Undergraduate Course
Nursing (Mental Health) BSc (Hons)
This degree will prepare you for a rewarding career in mental health nursing. You will learn to lead person-centred care and make positive contributions to health and wellbeing.
As a mental health nurse you will work with people experiencing emotional distress and people who are extremely vulnerable, supporting them to recover their independence and quality of life. You will develop caring, healing relationships with those in need of mental health support, helping them to find meaning and hope and overcome the challenges they face.
100% 100% of Nursing students felt that their course provided them with opportunities to develop understanding and appreciation of diversity and difference in society. (National Student Survey 2024)
93% Nursing students responded with a 93% positivity score for how well teaching staff supported their learning. (National Student Survey 2024)
Nursing and Midwifery Council
York campus
- UCAS code – B762
- Duration – 3 years full time
- Start date – September 2025
- School – School of Science, Technology and Health
Minimum entry requirements
112 UCAS Tariff points
3 GCSEs at grade C/4 (or equivalent) including English Language, Mathematics and a Science. Functional Skills are accepted as equivalencies.
Tuition fees
UK 2025 entry £9,250 per year full time
Discover Nursing
Dr Rosalind Brownlow, Programme Lead, introduces us to Nursing at York St John University.
Course overview
At York St John University we take a whole person approach to nursing, seeing human beings as whole systems inseparable from their environment. We consider the biological, psychological, sociological, and spiritual aspects of individuals and their capacity for health and healing. Our approach is also inclusive and community focused, encouraging partnership and collaboration to challenge inequality and promote social justice.
This course combines theoretical study with extensive practice placements to fully prepare you for your career in adult nursing. Work-based placements will make up half of your time on this course, and you will have the chance to work with people of varied ages and backgrounds in urban, rural and coastal communities across the region. Our wide range of community placements include GP practices, residential care homes and hospitals.
In your university-based learning, small class sizes mean you will benefit from individual support from our highly experienced team. You will also benefit from learning alongside students from related subjects such as Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Biomedical Science, offering opportunities to expand your understanding further.
We will support you to:
- Make a positive contribution towards the health and wellbeing of people across their lifespan
- Become self aware and reflective in your practice
- Develop coaching and leadership skills alongside your technical and clinical skills
- Actively engage in research throughout your degree, understanding the importance of evidence-based nursing
- Learn practical self care techniques which allow you to flourish in the face of challenges
Not sure which course to choose? Our two nursing courses share core elements while also offering specialist training in your chosen area.
Course structure
Year 1
Our academic year is split into 2 semesters.
In your first year you will study:
- 1 compulsory module in semester 1
- 1 compulsory module in semester 2
- 1 compulsory module which runs across both semesters
- 1 compulsory practice learning module with practice learning placements across the academic year
You can find out which modules are available in each semester on the Course Specifications.
Modules
Credits: 40
Compulsory module
This is a work-based learning module which runs across the academic year. You will be closely guided by experienced professionals throughout your placements, as you gain confidence and competence in your nursing practice. The placements you experience on this module will reflect your mental health nursing specialism, and there are also opportunities to explore alternative fields and enrichment placements. This module also includes taught sessions, which will support your practical learning and give you opportunities to reflect on your ongoing development.
Credits: 40
Compulsory module
This module will run across both semesters, in parallel with your work-based learning module (Nursing Practice 1). It will provide a theoretical foundation for your learning, as well as including opportunities to practise your skills and take part in simulation experiences. Learning about the anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of key body systems will prepare you to deliver safe and effective nursing care. We will introduce you to:
- The principles of integrative nursing and person-centred care
- Medicines administration
- Clinical simulation
- Physical and mental first aid
- Communication skills in nursing
Credits: 20
Compulsory module
This module will help you develop the academic skills needed to make the most of your university experience. There is also a focus on the professional, ethical and legal principles that will underpin your professional practice. On this module you will:
- Reflect on your personal strengths, values and behaviours and relate them to your professional practice and identity
- Consider the nature of leadership in health care, reflecting on personal qualities, attitudes, skills and behaviours
- Identify your own self care needs, as well as learning the skills to manage them and increase your personal resilience
- Find evidence to inform your nursing practice
Credits: 20
Compulsory module
On this module we will introduce you to the key concepts of:
- Health
- Health assessment
- Health promotion
- Health protection
- Health beliefs
- Illness prevention
The focus will be on assessing the health and wellbeing of people from diverse communities in a range of different environments. In doing so you will consider biological, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of health, as well as the person's capacity for health, healing, and recovery. Through this you will consider the impact of the social, political and economic environment on health and explore the relationship between people's values, beliefs and health. You will examine scientific perspectives on physical and mental health, including genomics, precision health and health screening.
Year 2
In your second year you will study:
- 1 compulsory module in semester 1
- 1 compulsory module in semester 2
- 1 compulsory module which runs across both semesters
- 1 compulsory practice learning module with practice learning placements across the academic year
You can find out which modules are available in each semester on the Course Specifications.
Modules
Credits: 40
Compulsory module
In your second year you will continue to develop your professional skills by progressing onto the next stage of your work-based learning. By this stage of the course you will be actively participating in care, with minimal guidance, as your confidence and competence further increases. Your progress on this module will continue to be supported by taught sessions, which will help you to develop your coaching skills.
Credits: 40
Compulsory module
This module will run across both semesters, in parallel with your work-based learning module (Nursing Practice 2). It will provide an ongoing theoretical foundation to complement and support your practical learning. You will benefit from valuable opportunities to apply nursing principles in simulation scenarios, before encountering them in your practice placements. It will also allow you to build confidence in:
- Supporting people experiencing health challenges
- Identifying signs of deteriorations in health
- Communicating with people in your care, their families and other professional teams
- Making clinical decisions
- Providing safe, effective person-centred care
- Discussing therapeutic interventions and supportive options with people in your care
- Identifying signs of dying
- Working sensitively with those who self-harm
Credits: 20
Compulsory module
This module will help you to develop your skills as an evidence-based practitioner, preparing you for the research project which you will carry out in your final year. You will learn to:
- Develop research questions and methodology
- Find and review appropriate evidence
- Design, plan and complete applications for ethical approval
You can work individually or as part of a collaborative group, and you can choose to focus on:
- Primary research (for example a survey or case study)
- Secondary research (for example a literature review)
- A service evaluation
Credits: 20
Compulsory module
On this module you will learn to engage meaningfully, sensitively and effectively with people to make shared decisions about health and care. To do this you will analyse a range of models and strategies that support person-centred discussions about health. Your learning will be focused around the principles of:
- Whole person health, healing, and recovery
- Partnership working
- Negotiated approaches to care
There will be opportunities throughout the module to engage in health coaching, and practice negotiating and making shared decisions about health.
Year 3
In your second year you will study:
- 1 compulsory module in semester 1
- 1 compulsory module in semester 2
- 1 compulsory module which runs across both semesters
- 1 compulsory practice learning module with practice learning placements across the academic year
You can find out which modules are available in each semester on the Course Specifications.
Modules
Credits: 40
Compulsory module
In your third year you will further refine your professional skills by progressing onto the final stage of your work-based learning. By this stage of the course you will be practising independently, with minimal supervision, leading and coordinating care with confidence. Your taught sessions will help you to develop your leadership skills, as well as supporting you with the transition to registration and professional practice.
Credits: 40
Compulsory module
Through this module you will contribute to the ongoing evidence base which supports safe, effective nursing and whole person care. You will conduct an ethically sound, well-managed project with the supervision of an experienced member of the academic team. This will enable you to gain experience of using research methodologies and insight into the role of evidence in service improvement. The type of research investigation you undertake could include:
- Primary research (for example a survey or case study)
- Secondary research (for example a literature review)
- A service evaluation
Credits: 20
Compulsory module
On this module you will explore how nurses work to promote health and healing, address health inequalities, and champion social justice. You will engage in discussion and debate, articulating your ideas and evaluating global health challenges from a whole person, whole systems perspective. This will include interrogating population data, examining the commoditisation of health, and reviewing global trends in health and wellbeing. We will encourage you to reflect on your experience of working in the UK health system, considering the current system in relation to nursing and health care around the globe.
Credits: 20
Compulsory module
On this module you will learn to recognise the signs of deteriorating physical and mental health, and support people with complex health needs. You will demonstrate your leadership and management skills by leading, planning and evaluating the nursing care of people in challenging and crisis situations. You will maintain a whole person focus throughout the module by referring to the humanisation of nursing framework to evaluate the quality of care. You will examine the legal and ethical aspects of complex care, exploring issues such as do-not-attempt-cardiopulmonary-resuscitation decisions, or caring for people under home office restrictions.
Teaching and assessment
Teaching and learning
Throughout your degree you will experience different methods of teaching and learning. This will include:
- Lectures with the whole Nursing cohort
- Seminars and workshops specific to Mental Health Nursing
- Individual and group tutorials
- Coaching and reflective sessions
- Practical sessions in our Clinical Simulation Unit.
We use Technology Enhanced Learning to create a varied learning experience. This will include online lectures, discussion groups and online learning activities. You can also practice your nursing skills in the virtual world and develop your drug calculations and medicines administration skills electronically. There is an online portfolio to help you track your learning and review your achievements in work-based placements.
You will expected to continue learning independently through self-directed study when not in timetabled sessions or work-based placements. Online library resources, such as nursing subject guides, databases and eBooks and eJournals are easy to access and help to support your study.
Our teaching draws on both our research and professional experience. This means your learning is informed by the most current thinking in the subject area.
Assessment
Assessment types vary from module to module and could include:
- Practical assessments
- Health numeracy exams
- Presentations
- Written assignments
- Work-based assessments.
For each assessment you will have a practice assignment before your formal submission. This allows us to give you feedback and support your ongoing development as you progress. We may also ask you to provide feedback to the other students as part of reflective learning and coaching activities.
Career outcomes
Your future with a degree in Mental Health Nursing
This course will prepare you for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and moving into a rewarding career in mental health nursing. Your learning will be centred around the standards and benchmarks required of the Nursing and Midwifery Council. In your final year we will support you as you move towards registration with sessions designed to prepare you for this transition. You will leave with specialised skills in mental health nursing, but could also go on to work in other areas of the profession.
Discover more career options on Prospects careers advice pages.
Whatever your ambitions, we can help you get there.
Our careers service, LaunchPad, provides career support tailored to your ambitions. Through this service you can access:
- Employer events
- LinkedIn, CV and cover letter sessions
- Workshops on application writing and interview skills
- Work experience and volunteering opportunities
- Personalised career advice
This support does not end when you graduate. You can access our expert career advice for the rest of your life. We will help you gain experience and confidence to succeed.
Entry requirements
Qualifications
Minimum entry requirements
112 UCAS Tariff points
3 GCSEs at grade C/4 (or equivalent) including English Language, Mathematics and a Science. Functional Skills are accepted as equivalencies.
Calculate your UCAS Tariff points
Your 112 UCAS points must come from one of:
- BBC at A Level (excluding General Studies)
- Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject
- DMM in a BTEC National Extended Diploma in a relevant subject
- T Level in a Health and Science courses. You will need to achieve a minimum of a grade P (A*-C in the Core)
Additional requirements
For entry onto this course you will also need to meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council's (2018) requirements for selection. This includes completion of a declaration of Good Health and Good Character, Occupational Health and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance.
You will need to demonstrate you understand the role of a nurse, you could do this through identifying some experience in caring. Your experience can be in any care setting, or an environment that gives your insight into healthcare practice. We do not require a specific amount of caring experience. If you struggle to identify caring experience, detailed insight into a Nursing career through online research is acceptable, and you will be able to demonstrate this at interview.
International students
For 2024 entry this course will not be suitable for students who require a student visa to study.
Recognition of Prior Learning
You may also be able to access the course through Recognition of Prior Learning.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council can allow entry through recognition of prior learning. You will need to be able to map this to the Standards of Proficiency for registered nurses and programme outcomes, up to a maximum of 50% of the course. If you are a registered nurse, this may be mapped to more than 50%.
Any modules you wish to be considered during this process must come from another Nursing and Midwifery Council approved nursing programme. You must complete the relevant mapping documents to apply via the Recognition of Prior Learning route.
RPL Mapping document Level 4 (Year 1) (Word, 38KB)
RPL Mapping document Level 5 (Year 2) (Word, 22KB)
RPL Mapping process (Word, 66KB)
Interview
If we think your application is outstanding, we will invite you for an interview. We do not interview every applicant. Find out more about the Nursing interviews, what you will need and what you can expect on the day.
Terms and conditions
Our terms and conditions, policies and procedures contain important information about studying at York St John University. You can read them on our Admissions page.
Fees and funding
To study for an undergraduate degree with us, you will need to pay tuition fees for your course. How much you pay depends on whether you live inside the UK, or internationally (outside the UK). Tuition fees may be subject to inflation in future years.
UK 2025 entry
The tuition fee for 2025 entry onto this course is £9,250 per year for full time study.
This price applies to all UK, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man students.
You can find out more about funding your degree by visiting our funding opportunities page.
NHS Funding
As a student nurse you will be eligible for a training grant, and you can apply for the £5,000 NHS Learner Support Fund each year. You will also be able to claim for placement travel costs and any temporary accommodation you use while on placement. Your uniform and DBS checks will be funded by the University.
Tuition fees
UK 2025 entry £9,250 per year full time
International 2025 entry
For 2025 entry this course will not be suitable for students who require a student visa to study.
Additional costs and financial support
There may also be some additional costs to take into account throughout your studies, including the cost of accommodation.
Course-related costs
While studying for your degree, there may be additional costs related to your course.
Costs included in your fees
Uniform provision, Occupational Health Screening, and Disclosure and Barring Service checks are included in course fees. You will need to fund replacement uniforms if necessary.
Professional indemnity fees
Students will need to pay professional indemnity fees (approximately £10.00 per year). This is normally covered through the membership of a professional association such as the Royal College of Nursing or Unison.
Travel and accommodation on placements
You can reclaim any additional travel or accommodations costs that are placement related through the NHS Learning Support Fund.
Accommodation and living costs
For detailed information on accommodation and living costs, visit our Accommodation pages.
Financial help and support
Our Funding Advice team are here to help you with your finances throughout your degree. They offer a personal service that can help you with funding your studies and budgeting for living expenses.
For advice on everything from applying for scholarships to finding additional financial support email fundingadvice@yorksj.ac.uk.