decision making within multidisciplinary teams, ahead of your registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.

Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves

Student Profiles

Cynthia Kalu

Nursing (Mental Health) - NTU in Mansfield

This course is giving me the skills, experience and accreditation required to provide high-quality mental health care.

Video Gallery

 

How you're taught

The BSc Nursing (Mental Health) course is taught by experienced staff used to working with students from a range of backgrounds and with varying levels of skill and experience.

To provide you with a first-class learning experience and to guarantee you have an opportunity to make the most of your time at university, you will receive contact time through a diverse range of delivery methods that include lectures, seminars, clinical skills sessions, workshops, and one-on-one supervision.

Core lectures and seminars

Core lectures are in person and introduce the up-to-date evidence, underpinning policy, theory and guidelines, and expert opinion. Lectures are complimented by small group seminars and clinical skills sessions that provide a safe space to apply this learning to healthcare provision.

Each year you will study 3 modules; 2 short modules and one that is a yearlong module.

Virtual learning environment

You'll use our virtual learning environment NOW, which is a flexible web-based system that allows you to have 24-hour access to module learning materials and reading lists. It allows you to discuss work with tutors and other students and submit coursework electronically. The VLE provides you with the opportunity to further develop knowledge on areas of interest outside a formal learning environment.

Personal tutor groups

You are allocated a personal tutor for the full duration of your course and from the welcome week we meet with you to help you settle into University life and highlighting key activities that are needed for you to be able to progress on the Nursing course (for example DBS and Occupational health clearance which is required for placement). Your personal tutor is your key ‘go to’ person during the course.

Clinical placements

The course is fifty per cent in clinical practice and these placements are organised by our placement team. During your placement you will always have a practice assessor, a registered Nurse, in the clinical area where you are working to help you achieve the necessary elements during your experience.  We use a variety of placements from across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, North Leicestershire and South Yorkshire. We offer a placement choice once in the programme, during the third year. Students can self-arrange an international placement to further broaden their practice experiences.

Clinical skills sessions

Learning and practicing your clinical skills in our excellent facilities at the University is a key part of our programme. This allows you to learn safely and then be able to transfer these skills when you are on placement.

How you're assessed

Year One

  • Written work (total of 3 essays)
  • Exams (total of 2 exams)
  • Poster Presentation (total of 1)
  • Practice Assessment document

Year Two

  • Written work (Research diary, Essay)
  • Exams (total of 1 exam)
  • Presentation (a recorded presentation)
  • Observed Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE)
  • Practice Assessment document

Year Three

  • Written work (Dissertation, 2 essays)
  • Practice Assessment document

Contact hours

The Nursing and Midwifery Council state you need to successfully achieve 2,300 hours of theory and 2,300 hours of practice to be able become a registered practitioner.

Your practice hours will be met through a variety of different placement environments and experiences.

The theory is a mixture of classroom / clinical skills based with you taking accountability to explore the topics as outlined on the VLE for each module. This will enable you to complete the 2,300 hours of theory which includes passing all of the assessment points in the programme.

Careers and employability

Nurses are part of the multidisciplinary team that provide healthcare across the lifespan. They work in a diverse range of settings to promote health and support individuals to meet their health needs.

Our nursing graduates have secured employment in community and inpatient settings both within the NHS and the private sector.

NTU works closely with local healthcare providers to ensure our students graduate with the skills required by employers and are prepared for a career in nursing.

The NHS have produced some videos that you may find useful to find out more about life as a student nurse, and your future career in nursing:

Our Employability team

Our dedicated Employability team are available to help you alongside your studies. They can give you advice and guidance on everything you need to stand out from the crowd – from voluntary and work experience opportunities to bespoke, specialised support for student nurses. They also help to coordinate our Acceler8 Award which you make decide to take part in to help you to develop a broader range of transferable skills, knowledge and experience.

Campus and facilities

As an NTU Mansfield student, you’ll benefit from the latest facilities and modern technology to support your studies and help you get the most out of student life.

We are continually investing in our facilities and enhancing our learning and teaching environment to make it an inspiring place for students.

Plus, as a Nursing student, you’ll be taught in the Centre for Health and Allied Professions – equipped with mock hospital wards, a GP consultation room and a virtual reality wall.

Facilities and services include:

  • University Centre
  • Centre for Health and Allied Professions
  • Teaching and Learning Centre
  • Library
  • Dedicated study zones, including PC suites
  • On-site café
  • Social spaces
  • Sports facilities
  • Student Support Services
  • Nottingham Trent Students Union (NTSU) drop-in events.

Entry requirements

UK students

Standard offer: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications

Contextual offer: 104 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications

Other requirements: Attend an interview, GCSE English, Maths and a Health or Science related subject at grade C / 4.

To find out what qualifications have tariff points, please use our tariff calculator.

International students

This course is not suitable for Student visa (tier 4) applicants.

Applicants requiring a Student visa (tier 4) should apply for BSc (Hons) Nursing (Mental Health) based at our Clifton Campus.

Policies

We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.

Fees and funding

UK students

- see the fees for this course, as well as information about funding and support.

£9,535 per year

Find out about the extra support we may be able to provide to help pay for uni, including NTU bursaries and scholarships.

NHS Learning Support Fund

As an NTU student you would be eligible to apply for the NHS Learning Support Fund (NHS LSF) which offers eligible students additional support while studying for their degree.

The new package includes:

  • training grant of £5,000 per year
  • parental support payment of £2,000 per student per year to help with childcare costs
  • specialist subject payment of £1,000 per year for students on degrees that struggle to recruit, including mental health and learning disability nursing
  • help towards additional travel and accommodation costs to clinical placements over your normal daily travel costs
  • an exceptional hardship fund of up to £3,000 per student per academic year.

Bursaries

A university bursary is an award that can help those who may not have otherwise been able to afford to attend university. We offer the following cash bursaries to prospective students:

  • NTU Bursaries
  • Nursing, Teacher Training and Social Work Bursaries
  • NTU Opportunity Bursary
  • NTU Care Leavers and Foyer Resident Bursary
  • NTU Estranged Student Bursary

Find out more about bursaries

Scholarships

University scholarships help to fund studies and are awarded to exceptional students with achievements or high potential in both academic and extracurricular fields.

Find out more about scholarships

You will need to pay tuition fees for each year that you are at university. The tuition fees, including the placement year and study abroad options are subject to government policy and may change in future years of study.

Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but we don’t want you to feel anxious or confused about it. Visit our fees and funding pages if you have any concerns.

International students

- see the fees for this course, as well as payment advice and scholarships.

This course is not suitable for applicants who require a student visa.

However, we do accept qualifications from schools, colleges and universities all over the world for entry onto our Bachelors and Masters degrees. If you’re not sure how your international qualification matches our course requirements please see our information about international qualifications.

Additional costs

Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses. There are just a few additional things you may need to budget for:

Textbooks and library books

Most modules will recommend one or more core textbooks, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential textbooks, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) - meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.

Printing and photocopying costs

The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the printing and photocopying information on the Library website.

Field trips

All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.

Placements

If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.

funding stream for nurse training

The government revised the funding stream for nurse training in 2017 where student nurses would be eligible for student loans toward their education as the bursary system is no longer in place within England. Students will be funded for and provided with NTU’s practice learning placement uniforms although: additional items may incur a cost; and some placement providers may not require uniform but professional clothing that will not be funded.

Assistance with funding, scholarship and financial awards may be available via independent sponsors, please visit:

Fees and funding advice

For more advice and guidance, you can email our Student Money Team or phone us on +44 (0)115 848 2494.

Cost of living information and support

Managing your money can help you make the most of life at NTU. Here's how we can support you, and now you can make your funding go further.

How to apply

If you want to be a registered nurse in Adult or Mental Health, apply by clicking the Apply now button at the top of the page and follow the instructions for applying. Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.

Writing your application and personal statement

This is your opportunity to sell yourself by telling us who you are today and who you want to be in the future. Write about why you want to be a nurse and why your knowledge, skills and previous experiences are important to this profession. What subjects have you studied that are important to you and to nursing; what work experience have you had that has made an impact on you and may help you in nursing; what hobbies and interest do you have. For more hints and tips, take a look at our page on how to write a good personal statement

Keeping up to date

After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder

You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page. Good luck with your application!

Please read our notes on the University's commitment to delivering the educational services advertised.

Getting in touch

For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.

Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494

This course is not suitable for Student visa (tier 4) applicants. Applicants requiring a Student visa (tier 4) should apply for BSc (Hons) Nursing (Mental Health) based at our Clifton Campus.