MSc Nursing (Mental Health)
- Entry year:
- 2025/26
- Start date:
- September
- Study mode:
- Full-time
- Course duration:
- 2 years
- Campus:
- City
Why study this course with LJMU?
- 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.
Course modules
Discover the building blocks of your programme
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
Further guidance on modules
Modules are designated core or optional in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU’s Academic Framework Regulations. Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules provide you with an element of choice. Their availability may vary and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.
Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.
Core modules
Professional accreditation
This programme meets the standards of the NMC Future Nurse: Standards of proficiency for registered nurses (NMC, 2023).
Your Learning Experience
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. .
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.
Where you will study
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.
Course tutors
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
Career paths
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.
Tuition fees and funding
- Full-time per year:
- £9,535
Fees
The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as library membership and student IT support with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources including programme-appropriate software and on campus wifi.
Financial Support
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. The University offers a range of financial support for students. You'll find all the information you need on our specialist financial support pages including details of the Student Support Fund and other activities to support with the cost of living.
Additional Costs
In addition to fees, students should also keep in mind the cost of:
- Accommodation
- Travel costs and field trips unless paid for by LJMU
- Stationery, IT equipment, professional body membership and graduation gown hire
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
Entry requirements
You will need:
Qualification requirements
How to apply
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.
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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.