2025/26 entry
MSc Nursing (Mental Health)
Why study Nursing (Mental Health) at Liverpool John Moores University?
- Join our two-year degree to qualify as a Registered Mental Health Nurse.
- Designed for Level 6 graduates in any field, with approximately six months care or health experience.
- £6,000 per year NHS Training Grant as standard for Mental Health Nursing students living in England, Wales and Northern Ireland plus another £2,000 for students with dependent children (eligibility criteria apply).
- Learn in professional-standard clinical simulation suites.
- Fantastic placements across a range of clinical and civic service areas.
About this course
The MSc Nursing with Registered Status programme will prepare you for the complex, demanding, and rewarding arena of mental health nursing. This programme supports you to become a proficient, safe and accountable practitioner, who can deliver person-centred, evidence based and effective care.
The programme is a full time programme delivered across two years.
Year 1 of the programme consists of 4 modules totalling 90 credits, building upon the healthcare experience that you already have. You will embed the theoretical understanding of contemporary nursing practice alongside development of complex nursing skills within clinical practice. You will further develop knowledge of evidence based practice and begin to explore the role of research within nursing.
Year 2 of the programme also consists of 4 modules totalling 90 credits, enabling you to develop skills as an emerging autonomous practitioner with a deep theoretical and practical understanding of the complexities of nursing care and how nurses can support, empower and advocate for the best interests of patients.
Professional body recognition
This programme meets the standards of the NMC Future Nurse: Standards of proficiency for registered nurses (NMC, 2023).
Fees and funding
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students
Fees
The fees quoted at the top of this page cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:
- library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
- access to programme-appropriate software
- library and student IT support
- free on-campus wifi via eduroam
Additional costs
Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:
- accommodation and living expenditure
- books (should you wish to have your own copies)
- printing, photocopying and stationery
- PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
- mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
- field trips (travel and activity costs)
- placements (travel expenses and living costs)
- student visas (international students only)
- study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
- academic conferences (travel costs)
- professional-body membership
- graduation (gown hire etc)
Funding
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages.
Please be aware that the UK’s departure from the EU may affect your tuition fees. Learn more about your fee status and which tuition fees are relevant to you.
Fees
The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:
- Library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to programme-appropriate software
- Library and student IT support
- Free on-campus wifi via eduroam
- Funding
- Opportunities for funding may be available through your workplace employer or alternatively through the
Postgraduate Masters Loan scheme. More information can be found https://www.gov.uk/masters-loan
Employability
Further your career prospects
LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
The programme is designed to reinforce the graduate attributes required to progress within
the NHS workforce. This programme enables graduate workers within the NHS and healthcare workforce to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes required to enhance their career
development. It also reflects the need to support service demand within the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (2023) across the healthcare sector.
The student experience
Discover life as a postgraduate student at LJMU.
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Course modules
Discover the building blocks of your programme
Your programme is made up of a number of core modules which are part of the course framework. Some programmes also have optional modules that can be selected to enhance your learning in certain areas and many feature a dissertation, extended report or research project to demonstrate your advanced learning.
The programme consists of four modules per academic year. This includes three core modules and one field specific module.
Within year one of study, you will undertake the following modules:
- Assessing Health Needs
- Research and Evidence-based Safety and Quality in Nursing Care
- Managing Complex Care Delivery in Mental Health Nursing
- Developing Practice Learning
Within year two of study, you will complete the following modules to develop your skills of critical enquiry and leadership:
- Planning and Evaluating Mental Health Nursing Care
- Leading and Managing Effective Nursing Care
- Critical Enquiry in Health
- Consolidating Practice Learning
Core modules
Planning and Evaluating Mental Health Nursing Care
20 credits
This module will equip students to apply patient centred care approaches to care planning across the lifespan. This will include an understanding of effective communication, identifying and reducing barriers to person centred care and how to evaluate current care. Students will be able to critically appraise how mental health nursing processes support individualised care delivery.
In this module the indicative content will specifically be applied within the context of Mental Health Nursing.
Leading & Managing Effective Nursing Care
20 credits
The primary focus of this module will be to further develop the concept of leadership that was introduced in year one of the programme with an emphasis on supporting and developing team members. Students will also be introduced to the principles of prescribing and will develop the skills required to progress to a prescribing qualification following registration
Critical Enquiry in Health
30 credits
This module will equip the student with the underpinning knowledge and skills required for their role in contributing to risk monitoring and quality of care improvement agendas. They will develop an understanding of health legislation and current health and social care policies, and the mechanisms involved in influencing policy . Students will also broaden their understanding of the principles of health economics and their relevance to resource allocation in health and social care organisations and other agencies.
Consolidating Practice Learning
20 credits
This module will enable students to complete part 3 of the NMC Future Nurse standards of proficiency. This module will facilitate support a students' transition to registered nurse status through consolidation of prior learning within clinical practice. They will be supported to develop an understanding of future responsibilities once qualified, such as revalidation and practice supervision.
Assessing Health Needs
20 credits
This module enables you to develop a critical understanding of multidisciplinary and partnership working when supporting people to make healthy choices.
Research and Evidence-based Safety and Quality in Nursing Care
30 credits
This module will enable students to demonstrate their research capabilities through the exploration of the factors which impact upon safe, quality nursing care. Students will be able to demonstrate a critical understanding of the application of legislation and policy which informs nursing care. They will be able to evidence a critical awareness of human factors and how risk management is utilised to promote safe practice.
Managing Complex Care Delivery in Mental Health Nursing
20 credits
This module will prepare students to plan and evaluate complex care delivery within the context of Mental Health Nursing. This will include developing an understanding of how to support patients, and families, at the end of life. This module will further support students to develop a conceptual understanding of complex care delivery within Mental Health Nursing.
Developing Practice Learning
20 credits
The aim of this module is to support students in achieving proficiencies for registered nurses that are aligned to Part 2 of the Practice Assessment Document. In addition, students will be directed and supported to develop an understanding of the theory that underpins the NMC Standards of Proficiency Annexe B Nursing Procedures.
Teaching
An insight into teaching on your course
The programme utilises a variety of teaching and learning approaches that are designed to engage and inspire students. These include lectures, seminars, group work activities, simulation and tutorials. LJMU’s Learning and Teaching Strategy 2023-2030 has guided the programme delivery to ensure that you develop and utilise progressively higher order postgraduate skills throughout the modules, as well as subject specific knowledge and skills as you become inquiring and confident learners.
The NMC Standards for Pre-registration Nursing Programmes (NMC 2023) is also reflected in the teaching learning and assessment to ensure that you will receive the appropriate breadth of knowledge and experience required as a Registered Adult Nurse.
In addition to theoretical teaching, learning and assessment, you will also experience learning within practice environments.
We use an active blended learning approach at LJMU. This means you will attend face to face teaching on campus - usually at the School of Nursing and Advanced Practice, based in the Tithebarn Building (part of our City Campus), along with independent learning and work online. Examples of online activity include asynchronous tutorial discussions, discussion boards and collaborative or individual projects such as wikis, padlets, blogs and e-portfolios.
You will be taught by a team of professionally qualified and experienced academic staff, who have experience in designing, developing and delivering professional programmes.. This team liaise closely with with your practice supervisors and assessors to ensure you are supported in consolidating theoretical learning in the practice learning environment. .
Assessment
How learning is monitored on your programme
To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.
In each academic year you will have to undertake three summative theoretical assessments: one for each theoretical module. Assessment methods will be authentic to nursing to demonstrate knowledge and competency, in preparation of ‘real-world’ tasks that you will be expected to experience in your professional career.
Formative assessments will also take place both within the theoretical and practice learning environment. To prepare for summative theoretical assessments, you will be given the opportunity to practice the appropriate skills that relate to the variety of assessment methods that are utilised throughout the programme. This will enable you to adequately prepare for written, verbal, practical and examination forms of assessment in each year of study.
Course tutors
Our staff are committed to the highest standards of teaching and learning
Christopher Kiely
Programme Leader
Christopher qualified as a Registered Nurse (Adult) in 1997. Following qualification, Christopher gained experienced in a range of settings including acute care, sexual health and community settings. In 2006, Christopher pursued further studies leading to the award of MSc Leadership in Healthcare with qualification as a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (Health Visiting) and was subsequently employed as a health visitor in the north west region. In 2024, Christopher joined the team at Liverpool John Moores University, having gained university teaching experience across three other higher education institutions in the United Kingdom. Currently, Christopher is the programme lead for LJMU's postgraduate, pre-registration MSc Nursing degrees.
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Lecturer/ Senior Lecturer
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Lecturer/ Senior Lecturer
School facilities
What you can expect from your School
Part of the City Campus, the School of Nursing and Advanced Practice is based in the Tithebarn Building, adjoining the Avril Robarts Library, which is open seven days a week. In addition to specialist clinical practice suite facilities, you will find high quality seminar rooms, IT suites and lecture theatres, plus a café and social spaces.
Entry requirements
You will need:
Qualification requirements
Undergraduate degree
- A first honours degree; 2:2 or above.
- Any overseas qualifications should be equivalent to UK qualifications which meet our entry requirements. If you have completed your degree outside the UK, we will require a clear copy of your degree documentation to ensure UK ENIC comparability. Please note that all applicants who are invited to interview will be required to present their original degree documentation
GCSEs and equivalents
- English and Maths GCSE at grade A* - C / 4-9 (please contact our Admissions team if you have equivalent qualifications)
Additional requirements
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Relevant work experience
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate a minimum of 700 hours current healthcare experience. This can be through either paid or voluntary work, but must be verifiable by a supervisor or line manager.
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Interview required
All applicants submitting a valid portfolio will be interviewed
International requirements
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IELTS
For International students entry requirements will include IELTs Grade required (Minimum standards – courses may vary): 6.0 Overall with 5.5 in each component.
Further information
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Extra Requirements
Satisfy the requirements of the Nursing & Midwifery Council in respect of physical and mental fitness and will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure indicating that you meet the mandatory criteria of ‘Clearance to Work with Children and/or Vulnerable Adults
Participation in values based recruitment.
All applicants are required to submit a portfolio to demonstrate recognition of prior learning of how their previous care experience and graduate studies have equipped them to undertake an accelerated nursing programme, in line with Part 1 of the NMC Future Nurse: standards of proficiency for registered nurses (NMC, 2023).
Application and selection
Securing your place at LJMU
UCAS is the application route for this full-time programme. Further information on the UCAS application process can be found here https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/study/undergraduate-students/how-to-apply.
All applicants are required to submit a portfolio to demonstrate recognition of prior learning of how their previous care experience and graduate studies have equipped them to undertake an accelerated nursing programme, in line with Part 1 of the NMC Future Nurse: standards of proficiency for registered nurses (NMC, 2023).
The University reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. Where this does happen, the University operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.