School of Nursing and Midwifery

MSc Advanced Professional Practice (Nursing and Midwifery Professions)

Are you a registered health or social care professional looking to develop your advanced practitioner knowledge and skills? The MSc Advanced Professional Practice (Nursing and Midwifery Professions) has been developed to meet the needs of nurses, midwives and allied health professionals working across all healthcare sectors. You will develop your practice by building on your current experience and knowledge, leading to improved ways of working and a positive impact on patient care.

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First choice for health

Delivered by professional experts, our programmes are tailored to you and your career. Together, we address today's most challenging healthcare issues, through research-informed teaching and active, real-world learning.

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Flexible learning: part and full-time options

This programme may be studied full-time over one year or part-time over up to five years, offering flexible delivery and exit points to support a learner centred approach.

Key features

  • This programme may be studied full time over one year or part time over up to five years, offering flexible delivery and exit points to support a learner centred approach.
  • A contemporary and dynamic programme responsive to the changing health and social care environment.
  • Build a qualification around your personal professional needs by picking and choosing optional modules with relevance to your area of practice and benefit from a student-centred approach providing flexibility in your choice of award.
  • Embed independent and supplementary prescribing into your masters degree (subject to profession).
  • Opportunities to study in an inter-professional setting with inter-professional core and optional modules delivered by an academic team with extensive experience as well as a close relationship with clinicians contributing to teaching.
  • Research informed teaching is embedded throughout the curriculum and you will be given the chance to design and undertake your own research to enhance and develop patient care and/or service provision.
  • Gain a deeper understanding of the advanced clinical practice role and how this is used to enhance the patient journey whilst ensuring the right care is delivered by the right clinician at the right time.
  • Be equipped to take on lead roles in management, clinical practice and/or education.

Please note that when you enrol on this programme, you always enrol to study the master degree but we offer three exit awards: PgCert, PgDip and MSc.

Course details

  • Year 1

  • Postgraduate Certificate

    To achieve a postgraduate certificate, you will need to obtain 60 credits. This must include the two core modules and one optional module of your choice.

    Core modules

    APP701 Advancing Practice in Context 20 Credits

    APP745 Research Methodology and Application 20 Credits

    Optional module

    Optional module 20 Credits

    Optional modules can be chosen from the Masters level modules A-Z list. Please contact the Professional Development Unit Admissions Team to discuss your options.


    Postgraduate Diploma

    To achieve a postgraduate diploma, you will have first completed the PgCert and need to obtain an additional 60 credits (to give 120 credits in total). This can include either three 20 credit modules or one 40 credit module and one 20 credit module of your choice.

    Optional modules

    Optional modules 60 Credits

    Optional modules can be chosen from the Masters level modules A-Z list. Please contact the Professional Development Unit Admissions Team to discuss your options.


    MSc

    To achieve a full master degree, you will have first completed the PgDip and need to obtain an additional 60 credits (to give 180 credits in total). This must include the core module and one optional module of your choice.

    Core module

    SPP702 Substantive Professional Project 40 Credits

    Optional module

    Optional module* 20 Credits

    Optional modules can be chosen from the Masters level modules A-Z list. Please contact the Professional Development Unit Admissions Team to discuss your options.

    *Apprentices must take APP746 End Point Assessment

    APP746 End Point Assessment (for apprenticeships) 20 Credits

Every postgraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the programme aims, the programme structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

The following programme specification represents the latest programme structure and may be subject to change:

MSc Advanced Professional Practice Nursing and Midwifery Professions pathway specification 6134

The modules shown for this course or programme are those being studied by current students, or expected new modules. Modules are subject to change depending on year of entry.

Entry requirements

You will normally have a first degree (BSc (Hons) at 2:2 or above or European first cycle equivalent plus a professional qualification in health or social care). You will be assessed individually for your ability to study at this level and therefore an interview may be necessary. 

If you do not have a first degree at 2:2 or above (or the European first equivalent) but have appropriate practice-related experience relevant to the programme you may still be eligible to apply. In these cases, you would also be required to submit a short piece of writing as part of the admissions process.

Applicants whose first language is not English must also provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English in accordance with the University’s Admissions Code of Practice - IELTS of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each category.

You will also need to be working in an environment that will enable you to meet the programme learning outcomes and have a clinical mentor in practice in undertaking a clinical module.

To enable you to meet the programme learning outcomes you will be supported to choose modules with non-clinical assignments.

AP(E)L:

Claims for credit for prior learning, whether certificated or experiential are accepted and will be assessed following University regulations and faculty procedures.

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS):

This programme is equivalent to 90 ECTS credits (second cycle) with 30 ECTS credits at postgraduate certificate, 60 credits at postgraduate diploma and 90 credits at masters degree. Each 20 credit module has the equivalent of 10 ECTS credits and assumes a notional student effort of between 200-300 hours. 

We welcome applicants with international qualifications. To view other accepted qualifications please refer to our tariff glossary.

Fees, costs and funding

The UK is no longer part of the European Union. EU applicants should refer to our Brexit information to understand the implications.

2019–20

Home/EU (full time) International (full time)
£7,740* £14,400
Home/EU (part-time) International (part-time)
£860 per 20 credits N/A

*This fee is based on undertaking 180 credits at £860 per 20 credits. Please note that some of the optional modules for this programme are specialist or Health and Social Care Partnerships modules and therefore may have different fees. Module fees can be found on the individual module webpages.

Full-time fees shown are per annum. Part-time fees shown are per a number of credits. Fees are correct at the time of publication and may be subject to change.

Information about loans and funding for postgraduate study.

Please be aware that there may be additional costs to undertaking your studies relating to the printing of course materials and requirement for an initial outlay for travel and accommodation in respect of practice placement. If you have any questions regarding these costs please contact admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.

International
If you are studying on a programme where placements are integral to your study there are costs associated with travel and accommodation. Please speak with the programme admissions tutor to find out more.

Alumnus loyalty reward for postgraduate study

The University applies a discretionary alumni reward where alumnus meet certain criteria on particular postgraduate taught courses.

  • a 20 per cent discount on home/EU tuition fees
  • or a £2,000 discount on international tuition fees.
  • a 10 per cent alumni discount is available on the following programmes: MSc Advanced Psychology, MSc Clinical Psychology, MSc/PgDip Psychology and MSc Occupational Therapy.

PGCE programmes, Master of Architecture, MChem, MEng, MGeol, MPsych, MSci, ResM, MSc Environmental Consultancy, MSc Sustainable Aquaculture, MSc Environmental Geochemistry and postgraduate research degrees are not included in this reward.

Please note that students must have applied directly to be eligible.

For further details, and contact information, please review our alumni discount policy.

How to apply

Applying for this programme

Please visit our PDU admissions homepage for full details on the application process and to download the relevant forms.

Please return your completed forms to:

Email: pduadmissions@plymouth.ac.uk

Professional Development Unit
4th floor, Rolle Building
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth, PL4 8AA

Tel: +44 (0)1752 586951

What happens after I apply?

After your application is received by the PDU Admissions team, it will be processed and sent to the Programme Lead for a decision to be made on your suitability to study. You may be asked to provide additional information or to take part in an interview (for overseas students this may be by telephone or video conference). Once this decision has been made, you will be sent an email either confirming your place on the programme, or rejecting your application and giving the reasons for this decision (you may request further feedback in order to improve your chances of selection at a later date).

Please note that you will be enrolled on the full MSc programme. You may choose to exit with the qualification of PgCert upon completion of an appropriate 60 credits, or a PgDip upon completion of an appropriate 120 credits. More information is contained within the programme specification.

For applicants with disabilities

If you have a disability and would like further information about the support provided by the University of Plymouth, please visit our Disability Services webpage.

Applying for this programme

Please visit our PDU admissions homepage for full details on the application process and to download the relevant forms.

Please return your completed forms to:

Email: pduadmissions@plymouth.ac.uk

Professional Development Unit
4th floor, Rolle Building
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth, PL4 8AA

Tel: +44 (0)1752 586951

Module choices within the School of Nursing and Midwifery

Choose from an extensive range of optional modules and three different exit awards to suit your professional development needs.
Find out more about our modules

MSc Advanced Professional Practice pathways

Both the School of Health Professions and the School of Nursing and Midwifery offer the MSc Advanced Professional Practice programme.
Discover more about the pathways we offer

Career opportunities

You’ll be able to apply for Band 7 and Band 8 roles and undertake a wide range of advanced roles within your own field of scope.

You can also become a non-medical consultant or clinical specialist, and can move into managerial, academic or research posts.

Find out how this programme can help you achieve your goals

The Faye Doris Bursary

Offering £750 and £1,500 for qualified midwives employed in Somerset, Devon or Cornwall wishing to undertake further study at the University of Plymouth.

The bursary is to help midwives wishing to undertake further study that can contribute to the maternity services through clinical practice, research, education, leadership, management or any other area. The study which it supports does not necessarily have to be midwifery specific.

Find out more about the bursary

Modules for full time and international students

If you are studying the MSc Advanced Professional Practice (Nursing and Midwifery Professions) programme full-time or are an international student you will be supported to choose optional modules with non-clinical assignments, such as:

APP718 – Ethical and legal issues in healthcare practice

APP721 – Perinatal mental health

APP733 – Global health in context

APP734 – Sociology of health and illness

APP760 – Public health and health promotion

APP736 – Leadership and innovation

Support for international students

With students studying at Plymouth from over 100 countries, the University of Plymouth has a range of services and support for our international students.

We have an English Language Centre (ELC) that offers a range of courses to help you develop your academic English language skills. Continued support is available throughout your studies through workshops, drop-in sessions and our Writing Café.

We also have our International Student Advice team who will help you get the most from your studies and your time in the UK. There is an International Student Orientation programme and we can advise on immigration and visas through to living and studying in the UK.

For more details of support on offer, please visit www.plymouth.ac.uk/international.

Scholarship for international applicants

A £3000 fee waiver will be awarded to international applicants, who exceed the entry requirements for this programme, for the first year of their studies. You need to have a BSc (Hons) degree at 2:1 (or equivalent) OR an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) of at least 7.0 (6.5 minimum in each element).

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