Course Overview

Our MSc Nursing top-up course allows you to investigate a topic important to you and your work place. We will give you the support you need to complete your dissertation while you work in the field. You will cover the whole research process, from ethics approval to writing your final report, with the guidance of an allocated supervisor. Students must have completed a PGDip in Nursing (pre-qualifying) with NMC registration. Students should have 120 credits at Level 6 and 7, where 90 credits are from Level 7.

What will I study?

During the course you will receive support from our skilled academics as you complete your dissertation project, whilst continuing to work in the field.

The project you will complete will be one of the following:

• an independent piece of research
• a work-based project
• systematic literature review
• audit or service development.

You will identify a suitable research topic, evaluate the literature, analyse your findings and reach conclusions. By the end of the course, you will also understand how research findings can shape future research or influence practice.

We encourage you to share experiences and knowledge with your peer group. You will be part of a strong community of nurses who have the same goal of providing excellent care. The experiences you share are important to help you develop as a nurse.

Honing your critical thinking and leadership skills, you will learn to make better decisions, and be well equipped to lead large teams of nurses effectively in caring for patients.

How will I be taught and assessed?

The course makes use of a range of flexible learning and assessment approaches, to ensure you learn in the way that suits you best. We will be looking, in particular, at how well you apply the theory to your own nursing and leadership practice.

You will benefit from strong support throughout, with personal and link tutors at the university, and a practice teacher supporting you to learn in your trust.

As one of the largest providers of student nurses in the North West London area, BNU has partnerships with a number of local NHS trusts.

We value the relationships between professionals and patients. By the end of the course, you'll share our vision of improving the access to high quality services within the NHS and local communities. Our Trust partners include:

• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• London North West Healthcare NHS Trust
• Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust.

We will give you the support you need to complete your dissertation while you work in the field. The course will cover the whole research process from ethics approval to writing your final report – and you will investigate a topic important to your workplace.

What are my career prospects?

We'll increase your knowledge and develop the way you think. You'll leave the course confident that you are prepared for the next step in your career. You will be motivated to continue contributing to improving the quality of professional care and support within the UK.

Achieving your MSc will boost your CV and make you stand out to employers. You are likely to find you have additional opportunities for employment because of your advanced skill set and commitment to your nursing career.