PGCert Advanced Palliative and End of Life Care Management and Prescribing
Gain advanced skills, independent and supplementary prescribing rights and lead compassionate, personalised end-of-life care.
Find out moreBSc (Hons)Mental Health Nursing
Apply on UCAS
- 2026
- 2027
UCAS code: MHN1
Institution code: S30
UCAS points: 104-120Flexible entry options available
Campus: Southampton City CentreView on Google Maps
Why study a mental health nursing degree at Solent University
If you want to help others in critical need, you can have a rewarding and fulfilling nursing career in mental health. Learn essential clinical skills on this NMC accredited degree.
- Top0for student satisfaction in nursing and midwifery studies, out of 81 institutions (Complete University Guide 2027)
- 0thin the UK for teaching in the subject of mental health nursing, out of 74 institutions (NSS 2025)
- 0thfor learning opportunities in the subject of mental health nursing, out of 74 institutions (NSS 2025)
- Accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be entitled to register with the NMC.
- Take part in nine clinical placements in all years of study, in a variety of primary and secondary mental healthcare services, such as community and hospital teams, forensics services, and specialist providers.
- You will gain excellent career prospects: there is significant local and national demand for nursing graduates.
- Our teaching team have excellent teaching and clinical experiences. They can help you to become a skilled mental health nurse to make a positive difference to people lives.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:Course overview
Solent's BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing degree has been designed to encourage future nurses who have a compassionate, caring and recovery focussed approach to patient care, whoever and wherever that patient may be.
We promote nursing as a dynamic profession that requires continual curiosity, enquiry and growth and we encourage you to develop reflective habits, seek feedback and engage in lifelong learning. Our nurses uphold high ethical standards, display professionalism and understand their accountability and we will aim to help foster skills to promote strong moral reasoning, confidentiality, integrity, and the ability to advocate for everyone.
You'll learn using the latest technologies and dynamic education methods, enabling you to develop the clinical assessment and decision-making skills required to become a Registered Nurse.
You'll also be required to complete 2,300 hours of clinical practice - this will be achieved during the clinical placements you'll undertake at practice partners across local health and social care providers throughout the three years of this degree
We want you to be future focused and aware of the global response to disease, cyberattacks and acknowledge your part in a healthcare system that is both sustainable and environmentally aware.
The BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing has been designed to meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2018) Standards of Proficiency for registered nurses and the Standards Framework for Nursing & Midwifery education (2023). When you have completed 2300 theory hours delivered by the University and 2300 clinical placement hours obtained across health and social care, plus successfully completed the Degree component, you will be able to apply to the NMC to become a Registered Nurse - Mental Health.
Accreditations
Accredited by:
Who is this course for?
This course is ideal for anyone who wishes to pursue a career to become a Mental Health Registered Nurse within the NHS, private or community healthcare services.
We welcome applications from people with all kinds of life experiences and at all stages of life.
For more information about careers in mental health and the professional standards of practice and behaviour for Nurses, Midwives and Nursing Associates, please refer to the Code of Professional Standards issued by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
What does this course lead to?
Registered Nurses can undertake nursing roles in primary, private or acute care, both in the UK and overseas. Graduates could also pursue a career in charity or aid work, or within the armed forces or the prison service.
With further experience, future careers can include advanced practice nursing and non-medical prescribing, nurse education, teaching, and healthcare management, such as charge nursing, lead nursing and consultant nursing. Many nurses have gone on to secure roles in health and social care management roles across the private, voluntary and independent sectors.
Meet the team
Your nursing course is primarily delivered by Registered Nurses who bring with them a breadth of experience from cross health and social care to ensure you are taught by a team who are up to date with current methods and strategies underpinning the current health and social care workforce.
The University cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.
Facilities
Throughout your studies, you'll have access to our specialist nursing facilities, including two nursing simulation suites with a six-bed ward, a GP consulting room, a nurse's treatment room, a care home bedroom, and a range of clinical equipment including a full range of interactive and dynamic simulation mannequins.
Our vibrant campus brings state-of-the-art facilities to enhance your learning and elevate your student experience. Our award-winning teaching building, The Spark is centred around students and offers a stimulating study environment with flexible learning spaces. Away from studying, why not try out the gyms and sports halls in our Sports Complex.
What you'll study
Core modules
Contemporary Nursing Practice
In this module you'll gain the essential foundation skills required for entering the profession of nursing, focusing on the development of professional identity, communication skills, and ethical practice. You will explore key nursing theories and develop the central communication skills required to build compassionate, respectful, and effective relationships with patients and service users from diverse backgrounds. You'll also be introduced to fundamental clinical nursing skills and provide you with basic physical first aid and basic life support.
Scientific Principles for Nursing Practice
This module introduces you to the scientific foundations of nursing practice, combining essential knowledge of anatomy and physiology with psychological perspectives on health and wellbeing. You will explore the structure and function of the human body across major systems, developing an understanding of how physiological processes support life and respond to illness or injury. You'll also be introduced to the concepts of taking, tracking and escalating observations, recording them using foundation numeracy and digital skills required to support your first placements.
Health Assessment and Wellbeing
This module introduces you to public health with health promotion and prevention components, enabling you to build an early understanding of how health is shaped by biological, psychological, social, cultural, and environmental factors. Nurses are central to reducing health inequalities, promoting wellbeing, and preventing illness across diverse populations and emphasis is placed on health promotion and selfcare strategies for society, enabling you to recognise how nurses can empower patients of all ages to monitor and maintain their own wellbeing while recognising the social determinants of health.
Portfolio: Nursing Practice 1 Mental Health Nursing
In this module, you'll focus on achieving the NMC proficiencies in Practice by attending placements in a range of practice areas. The module is designed to provide you with the essential foundations of the Registered Nurse and will equip you with the professional, legal and ethical knowledge required for this highly regulated role. You'll be prepared for stepping into the health and social care environments as a student nurse and achieving a solid foundation of fundamental care skills by the end of your first year.
Core modules
Inclusive Healthcare for Global Communities
In this module you will examine and assesses the complex dimension of global health delivery through an inclusive and culturally informed lens. Drawing on medical and psychological anthropology, you'll explore how health, illness, and care are perceived and experienced across diverse communities, and how these insights inform the development of equitable, person-centred healthcare practices worldwide.
Delivering Principles of Healthcare Sciences: Mental Health
In this module you'll develop your knowledge and skills in recognising, assessing and responding to clinical deterioration - you will recognise that patients can deteriorate both physically and mentally in a variety of healthcare settings. You will explore the response relevant to the mental health field of nursing in physical and mental health deterioration and who is required in the multidisciplinary team to inform the response.
Assessments and Therapeutic Interventions
In this module you will explore physiological, psychological, social, and economic interventions that support care across the lifespan. Building on what you learned in your first year, you'll learn to use assessment tools, interventions, and therapies to plan and deliver safe, effective care, and you will develop your understanding of medicines management as a core aspect of nursing practice.
Portfolio: Nursing Practice 2 - Mental Health Nursing
This is the second practice learning module you will complete as part of this degree and is often referred to as Part 2. This module builds on the theory and clinical skills you gained as a nursing student in Part 1 and focuses on enhancing your proficiency in clinical care, conducting patient assessment, writing treatment plans, and building your knowledge of medicines management. Practice learning this year provides an opportunity to integrate new theoretical knowledge from your academic studies into real-world practice.
Core modules
Quality Improvement, Research and Audit
In this module you'll develop your ability to critically evaluate a wide range of research evidence and apply key research principles to your nursing practice. You will build upon your knowledge to understand research and clinical evaluation methods, undertake critical appraisal, and interpret audit data. Through this, you will gain the skills required to contribute to quality improvement initiatives, evidence-based decision-making, and service innovation within contemporary healthcare settings.
Preparation for Registration
This module will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to not only lead and manage across a range of health and social care settings, but also facilitate learning within a modern digital service. You will critically examine leadership theories, explore strategies for effective teamworking, and develop your ability to support, assess, and educate students, colleagues, and service users. At the end of the module you will have produced a service improvement proposal which could be used for future interview purposes.
Interventions for Complex Mental Health Care
Modern health and social care providers are required to support people living with long term conditions, dual diagnosis and comorbidities, where the complexity of their condition and the needs of those who care for them extends across home, community, primary, secondary, and tertiary care. This module consolidates and develops your prior learning by focusing on the knowledge, skills, and professional judgement required to manage and coordinate complex cases. You will have the opportunity to engage with ethical and legally challenging scenarios, where the outcome can be dynamic or unpredictable and requires interprofessional or multiagency collaboration.
Portfolio: Nursing Practice 3 - Mental Health Nursing
This final practice learning module prepares you for your role as a newly qualified nurse. You have progressed from placements in your first and second years, and these final placements require you to develop your proficiency in clinical skills, the assessment of complex care, creation of treatment plans, and, finally, your working knowledge of medicines and medicines management.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:How you will learn and be assessed
You will learn by:
You may be assessed by a combination of:
- Essays
- Reflective accounts
- Written assessments
- Case studies
- Individual presentations
- Practical activities
- Written exams
- Practical exams
As part of this course, you will study one module at a time, giving you the chance to build a deeper understanding and see the results of your hard work more quickly. With regular assessments and feedback, rather than exams all at once, you’ll also benefit from improved focus, and a more manageable workload.
Learn more about block teaching
Study support
The student achievement team are on hand to help you succeed during your studies at Solent. They aim to contact you at key times during your time here with personalised information, advice and guidance, by email or phone.
The disability advice team provides information, advice and guidance for disabled students.
All students can access Succeed@Solent, Solent's online guide to getting better grades. It offers extensive, practical information and advice on topics such as academic writing, research and presentations.
Why choose a career as a mental health nurse?
In the UK there is a national and well documented shortage of nurses and particularly mental health nurses. Since 2011 and the advent of the Government policy documents such as “No Health without Mental Health” a greater emphasis has been placed on developing and expanding mental health provision and education places for nurses.
The Future Nurse standards from the Nursing and Midwifery Council also reflect this and has begun to build greater capacity in the education and practice systems to educate more student nurses year on year to meet the need for qualified nurses across all health sectors.
You could earn:
Mental health nurse
Newly qualified: £32,073
This can rise to £39,043 (Band 5). As you progress, you'll work your way up through the bands. With experience, mental health nurses can earn £39,959 to £48,117 (Band 6), rising to between £49,387 and £56,515 (Band 7) for specialist and senior nursing roles.
The stated salaries are published on prospects.ac.uk. Income figures are intended as a guide only.
Solent Careers
The Solent Careers team is committed to getting students into great careers.
While you are studying, the team can help you with finding work experience or placements, link you with a mentor, check your CV, or offer one-to-one guidance.
We also have graduate job opportunities just for Solent graduates.
Top 25%
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Certificate in Practical Artificial Intelligence
Every student at Solent University will also have the option to study an additional Certificate in Practical Artificial Intelligence qualification alongside their course. Free of charge, the course ensures you'll be prepared for a fantastic and varied career after graduation.
Further study
Thinking about studying further than an undergraduate degree? Alumni can get 20% off their postgraduate study.
PGCert Independent Prescribing Practice
This course provides skills for health care professionals to become NMC accredited as an Independent and Supplementary prescriber.
Find out moreTuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are:
- UK, ROI, EU (settled status) and Channel Island full-time fees: £9,790 per year
- International full-time fees: £19,081 per year
For further information, please visit our tuition fees page.
Extra course costs
While most course costs are covered by your tuition fees, some essential resources and optional extras may need to be paid for separately. These additional costs are listed below. For advice on budgeting and managing your money, please contact student.funding@solent.ac.uk.
All nursing students on courses may be eligible for non-repayable government funding of at least £5,000 a year. Further information can be found on the NHS Careers website.
The 2026/27 other costs are not yet available. For guidance, previous other costs have been:
Essential costs
- Two uniforms will be provided but you are likely to require additional uniforms which cost in the region of £30.
- The University will pay for an occupational health assessment, however you may need to pay for immunisations if they are not covered by your GP.
- You will need a pair of suitable comfortable shoes while on clinical placement and studying in our simulation settings (estimated cost £40-£60).
- You will need to purchase some of your own clinical items, for instance a stethoscope and fob watch (estimated cost £30).
- You will need to be able to travel to study at our partner NHS trusts and to your placement - travel costs will be associated with this.
Bursaries, scholarships and financial support
Solent University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships that provide financial assistance or waive fees for tuition or accommodation. Each bursary or scholarship has specific eligibility criteria. Check out our bursaries and scholarships pages to find out more.
Cost of living support
At Solent, we understand that the cost of living crisis may be of some concern. To help, we've put together some detailed information to show what support is available and how to make your money go further.
Graduation costs
There is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £45 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost. Extra guest tickets will go on sale after results publication and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. The cost per ticket is currently £20. Please note, we do not guarantee there will be any extra tickets available to purchase.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:Entry requirements
Please select an option below:
Key entry requirements
104-120 UCAS tariff points
- Grade 4 or above in GCSE English language and mathematics (previously grade C).
- A minimum of two completed A Levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at DMM or BTEC Diploma at D*D, T Level Merit or equivalent qualification, or a combination of qualifications which comply with the minimum entry requirement of 104 UCAS points.
- A values-based interview, including assessment of numeracy, literacy, and situational judgement.
- Successful applicants may be able to transfer credits from another course or experiential learning. Recognition of prior learning (RPL) must be capable of being mapped to the standards of proficiency for registered nurses and programme outcomes, up to a maximum of 50 percent of the programme. Applicants who hold registration with the NMC as a nurse may be able to transfer more than 50%.
- All students will be required to undertake a criminal convictions check through the Disclosure and Barring Service. This is organised by the University before enrolment.
- All students will also require Occupational Health clearance to demonstrate that they are fit to take on a nursing role. This is also organised by the University before enrolment.
- For further information about UK qualifications, please contact admissions.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about EU qualifications, please see our course entry requirements document.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about international qualifications, please see our course entry requirements document.
Note to all international students requiring a visa
All international applicants need to be aware that the English language requirements to attend Solent University, and the English language requirements to obtain a visa from the Home Office, may be different. This means that if you meet the Solent University language requirement to gain a place on the course, you may still have to meet additional requirements to be granted with a visa by the Home Office.
We strongly advise all applicants to visit the Home Office website which outlines all the requirements for a successful visa application.
How to apply
Full-time
Any student applying for the first year of a full-time/sandwich undergraduate course must apply through UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service). This includes mature, overseas and EU students.
Nearly all schools and colleges offer their students the facility of applying electronically through the UCAS website using 'Apply'; it may also be used by those applying independently in the UK and overseas. This facility and all course information can be found on the UCAS website: www.ucas.com.
Your application should reach UCAS by 14 January if you hope to enter a course the following autumn. Early application is advised for the most popular subject areas. Late applications may be made until the end of June. The UCAS Code for the University is S30, code name SOLNT.
Find out what happens after you apply
Contextual offers
Solent endeavours to offer learning opportunities to students from all backgrounds. When we receive and review an application, we take into consideration the context and personal circumstances of applicants when making a decision, which means our advertised entry tariff could be reduced.
Find out more about Solent's contextual offers
Language requirements
For applicants where English is not their first language, English language proficiency must be at a minimum of IELTS band 7.0 with a minimum component score of 7.0 in reading, listening and speaking, and 6.5 in writing. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) will also accept the OET examination certificate, for further information please refer to the NMC website.
Qualifications are checked before enrolment and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.
Pre-sessional English programme
The University also offers a Pre-sessional English language course for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.
UCAS points: 104-120
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:Make your application
- 3 years
