• Undergraduate

Midwifery (Pre Registration) BMidwifery (Hons)

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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
  • 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

As a Midwifery student, you are eligible to apply for a Government grant of at least £5,000 a year (This funding will not need to be repaid) - see our Fees and Funding section for more details or visit NHS Learning Support Fund.

This exciting degree in midwifery has been developed against the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards of Proficiency for Midwives (2019) and has been developed to equip you, as part of the next generation of midwives, with the knowledge, skills and values to deliver world class, evidence-based care for women, babies and their families.

As a mark of our professional excellence, we hold the prestigious Gold Award accreditation by UNICEF’s Baby Friendly Initiative. 

This midwifery course offered at our Reading campus in Berkshire is also offered at our Brentford site, West London campus. As you will spend an equal amount of time studying theory and gaining hands-on experience in clinical practice, you should choose a course location that you can travel to easily.

Our contemporary approach to teaching and learning includes a wide variety of online, classroom and simulation-based activities as well as clinical placements at an NHS Trust maternity unit.

APPLICATION NOTICE

We are continuing to accept UK applicants, but we are currently not accepting non-UK and EU applications. 

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.

Locations this course is taught at:
Berkshire Institute for Health
West London Campus (also offered in Reading)
Why study Midwifery (Pre Registration) with us?

Why study Midwifery (Pre Registration) with us?

A collage of students
A collage of students
Bethany Chapman

What our students say…

My UWL experience has definitely been memorable, I’ve made the best friends on my course.

Jess, BMidwifery (Hons) Midwifery (Pre Registration)

My advice for anyone starting Midwifery is to try and be really organised, and just go for it. You can do it! My experience here has been really good fun. It has been three of the hardest years of my life, but three of the best! It has been really great.  

Heidi Burgess, BMidwifery (Hons) Midwifery (Pre Registration)

I like the community feel of UWL. You get to know all the people in your class. And all the lecturers are really lovely here, and I've got really good relationships with them.

Bethany Chapman
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Students can receive a £5000 grant per year on this course
Unicef Baby Friendly Gold logo
This course has simulation centres in London and Reading
Lifelong careers support from the UWL Careers Service.
Course detail & modules

Course detail & modules

The duration of this midwifery course is three years and has been developed with input from students, service users and our NHS partners to provide you with the academic and professional qualifications you need to be eligible to register with the NMC as a midwife.

Throughout the course, there is a strong emphasis on childbirth as a normal physiological process and you will gain a sound understanding of the role of the midwife and the foundations of midwifery care. As you progress through the course, you will develop and apply your knowledge to a variety of contexts. You will learn how to:

  • recognise and manage a range of complex and emergency situations
  • engage with current research and apply evidence to your practice
  • work as a professional, both on your own and as part of the interdisciplinary team
  • be a kind, caring and compassionate midwife who can take the lead in providing women with the best care possible in a safe, supportive environment.

You will be encouraged to work independently, as well as with peers and colleagues, to develop team-working, negotiation, communication and organisational skills.

You will spend an equal amount of time in blocks of theory and clinical practice. The theoretical element of the course is delivered through an exciting range of teaching and learning approaches; including online and face-to-face lectures, group tutorials, one-to-one learning opportunities, classroom activities, practical skills, simulation-based learning, online, and guided independent study. The University's learning platform, UWLFlex, has been developed to provide you with a personalised and supported learning experience. You will also keep an online portfolio to record and track your progress throughout the course.

Student support is very important to us and we will ensure the right conditions are in place to meet your learning needs, including access to high-quality learning materials and resources.

Midwifery course placement partners

The NMC requires all students to have a minimum of 2,300 hours of practice experience over the 3 years to be eligible to register as a midwife. At UWL, you will have 22 planned practice placement weeks each year to meet this requirement.

You will be placed with one of our partner NHS Trusts for practice placements, but also be required to gain experience across different NHS Trusts/organisations during the 3 years of the course. Your placements will be based upon available placement capacity within each organisation. Therefore, before you start the course, it is important to consider the practicalities of travelling to any one of our placement partners.

Whilst on placement, you will be fully supported by link lecturers from the university and clinical placement facilitators at the maternity unit you are placed in. You will follow the shift patterns of the midwives you work with.

We currently partner with the following healthcare organisations in Berkshire for this course:

Compulsory modules

  • Personal Health and Wellbeing for the Student Midwife

    The aim of this module enables you to identify and develop strategies for self-care and resilience and to recognise signs of vulnerability in yourself and your colleagues. In the context of exploring personal health and well-being, you will gain an understanding of how this might impact the midwife’s ability to provide professional maternity care.

  • Fundamentals of Midwifery Care

    At the end of this module, you will be able to:

    1. Demonstrate an understanding of the aims and principles of the continuum of care including the underpinning anatomy and physiology.

    2. Explore the role of the midwife in supporting women and their families through the continuum of care.

    3. Demonstrate an understanding of the evidence base underpinning basic midwifery skills.

  • Public Health and the Midwife

    The aim of this module is to introduce you to the key concepts of public health and health promotion on a local, national and global level and the role this plays within current midwifery practice. It will introduce skills and knowledge about health and well-being for the individual, the family and the population.

  • Accountability and Professional Midwifery Practice

    The aim of this module is to develop an understanding of the midwife's accountability and professional responsibility and raise awareness of the key midwifery policies that underpin these themes.

  • Foundations of Evidence for Midwifery Practice

    Midwives require knowledge and skill in research in order to evaluate and apply evidence to practice. This module will introduce you to the essential concepts and skills required which will be developed in the subsequent years of the course.

  • Midwifery Practice 1

    The aim of this module is to ensure you are able to meet the level 5 requirements within the Midwifery Ongoing Record of Achievement (MORA) for progression into the next year of the course.

    You will be assessed in a range of placements as part of a continuous assessment process; these should not be viewed as separate elements but reflect the continuum of care provided in partnership with women and their families including the concept of continuity of carer.

    This will be achieved by experience in a range of clinical practice placements, where you will participate in care under direct supervision and direction and be assessed by appropriately qualified and prepared clinical staff.

Compulsory modules

  • Developing Self as a Midwife

    This module enables you to broaden strategies for self-care and resilience to enhance self-efficacy and personal effectiveness to support your midwifery practice.

  • Safe Care for Childbearing Women and Newborn Infants with Complications

    The aim of this module is to enable you to develop your knowledge and understanding of pre-existing, current and emerging complications that affect women.

    You will gain the knowledge and critical understanding of the complications of pregnancy to enable you to give safe effective care to childbearing women, newborn infants and their families.

    This care will be based on a sound understanding of both the physiology/ pathophysiology and any pharmacological interventions that are required.

  • Holistic Care for Women and Families

    This module is designed to expand your knowledge around women-centred and evidence-informed midwifery practice, particularly in relation to promoting health in women and their families where there are additional needs.

    It will build your knowledge of public health and enable you to develop your skills and confidence to support women with additional needs, particularly around different psychological, social, cultural and spiritual situations.

  • Applying Evidence to Midwifery Practice

    This module aims to build upon previous knowledge and skills providing students with a greater understanding of the different types of evidence that inform and underpin midwifery practice.

    This module aims to develop your skills of research critique to enable you to critically discuss research findings and lessons from data and reports. This will enable you to develop the skills and confidence to promote and inform best midwifery practice and to advocate and support women when making informed decisions.

  • Leading and Managing Childbirth Emergencies

    The aim of the module is to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding required to manage emergencies around childbirth with an emphasis on team working and effective leadership. The elements of this module enable you to develop current knowledge and understanding, whilst building on learning from other modules and clinical experience.

  • Midwifery Practice 2

    The aim of this module is to ensure you are able to meet the level 6 requirements within the Midwifery Ongoing Record of Achievement (MORA) for progression into the next year of your course. You will be assessed in a range of placements as part of a continuous assessment process; these should not be viewed as separate elements but reflect the continuum of care provided in partnership with women and their families including the concept of continuity of carer. This will be achieved by experience in a range of clinical practice placements, where you will contribute to care with decreasing supervision and direction and be assessed by appropriately qualified and prepared clinical staff.

Compulsory modules

  • Midwifery Assessment and Response to Deteriorating Health

    The aim of this module is to extend your knowledge and application to clinical practice of complex pregnancies with a focus on comprehensive and systematic assessment, initial responses to and appropriate referral of the woman who becomes acutely unwell. Assessment of fetal/newborn wellbeing is integral to the care given to the mother and will be included in this module.

  • Individualised Care for Women and Newborn Infants with Complex Needs

    The aim of this module is to prepare you to act as coordinator of care and provide ongoing person-centred holistic care as part of the interdisciplinary and multiagency teams for women and infants with complex needs, using an evidence-based and best practice approach. This will incorporate the role of continuity of carer.

  • From Student to Midwife

    The aim of this module is to enable you to competently make the transition from student to the registered midwife. It will enable you to practice and equip you with the skills and professional knowledge to practice within the guidance of the NMC Code and in a variety of maternity settings.

  • Evaluating Quality in Maternity Care

    This module aims to build upon the knowledge and skills acquired from the previous research experience. You will build upon your searching, retrieval and appraisal skills as you develop as a discerning practitioner and consolidate your knowledge and understanding of the various types of evidence available to inform practice.

    You will refine your appraisal skills to enable you to critically evaluate the evidence and make recommendations for practice whilst developing your skills in leadership, change management and quality improvement (QI). This will assist you with the proposal of innovation, improvement or evaluation in practice as part of the QI agenda.

  • Autonomous Midwife

    You will transition from being a student midwife to being ready for your own autonomous midwifery practice once registered with the NMC. You will have worked through authentic clinical scenarios and be able to show your decision-making as a practitioner within a multi-disciplinary team whilst remaining cognisant of your professional values.

  • Midwifery Practice 3

    The aim of this module is to ensure you are able to meet the level 7 requirements within the Midwifery Ongoing Record of Achievement (MORA). This will be assessed in a range of clinical practice placements, where you will be able to demonstrate proficiency in the care of women and their families under appropriate supervision. You will be assessed by appropriately qualified and prepared clinical staff and at the point of midwifery registration, you are required to demonstrate that you meet both the requirements of the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the European Directive recognition of professional qualifications.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

120 UCAS points required from level 3 qualifications

These can include A levels or other level 3 qualifications including an accredited science-based Access to HE Diploma qualification in:

  • Health and Social Care
  • Nursing
  • Midwifery
  • a similar subject area with 60 credits overall and at least 45 at level three.

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

If you are studying an access course then you need a minimum of 24 distinctions.

 

If you have a disability or a specific learning difficulty and require reasonable adjustments, please let us know ahead of time. We can ensure appropriate support is in place. Please contact the Wellbeing Team on wellbeing.team@uwl.ac.uk or 0208 231 2739 to discuss your support requirements.

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.

Occupational Health and DBS

All offers are subject to satisfactory:

  • enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
  • occupational health clearance - the Department of Health requires all new Exposure Prone Procedures (EPP) workers, including students, to be tested for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. The consent, test and managed process of results will be carried out by our Occupational Health Provider. 

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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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.

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. Eligible students can also continue to access funding for tuition and maintenance loans from the Student Loans Company.

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

Clare Gordon

Clare Gordon

I have always been involved in teaching and learning as a midwife, initially as a mentor and then as a lecturer at UWL. I have a wealth of experience across all aspects of midwifery care but have a particular interest in public health within midwifery practice, evidence-based practice and the normality of pregnancy and birth. This is reflected in the modules that I teach across in the midwifery curriculum.

I have always been involved in teaching and learning as a midwife, initially as a mentor and then as a lecturer at UWL. I have a wealth of experience across all aspects of midwifery care but have a particular interest in public health within midwifery practice, evidence-based practice and the normality of pregnancy and birth. This is reflected in the modules that I teach across in the midwifery curriculum.

Study & career progression

Study & career progression

A midwifery student at one of the simulation centres at the University of West London

This course will prepare you to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the regulatory body for midwives. 

Most of our graduates go on to work with the NHS Trust where they worked on placement or with another prominent NHS Trust. 

As a qualified midwife, you could work in a range of settings, including:

  • within the community
  • in a hospital
  • as part of a case loading team 
  • in the private sector.

See the NHS careers website to find out more. 

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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Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to ensuring that 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 midwives to explore the standards appropriate to your chosen course.

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.