BSc Nursing Studies (Mental Health)

Overview

By promoting individual strengths, mental wellbeing and independence, Mental Health Nurses support people who are finding it difficult to cope with aspects of their life due to mental health problems.

This course focuses on contemporary approaches in the support and treatment available for people with mental health problems. Students undertake practice learning experience for 50% of the course in a broad range of placements within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. These include NHS community and hospital placements as well as independent and voluntary sector experience.

During these practice learning experiences, students are involved in mental health nursing activities, including assessment and the provision of care for a range of patients relevant to their chosen nursing pathway. There are opportunities for international placements or experiences at various points in the programme.

Your career

On successful completion of the course, graduates are eligible for registration as a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The programme prepares students to become effective, recovery focused Mental Health Nurses able to work in a range of settings.

These include hospitals, day services, people's homes, addiction services, eating disorders services, forensic services, services for older adults with mental health problems, including dementia, and Child and Adolescent Mental Health services (CAMHs). There are also opportunities in private sector mental health services.

What you
will study

Course
Information

Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location	UCAS
BSc	Full Time	3 Years	Sep 25	Glasgow	B760	Enquire Apply

All entry requirements listed here should be used as a guide. Applicants who are made a conditional offer of a place may be asked to achieve more than is stated.

International students can get information on entry requirements specific to their country in our International Study section.

Please note: All offers for pre-registration nursing are subject to satisfactory Occupational Health and Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) screenings.

Year 1

Standard entry requirement

UCAS Tariff: 69

Scottish Higher: BCC or equivalent including Higher in essay-based subject, plus Nat 5 Maths or Application of Maths

A Level: BC or equivalent including GCSE Maths and English

Minimum entry requirement

UCAS Tariff: 63

Scottish Higher: CCC or equivalent including Higher in Essay-based subject plus Nat 5 Maths or Application of Maths

A Level: CC or equivalent including GCSE Maths and English

Year 2 entry

Standard entry requirement

HNC in Health Care Practice

Interview and specific units required

Please note: All offers for pre-registration nursing are subject to satisfactory Occupational Health and Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) screenings.

Minimum age restrictions

A student shall not normally be admitted unless he or she will have attained the age of 17 years by the first January after their programme begins.

Additional requirements

Applicants are expected to have evidence of assessed study within the last five years. Selected applicants will be invited to attend one of our Applicant Days as part of the admissions process.

Additional information

English language

If you are from a majority English speaking country, you may not be required to provide further proof of your English language proficiency. Full details of the English language tests we accept are available on this page.

Relevant experience (RPL)

GCU's flexible entry policies exist to allow relevant work experience and prior learning to be considered towards standard entry or advanced entry into a course.

If you do not have the typical academic entry qualifications, but can demonstrate relevant work experience and/or credits from recognised professional bodies, you may be eligible to enter this course via the University's Recognition of Prior Learning scheme.

Minimum entry requirements

Minimum entry requirements are for widening access students only. If you are from a group that is not currently well-represented in higher education you may qualify as a widening access student. This includes living in a target postcode area, attending a target school or college, attending SWAP, are care-experienced or provide care for someone else, have refugee status or are an asylum seeker.

English requirements for nursing

Applicants from countries that are not included on the NMC’s list of accepted English speaking countries will be required to demonstrate English proficiency by gaining an English Language qualification such as IELTS (International English Language Testing Score) or equivalent. An IELTS overall score of 7.0 is required, with a minimum of 6.5 in writing and 7.0 in the other three components.

However, if an international applicant wishes to study using a student route visa and has been in the UK for at least three years and has completed a minimum of a degree qualification in the UK, they do not need to undertake IELTS, or equivalent, in advance of starting the course (NMC, 2020). This page has details of the English language tests we accept.

However, each application will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This aligns to the current NMC standards for pre-registration nursing (2018) – updated Exception Case 133.

If applicants not born in the UK (or an English majority speaking country), have been in the country for a minimum of three years and have completed an HNC, Access Course (or above) in the UK, then they do not need to undertake IELTS or the Occupational English language test in advance of starting the course.

The tuition fees you pay are mostly determined by your fee status. What is my student fee status?

Fees are subject to change and are published here for guidance only. If you have any queries about the fees for 25/26 please contact our Funding and Finance Team.

Annual full-time tuition fees 24/25

Home: £1,820*

RUK: We are currently reviewing the impact of the UK Government decision to raise undergraduate tuition fees and maintenance loans for September 2025 for students from the rest of the UK who have chosen to study in Scotland. We will update information on our fees as soon as possible.

International: £15,200

*Scottish student tuition fees are subject to confirmation by the Scottish Government and may change once confirmed.

Additional costs

As a student at the University, there are additional fees and costs which may or may not apply to you, but that you should be aware of.

View additional costs

Additional costs for Scottish domiciled students

If you are a Scottish domiciled student, you will not need to pay for PVG checks, occupational health checks or uniforms. You may be able to apply to SAAS for additional expense support to help meet these costs. Check out the SAAS Nursing and Midwifery student placement expenses claim and Allied Health Professions student placement expenses claim forms.

Additional course costs for all other students (rest of UK, EU and International)

During this course, you will be required to cover the cost of:

- While on practice education placements, you will need to meet any additional costs for accommodation and travel
- Uniforms: approximately £14 each. The number of uniforms you require depends on the duration of your course and can range from two to four.
- Occupational health checks and vaccination set fee of £372
- Membership of Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme. New applications cost £59. Updates to the existing scheme record cost £18.

Invoices will be issued by the University for payment of all of the above additional costs in Trimester B (March/April) of the first year of your programme.

Scholarships

We provide high-quality education for a fair price; as the University for the Common Good, we are committed to offering accessible higher education for talented students by keeping our tuition fees low and providing a generous scholarship package.

View undergraduate scholarships at GCU.

Assessment methods

We use a wide range of learning and teaching methods to ensure that you have both the necessary knowledge and understanding of business and management and a portfolio of intellectual and personal skills.

Each module on the programme uses its own learning, teaching and assessment strategy to achieve learning objectives. Assessment methods vary between modules and may include unseen examinations, class tests, essays, management reports, case studies, presentations, and group work.

Professional Accreditation

On successful completion of the programme, graduates are eligible for registration as a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Teaching methods

The learning and teaching methods we use ensure that our programme is both vocationally relevant and academically challenging. Our approach is student-centred, practical, participative and relevant to the needs of employers.

We've moved away from the traditional teacher-centric learning to a more independent learning approach, where you are encouraged to develop critical thinking skills.

Please note

There is continuous recording within the Interprofessional Simulation Centre (ISC) rooms. These recordings may be used for learning and assessment purposes to fulfil programme requirements, so all students registered on health-related programmes may be recorded while in these rooms. Recordings may be viewed by programme staff, students, and external examiners. Recordings are routinely deleted after 28 days; however, in certain circumstances, this period may be extended to accommodate moderation and education quality requirements.

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What you
will study

Course
Information