MSc Nursing Studies (Full-Time)
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A flexible online master's designed for a global audience of leaders and aspiring leaders in Nursing and healthcare
In its career progression tips, the Royal College of Nursing emphasises the value of Nursing MSc degrees and the importance of building your professional network.
The 100% online MSc Nursing Studies from the University of Sunderland has been designed to equip registered nurses in the UK and across the world with the knowledge, skills and network to succeed in senior nursing, midwifery and healthcare roles and to advance to higher pay bands, or develop greater depth and understanding within their current roles and scope of practice.
This is a master’s degree that builds on your current experience to further develop your knowledge, skills and capacity in the four pillars of advanced practice (as defined by NHS Education) – education, research, clinical practice and leadership – through a combination of studying key theories, approaches and the available evidence base, using case-based analysis and critical appraisal skills.
The content of the course is aligned to the four pillars of advanced practice outlined by NHS Education and the multi- professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England.
What will you study?
Studying for the MSc Nursing Studies, you will learn how to critically evaluate current research and advance scholarship that is specifically related to nursing practice and healthcare, including teaching and learning, leadership and service or practice development and improvement.
This master’s course allows you to specialise in a field of interest and develops your skills of self-direction, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making and originality in complex and unpredictable situations. You will learn how to autonomously plan and implement tasks and continue to advance your knowledge and understanding of advanced nursing and innovation in healthcare, developing new skills to a high level.
Key knowledge and skills taught on this course:
- Leadership and management in a healthcare context
- Quality improvement, innovation and change management
- Health inequalities and determinants of health
- Digital literacy in healthcare
- Supporting diversity
- Strategic approaches in global health and care policy
- Workforce development and maximising workforce potential
- Patient carer and public involvement concepts and policies
- Innovation in healthcare
A university with a global outlook and a culture of collaborative learning and diversity of thought
There is a high percentage of international students at University of Sunderland, and we have students studying by distance learning around the world. Sunderland is also one of the UK’s leading widening participation Universities and 7th in the UK for social inclusion (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024).
Our diversity credentials and global outlook are underlined by the fact that we have nearly 6,000 international students studying with the University of Sunderland. We’re immensely proud of our campuses in Hong Kong, Sunderland and London, as well as our many global partnerships including in the Caribbean, Greece, Kenya, Malaysia, Lanka, Oman, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tashkent and Vietnam. Our teaching and learning philosophy is based on encouraging diverse learner cohorts of professionals to collaborate within a bespoke learning environment, benefiting from different cultures and perspectives. It is clear to us that this provides students with a broader set of insights and leads to a richer and more meaningful learning experience.
Admission requirements
- NMC registration or equivalent from another country and<br> <ul><li>a UK 2.2 undergraduate honours degree or UK master’s degree in nursing or a health-related discipline (or international equivalent)</li></ul>
- A third-class or UK ordinary degree with 18 months of relevant work experience.<br></br>NMC registration is accepted as proof of English language ability.<br></br>This course does not lead to NMC registration.<br><br>Please note: the course is designed for registered nurses and is not suitable for nursing associates, nursing assistants or healthcare assistants.
Fees Total
7800
Per 15-credit module
650
Fees
If you are based in the UK, you may be eligible for a government-backed postgraduate loan to cover the full costs of the course.
In addition, if you have successfully completed an undergraduate degree at the University of Sunderland, you are eligible for a 10% tuition fees reduction on our postgraduate programmes.
You pay tuition fees for each module taken, either module-by-module or in full at the start of your course.
If you pay module-by-module, you will pay in instalments of £650.
Modules
As we work in an increasingly technological environment, there is a need to further understand the implications of advances in technology for nurses and the nursing workforce. Through exploring and evaluating issues relating to telehealth and e-learning, this module examines the concept of the ‘e-nurse’ and how to develop capability and capacity in this aspect of providing care and developing services.
This module introduces key themes associated with leadership and management. It explores and critiques the complexities of management and leadership theories and their application and influence in the context of health and healthcare. You will develop your skills in key areas of leadership, self-assessment and self-awareness.
This module focuses on quality improvement and patient safety in healthcare. Healthcare organisations and systems face a common set of performance and people development challenges, and are under unprecedented pressure to deliver high quality care, in a context of rising demand and constrained funding and with an increasing need for innovation and transformation in service design to improve quality and safety. You will explore the foundations of improvement methodology, change models and innovation in healthcare settings.
This module builds on the foundation learning and evaluation of leadership, management and improvement methodologies and explores them in a wider context. It analyses the role of strategic and system approaches to leadership and improvement in the context of wider health and care issues including global healthcare.
This module examines determinants of health, including socio-economic, environmental, individual and family factors. Through critically reviewing health inequalities, it evaluates impacts on health and well-being and considers implications for practitioners, services and policy development.
Through examining diversity in learning theories and approaches, this module explores the implications for nursing knowledge and practice of supporting and educating others within the healthcare setting and professional learning context.
This module explores nursing and the nursing role, its development and issues associated with changes to it. It examines the scope of practice, accountability and interprofessional working and responsibilities – at individual, professional and organisational levels.
This module examines evidence, key concepts and policies related to patient involvement, shared decision-making and involvement, critically reviewing whether there has been a shift from a paternalistic, tokenistic approach to meaningful patient-centred care and involvement. It explores this in relation to implications for the individual practitioner as well as wider service and policy delivery and development.
This module enables you to develop understanding and critical appraisal skills in quantitative research and its associated components, applying these in relation to nursing and healthcare.
This module builds on the quantitative research methods module and enables you to develop an understanding and critical appraisal skills in qualitative research and its associated components, applying these in relation to nursing and healthcare.
This dissertation module enables you to consolidate and apply your learning from the programme in an area of interest or speciality of your choice. Through systematically examining and appraising the evidence base you will seek to answer a research question and make recommendations for practice, policy and improvement.
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