Nursing: Mental Health (PGDip)

You’ll need a 2.2 degree as well as GCSE English language, mathematics and science, grades 4 to 9 or A* to C.

Alumni from our PGDip Mental Health Nursing programme have come from a range of academic backgrounds, from English, fine art and archaeology to business, accounting and law.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Our pre-registration postgraduate diplomas and master’s degrees in nursing are accelerated courses, so they're shorter than usual.

To make sure we meet the requirements of the NMC, we must assess your previous learning and healthcare experience. This happens as part of our Recognition of Prior Learning scheme which recognises elements of your previous academic and practice learning. 

To be considered for the postgraduate diploma you must submit evidence of:

• 990 hours of relevant theoretical learning from your first degree or employment
• 110 hours of practice worked in a healthcare environment under the supervision of a registered healthcare professional

You can still apply for the PGDip without any practice experience. We offer an option to complete these hours during the first 8 months of the course.

To be considered for the master’s degree you must submit:

• 325 hours of relevant theoretical learning from your first degree or employment
• 675 hours of practice worked in a healthcare environment under the supervision of a registered healthcare professional

Your RPL submission must be made directly to the University. Our admissions team will guide you through this process and explain how to prepare your portfolio of evidence.

English language requirements

If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum:

We accept other English language tests. Find out which English language tests we accept.

If you don’t meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

Pre-masters

If you don’t meet the academic requirements, you can complete a pre-master's programme through our partnership with OnCampus. Learn more about the programmes available.

Got a question?

Please contact us if you're not sure you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.

Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000

You must pass every module and there are no optional modules to choose from. Your modules include a mix of theoretical and practice learning.

In your first year you'll gain skills in providing person centred care to meet the basic physical and mental health needs of people of all ages.

In your second year you’ll develop specialist skills in managing and coordinating the care of people experiencing challenges to their mental health. You’ll also prepare for your leadership role as a registered nurse within the workforce.

This course is full-time so you must be available for study and practice placements.

Want more detail? See all the modules in the course.

Learning

During this mental health nursing conversion course you'll complete practice learning to gain the experience and skills needed to work as a registered nurse. Some of this will be in a simulated environment, but most will be in placements throughout your course.

You'll be an active member of a mental health nursing ‘Professional Practice Development Group’. This will support and refine what you learn and assess what you do and do not know.

Conference days are a forum for our professors to share the latest research with you. They provide opportunities for you to learn, build networks and experience a conference environment.

The University will set up your placements in a variety of hospital and community settings in local NHS Trusts and other healthcare providers.

Assessment

Assessments on this mental health nursing diploma take the form of essays, exams, projects and professional conversations. Your assessment is designed to demonstrate your knowledge, understanding, competency and professional values.

Your practical skills will be refined and assessed while you’re on placement and your practice supervisor will record these. You’ll need to pass both practice and theory components of the course. This means you cannot make up a lower score in one component with a higher score in another.

Timely and constructive feedback will develop your confidence and give you the support to work on learning needs, and get extra educational support. We’ll assess each module to help you demonstrate that you’ve met the required learning outcomes.

Academic Support

We’ll organise your practice placements and support your learning in practice working with your practice assessor.

Throughout your course, during your academic studies and in the many periods of practice placement, you'll be supported by:

• a PGDip personal academic tutor from within your action learning group
• the module team
• the programme lead

You'll also be able to access the University's student support services including specialist librarians and our Student Services teams.

You’ll be actively supported to identify where you may wish to work for your first post as a registered nurse.

We have a dedicated School Lead for Employability. As well as timetabled careers activities, we’ll invite you to attend the School's annual Health Sciences Careers Fair. You’ll meet potential employers and gain invaluable early careers advice about your options.

As a mental health nursing graduate from the University of Southampton, you’ll have the ideal platform to move into more senior positions. For example consultant nurse, leading a team or working in advanced clinical practice.

We're a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022). Our Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise team will support you throughout your time as a student and for up to 5 years after graduation. This support includes:

• work experience schemes
• CV/resume and interview skills workshops
• networking events
• careers fairs attended by top employers
• a wealth of volunteering opportunities
• study abroad and summer school opportunities

We have a thriving entrepreneurship culture. You'll be able to take advantage of:

• our dedicated start-up incubator, Futureworlds
• a wide variety of enterprise events run throughout the year
• our partnership in the world’s number 1 business incubator, SETsquared

Tuition fees

Fees for a year's study:

• UK students pay £9,250
• EU and International students pay £30,300
• Channel Island, Isle of Man and Irish students will be charged the same tuition fee as UK students

Tuition fees for this pre-registration postgraduate healthcare course are paid in the same manner as undergraduate tuition fees.

Additionally, to support living costs, eligible (UK) students may be eligible for a Student Finance maintenance loan; also a £5,000 NHS Training Grant of £5,000 per academic year. 

What your fees pay for

Your tuition fee covers the full cost of tuition and any exams. The fee you pay will remain the same each year from when you start studying this course. This includes if you suspend and return.

Find out how to pay your tuition fees.

Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. There may also be extra costs for retake and professional exams.

Explore:

• accommodation costs
• living costs
• budgeting advice
• fees, charges and expenses regulations

Extra costs you might have to pay

There will be extra costs for the following:

• suitable shoes for your practice placements
• your own fob watch
• your enhanced DBS certificate 
• your professional registration fee (on graduation)

You may be able to claim some travel and accommodation expenses when you're working on placement.

If you're a UK resident, visit the NHS 'Financial Support at University' page to learn more about financial support for your living costs.

If you're a resident of Ireland you may be able to apply for financial support through the Student Universal Support Ireland scheme (SUSI).

10% alumni discount

If you’re a graduate of the University of Southampton, you could be eligible for a 10% discount on your postgraduate tuition fees.

NHS Learning Support Fund

As a student on this course you may be entitled to help from the NHS Learning Support Fund.

This can include a training grant of £5,000 per academic year, parental support of £2,000 for students with at least one dependent child under 15 years, or under 17 years if registered with special educational needs, and help with travel and temporary accommodation costs for placements.  

Find out more on the NHS Learning Support Fund website. 

Other postgraduate funding options

A variety of additional funding options may be available to help you pay for your master’s study. Both from the University and other organisations.

UCAS
All applications for PGDip nursing are submitted through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). When you apply, you'll be taken to the UCAS website where you'll need to register an account to submit an application. 
 
As part of the application, you’ll need to use the codes below:
- UCAS Course Code: 3110
- UCAS Institution Code: S27

Application deadlines

The deadline to apply for this course is Thursday 30 November 2024 via UCAS.

Supporting information

When you apply you’ll need to submit a personal statement explaining why you want to take the course. 

You’ll need to include information about: 

• your knowledge of the subject area
• how your personal values align with those of the nursing profession
• why you want to study a postgraduate qualification in this course
• how you intend to use your qualification

Your referee should relate to one of the following:

• academic studies in higher education completed in the last 3 years
• your current or most recent, main employer

Additional references may be requested later.  

Your application must include your education achievements from age 16 to date including any you're currently completing. You must include your IELTS score (if you are a non-native English speaker). Without these, your application may be delayed.

What happens after you apply

You’ll be able to track your application through UCAS. 

The University has 40 working days to respond but you’ll usually hear back much more quickly than that.

If your application is short-listed we'll invite you to attend an interview. Interviews will take place online if they aren't possible in person. The email invitation includes details on how to prepare and what to expect.

You’ll be interviewed by an Admissions Tutor or experienced nursing academic and there will be an opportunity to ask questions about the course.

After the interview, we'll decide whether or not to offer you a conditional place. The decision is usually uploaded to UCAS within 15 working days of the interview date. Our Admissions Tutor will contact you by email if we'd like to talk to you before offering you a place.

All offers are conditional on enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and health checks, as well as Declaration of Good Character.

Unfortunately, due to number of applications we receive, we may not be able to give you specific feedback on your application if you are unsuccessful.

Equality and diversity

We treat and select everyone in line with our Equality and Diversity Statement.

Got a question?

Please contact us if you're not sure you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.

Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000