BSc (Honours) Nursing Practice
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If you’re a registered nurse, the BSc (Hons) Nursing Practice offers a practical way to take your career forward – enabling you to step up to an honours degree while continuing to earn. Its flexible, modular approach is designed to meet the needs of nurses working across a range of settings and specialities, in both the NHS and independent sectors. Study options focus on key areas for contemporary nursing – leadership; ageing and the life course; and public health. As you study, you’ll reflect critically on your own practice; cultivate a person-centred approach to work with service users, their carers and families, and explore how your learning can contribute to evidence-based practice improvement. By the end of your studies, you’ll have enhanced your professional expertise to meet the complex challenges of contemporary health care practice.
You’ll need to provide evidence of current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). See Entry requirements below.
How to apply
It is not possible to apply online to study for this qualification. For more information, read our Entry requirements for this qualification.
Key facts
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If you have a Diploma of Higher Education in Nursing or a Registered Nurse qualification
- You’ll need to apply for credit transfer towards the Level 1 and Level 2 requirements of this degree – see ‘Credit for previous study elsewhere’ section below if your DipHE in Nursing or equivalent was awarded by another Higher Education Institution
- You can register your intention to study for this degree if your DipHE in Nursing was awarded by The Open University
- You’ll need to provide evidence of current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (Current NMC PIN)
- Students who received their nurse education and training in an EU/EEA member state, and who are nationals of those states, are eligible to apply for NMC registration (subject to NMC regulations)
- Your claim will be assessed, and if there’s any shortfall of credit at Level 2, you’ll need to devise an appropriate study plan derived from the list of eligible Level 2 modules.
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Our fees depend on where you are ordinarily resident. We have a range of funding options to help you with
payment. When you apply to study we will tell you the fee and funding options that are
available to you. Before you apply you can read What you can expect to pay.
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Pathway to your qualification
View the pathway description to see the stages of study.
Career relevance and employability
The BSc (Hons) Nursing Practice enables registered nurses to enhance their career prospects by moving to a degree-level qualification. As nursing careers move towards graduate-only entry, it will help you develop your understanding of the nursing role and strengthen your future employability.
This qualification will be of particular interest if you want to build on your current knowledge and experience in the setting in which you work. It will provide the understanding and skills you need to take the lead in practice development and innovation. You’ll also have the opportunity to improve your IT skills – particularly in relation to researching and analysing the evidence base for practice and collaborating with others to enhance your continuing professional development.
There’s more information about how OU study can improve your employability in the OU’s Employability Statement from our Careers Advisory Service. You can also read or download our publication OU study and your career and look at our subject pages to find out about career opportunities.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Cognitive skills
- Practical and professional skills
- Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.
Credit for previous study elsewhere
If you have already completed some successful study at higher education level at another institution you may be able to transfer credit for this study and count it towards an Open University qualification. If you wish to apply to transfer credit you must do so as soon as possible, and before you register for your chosen qualification. If you are awarded credit for study completed elsewhere, you may find that you need to study fewer OU modules to complete your qualification with us.
Visit our Credit Transfer site for more information and details of how to apply for credit transfer.
Classification of your degree
On successful completion of the required number and type of modules you will be awarded a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Nursing Practice entitling you to use the letters BSc (Hons) Nurs Prac (Open) after your name.
Your honours degree will be classified either as first-class honours, upper second-class honours, lower second-class honours or third-class honours.
You will have the opportunity to attend a degree ceremony.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Qualification Regulations, Module Regulations and the Student Regulations.
Qualification Regulations
Module Regulations and Student Regulations
The Module Regulations and the Student Regulations (including the Code of Practice for
Student Assessment and the Code of Practice for Student Discipline) are available
on our Essential documents website.
If you have a disability
Choosing the qualification that’s right for you is very important. Depending on your disability, long-term health condition, mental health disability or specific learning difficulty, you may need to consider any challenges posed by:
- the learning objectives: for example, to gain an honours degree in a language you must be physically able to speak the language
- how the modules are taught: for example, some of our science qualifications require that you complete laboratory work
- any work-based competency requirements.
Choosing the right qualification can be a complex mix of the subject requirements and the support you may need. To help you assess whether the qualification you are interested in will work for you, further advice is available from:
Computing requirements
You will need a computer with internet access to study for this qualification. For most OU qualifications a
Microsoft Windows (new since 2006), Apple Mac (OS X 10.5 or later) or Linux computer should be adequate.
However, some qualifications require more specific IT equipment, in which case you will need additional
software to use an Apple Mac or Linux computer. A detailed technical specification for your modules will be
made available when you register. Please note, technical specifications do change over time to match computer
developments and the way we teach.
Not sure if you’re ready? Try a short introductory Openings course
If you would like to try Open University study before you commit to a qualification, our
Openings courses could be the right place for you to start. These introductory-level courses
have been specially designed to help you find out what it’s like to study with the OU, get a
taste of a subject area, develop your study skills, and build your confidence. There is also financial
support available for these courses. Read more about our Openings courses.
Distance learning
The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.
For more information about distance learning at the OU read Study explained.
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