• Undergraduate

Nursing Dual Field (Learning Disabilities and Mental Health) MSci

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Overview

Overview

Why study at the University of West London?
  • Ranked 30th university in the UK - The Guardian University Guide 2025
  • Our Mental Health Nursing courses are ranked #4 in the UK and #1 in London - Guardian University Guide 2025
  • Number 1 London university for overall student satisfaction - National Student Survey 2024**
  • Best university for Student Experience and Teaching Quality in the UK - The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024

Are you ready to make a difference and embark on a rewarding career in nursing? This course will prepare you to make a positive difference to people with learning disabilities and those with mental health needs. Graduating with the ability to dual register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), you will be ready to find rewarding work as a nurse.

This course has been approved against the Nursing and Midwifery Council Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses (May 2018). These standards set out the knowledge and skills you will learn as the next generation of learning disabilities and mental health nurses, to enable you to deliver world-class person-centred, evidence-based care.

You are eligible to apply for the NHS Learning Support Fund, including a training grant of £5000. You may also qualify for additional financial support. Read the eligibility criteria and find out how to apply for the fund on the Health Careers website.  The funding will not need to be repaid and you can also continue to access funding for tuition and maintenance loans from the Student Loans Company.

This course is offered at our West London campus. Please see the course detail below for information on where we have placement partnerships. 

You can see what it's like to work as a nurse in London in this video by Health Education England.

What is an MSci?

An MSci course effectively allows you to combine a Bachelors and Masters into one package that will be highly valued by potential employers. Thus, instead of completing your BSc and then having to apply separately for a MSc, this integrated degree provides you with one smooth pathway of studies.

A nurse holding the hand of a patient

Select your desired study option, then pick a start date to see relevant course information:

Study options:
We support flexible study by offering some of our courses part-time or via distance learning. To give you real world experience before you graduate, we also offer some courses with a placement or internship. All available options are listed here. Your choices may affect some details of your course, such as the duration and cost per year. Please re-check the details on this page if you change your selection.

Start date:

If your desired start date is not available, try selecting a different study option.

Why study Nursing Dual Field (Learning Disabilities and Mental Health) with us?

Why study Nursing Dual Field (Learning Disabilities and Mental Health) with us?

A collage of students

What our students say…

This field specialises in the most important and challenging part of nursing profession which include; communication difficulty, Autism, Epilepsy, challenging behaviour, Down Syndrome and Dysphagia. I am now proud of my field as a specialist nurse-to-be because my field is unique. We also have brilliant and professional tutors and leading researchers.

Veronica Temitope
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Group of student nurses emphasise the supportive learning environment
This course has simulation centres in London and Reading
Graduates are eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery council
A statistic stating that the University of West London has been ranked 30th overall in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2025
Course detail & modules

Course detail & modules

On this learning disabilities and mental health nursing course, you will learn how to deliver care to the high standards set by the NMC. The aim is to equip you with the skills and knowledge to face the challenges of nursing today, with a focus on children’s and mental health nursing.

You will learn how to:

  • provide, lead and coordinate care that is compassionate and evidence-based
  • care for people with complex mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural care needs
  • care for people in healthcare settings including their own home, in the community and in hospital
  • help promote health, protect health and prevent ill health
  • empower people, communities and populations to take control of their own health decisions and behaviours
  • care for people of different ages, backgrounds, cultures and beliefs
  • care for people at the end of their life
  • work across health- and social care services 
  • play a proactive role in multidisciplinary teams
  • think critically and apply your knowledge and skills
  • be emotionally intelligent and resilient, while managing your personal health and wellbeing.

This course has been designed to meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council Standards for Education and Training and the Future Nurse: Standards of proficiency for registered nurses. It has been developed with input from students, service users and our partners in the NHS and voluntary and independent sectors, the course will prepare you for current nursing practice.

Each year your course will divided into blocks:

  • Theory  - this will include: induction, taught time, independent learning, assessment support and scheduled Personal Tutor meetings)
  • Practice  - this will include preparation for practice weeks and placement learning)
  • Reading weeks  - during this time you will carry out independent learning, both directed and self-directed, tutorial support will also be available
  • Annual leave - these are set for the duration of the course and cannot be changed.
Practice Learning

You will spend a significant amount of time in practice where you will be appropriately supported and assessed. This will include learning to care for people in hospitals, in their own homes or within a community setting. As you will be working with people who require care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you can expect to work days, weekends, bank holidays and night shifts. You will not receive payment for your practice learning.

Facilities and support

We will provide a supportive learning environment to help you gain confidence as you develop your skills. You will learn using high-tech, innovative resources – including a fully equipped simulation centre – that help make your classes fun and engaging. In addition, you will have:

  • teaching staff who are highly committed and specialists in their subjects.
  • a personal tutor to guide you through your course as well as access to the University’s mentoring service.
  • regular personalised feedback on your progress in theory and practice components
  • access to a variety of practice placements, thanks to our many partners.
Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to ensuring people with a disability are provided with equal access to their chosen course of study and facilities at the University of West London. Appropriate support can be provided to remove barriers faced in education because of a person’s disability. This is support is called “reasonable adjustments”. 

We strongly encourage applicants to disclose their disability and discuss support requirements at the earliest opportunity by contacting our Wellbeing Team: online via the Student Hub or by email - wellbeing@uwl.ac.uk alternatively telephone 020 8231 2739. Early disclosure enables the University time to consider the individual support requirements that you may have and to identify whether reasonable adjustments can be made to help you with your studies prior to the start of the course. Some reasonable adjustments may not be possible in a placement setting due to professional standards and core competencies of the role so it is imperative these are considered prior to starting the course. 

It is important to understand that successful progression on this course is dependent on professional standards being met. By disclosing to the University, where reasonable adjustments can be made, the University will provide you with the support you need to meet these standards. See standards of proficiency for registered nurses to explore the standards appropriate to your chosen course.

Placement partners

Your placement is an essential part of your course and will take up an equal amount of time as your classroom studies at the University. It will give you practical experience so that you can apply what you learn in a real-world setting. 

We currently partner with the following healthcare organisations in North West London for the Learning Disabilities section of the course:

For the Mental Health Nursing element we currently partner with:

Compulsory modules

Compulsory modules

  • Personal Effectiveness for Professional Practice

    The aim of this module is to further develop personal effectiveness and apply critical reflexive skills to develop resilience in the context of current healthcare practice.

  • The Science of Nursing Decision-Making

    The aim of this module is to develop the knowledge and skills gained in Year 1 underpinning patient assessment, which informs clinical decision making.

  • The Health Promoting Nurse

    The aim of this module is to develop knowledge and skills to effectively promote health, emphasising the key role of the nurse as a health promoter. 

  • Leading and Managing Nursing Care

    The aim of this module is to develop an appreciation of the value of teamwork, and the skills to practice collaboratively to build and maintain relationships through professional networking and leadership. 

  • Evaluating Evidence for Translation into Nursing Practice

    The aim of this module is to develop the knowledge and skills required to locate and evaluate a body of research that explores clinical outcomes and/or patient experience. You will also assess the system and contextual issues that facilitate or hinder knowledge translation.

  • Part 2 Nursing Practice

Compulsory modules

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

112 UCAS points required from level 3 qualifications

These can include:

  • A Levels at grade B, B and C, or above
  • BTEC Extended Diploma with Distinction, Merit, Merit
  • Access to HE Diploma in Nursing/Health or Social Care/Science with a Merit/Distinction profile
  • T Levels

Your UCAS points would normally include at least 2 subject areas.

You also need 5 GCSEs including English and Maths (grade 9 – 4 / A* - C) or Level 2 equivalents.

Experience and recent study

We recommend you should have some experience of:

  • studying in the past five years
  • working in a health/social care setting (paid/voluntary)

You will be asked to provide a satisfactory reference along with your application form.

All offers are subject to satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and occupational health checks.

Find out more about the occupational health clearance requirements, tests and immunisations (pdf, 723kb)

Selection Process

If you have the qualifications for this course, you will be asked to attend an individual values-based interview with an academic, clinician and service user/carer.

Fees & funding

Fees & funding

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You are eligible to apply for the NHS Learning Support Fund, including a training grant of £5000. You may also qualify for additional financial support. Read the eligibility criteria and find out how to apply for the fund on www.healthcareers.nhs.uk. 

The funding will not need to be repaid and you can also continue to access funding for tuition and maintenance loans from the Student Loans Company.

Please note:

  • Fees for the 2026/27 academic year and onwards may be subject to Government regulation and change.
  • Tuition fees are charged for each year of your course. If your course runs for two years or more, you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year.
  • If your course runs for less than two years, the cost above is for your full course and you will need to pay the full fee upfront.
  • If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

Funding your studies

You may be eligible for a student loan to cover the cost of tuition fees, or a maintenance loan. Additional funding is available to some types of students, such as those with dependants and disabled students.

We offer generous bursaries and scholarships to make sure your aspirations are your only limit. In recent years, hundreds of students have received our Full-time Undergraduate Student Bursary.

There are also scholarships specifically for students in the fields of nursing, midwifery and healthcare.

View full details, including conditions and eligibility.

Funding your studies
Teaching staff

Teaching staff

Study & career progression

Study & career progression

A female nurse talking to an elderly woman at home

As a successful graduate you will be eligible to register with the NMC as an Adult and Mental Health Nurse.

Many of our graduates find work with local NHS Trusts or healthcare organisations. 

Alternatively, you could continue your studies at UWL. This will help you to enhance your clinical knowledge and skills in a specialist area.

We also offer Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses for healthcare practitioners.

How to apply

How to apply

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Important notes for applicants

Disclaimer

*Modern universities - defined as higher education institutions that were granted university status in, and subsequent to, 1992.

**The National Student Survey 2023 and 2024 - Average of answers to all questions by registered student population. Excludes specialist institutions.

Testimonials - our students or former students provided all of our testimonials - often a student from the course but sometimes another student. For example, the testimonial often comes from another UWL student when the course is new.

Optional modules - where optional modules are offered they will run subject to staff availability and viable student numbers opting to take the module.

Videos - all videos on our course pages were accurate at the time of filming. In some cases a new Course Leader has joined the University since the video was filmed.

Availability of placements - if you choose a course with placement/internship route we would like to advise you that if a placement/internship opportunity does not arise when you are expected to undertake the placement then the University will automatically transfer you to the non-internship route, this is to ensure you are still successful in being awarded a degree.