Nursing MSc

Postgraduate

This 100% online Nursing MSc offers you the opportunity to take that step towards leadership in your career through professional development, underpinning your practice with enhanced knowledge

Year of entry

2024-25 2025-26

Location

100% online study

Study mode

Full-time
Part-time

Duration

1 year full-time
Up to 5 years part-time

Course code

HLST307

Start date

September 2025
January 2026
May 2026

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Online Learning

Discount

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The information on this page is for 2024-25 entry and should be used as guidance for 2025-26 entry. Please keep checking back on this course page to see our latest updates.

Course overview

Develop your career by studying flexibly, when and where you learn best. Our fully online master's degree offers UK and international nurses the opportunity to develop their knowledge and practice in the context of continuing professional development and leadership.

You will have the opportunity to examine contemporary issues in nursing, and in the role and practice of the nurse. This is explored through the analysis of political, social, cultural and economic influences on health and social care needs and service design.
You will study some of the latest developments in a range of contemporary issues in nursing, covering a range of key areas including leadership, evidence-based practice and service delivery and improvement.
Particular emphasis is placed on the research and evidence base for leadership, service delivery and improvement.

Why you should study this course

This course has been designed following extensive consultation with stakeholders and professional collaborators to ensure its relevance and ability to develop nursing leaders and agents of change.

You will be encouraged to consider how contemporary issues in nursing relate to your current practice and how what you learn can make a difference to and improve the experience of patients/service users.

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to analyse approaches to support leadership, quality and service improvement and project management within policy and professional frameworks of nursing. You will also be able to demonstrate a professional approach to self-development in a broad range of competencies relevant to nursing across national borders and areas of practice including digital literacy, critical decision-making, problem-solving, presentation and teamwork.

The enhanced skills and knowledge successful graduates of this course bring to their work provide a range of benefits, not only to the student but also to their employer and patients/service users.

Student benefits:

Access to learning from staff who are subject and clinical experts with knowledge of the latest developments in the field (staff may be subject to change).
Opportunity to network with a range of students from different backgrounds and disciplines.
Improved knowledge of some of the latest developments in clinical practice and leadership.
Enhanced critical thinking and clinical decision-making skills.
Demonstrable leadership skills and knowledge through project work and accreditation from the Chartered Management Institute following the successful completion of an optional Global Professional Development module.

Employer benefits:

Staff with developed confidence in clinical leadership.
Enhanced ability to challenge practice and embed relevant evidence base to support quality care.
Enhanced ability to innovate and lead clinical practice change derived from current policy initiatives and evidence bases.
Increased commitment to achieving and leading quality care in service delivery.
Staff who are better able to be flexible, engage in and potentially lead service developments.

Patients/Service Users/Carers receive effective and comprehensive care from a professional who is:

knowledgeable and skilled in practice
able to challenge poor practice
committed to demonstrating and developing contemporary practice to enhance quality in healthcare and healthcare practice
committed to patient-centred care.

Accreditation and professional recognition

Chartered Management Institute (CMI)

As part of this course, you will undertake a professional development module which is currently accredited¹ by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) for the January and May 2025 intakes. Upon successful completion of the Leading and Creating Organisational Health and Wellbeing module (achieving a pass grade), you will be eligible for the CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice at no additional cost. Further details can be found under the module and on the Professional Development module page.

Coventry University’s accreditation with CMI is currently ongoing for the relevant module and is regularly reviewed and monitored by the CMI through its quality systems.

What you'll study

All modules are mandatory. If you are studying part-time, module choices will be made in discussion with the Course Director.

Modules

Contemporary Perspectives of Care – Individuals with Long-Term Conditions - 20 credits

This module explores the factors which influence nursing practice which supports the care of individuals with long-term conditions. It will focus on concepts which transfer across boundaries of ill health for individuals and their families living with long-term conditions. You will examine the evidence base for supporting service users to adapt to their condition and promote a lifestyle that will encourage independence and reduce the risk of further complications.

Compulsory

Contemporary Issues in Nursing - 20 credits

This module aims to promote a critical interpretation of the role of the nurse within socio-cultural, economic and political contexts. You will explore the nature and application of the knowledge base for nursing practice and analyse the contribution of the nurse to health in a range of settings. Research findings, in conjunction with your own experiences, will be used to examine factors which may influence nursing practice, including organisation of health care, professional regulation and autonomy, professional culture and identity.

Compulsory

Leadership, Service Improvement and Integrated Care - 20 credits

This module aims to provide you with opportunities to study leadership, contemporary thinking on organisations, quality and service improvement, project management and to contextualise these within policy and professional frameworks. The module draws on theories of clinical leadership, applied systems thinking and learning organisation theory to promote creative entrepreneurial approaches to previously intractable dilemmas of clinical practice, ensuring that the patient or service-user is central to the management and organisation of health and social care. Experiences of healthcare organisations will be used as a foundation for analysis of quality improvement and the principles and theories will be applied to healthcare worldwide.

Compulsory

The Contribution of Nursing to Public Health - 20 credits

This module aims to enable you to think critically about the improvement of population health and wellbeing and the role of nursing in public health. You will analyse values, key principles, theory and concepts underlying public and global health and evaluate different strategies, interventions and challenges to improving health and wellbeing for communities and populations.

Compulsory

Evidence-based Practice and Research in Nursing - 20 credits

This module aims to provide an overview of the key approaches to designing practice-based healthcare research. It will consider the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of research and critically appraise different design and methodological approaches utilised in health, social sciences and their related fields of practice. The module is designed to develop your ability to prepare a detailed research proposal relevant to your field of academic study, area of professional practice, or service improvement area. The importance of ethical, social, legal, political and economic aspects of research studies will be considered.

Compulsory

Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Nursing - 20 credits

This module is designed to enable you to explore the application of educational theory to support the facilitation and assessment of learning for individuals and groups in a range of healthcare settings. The concepts of adult education and the clinical learning environment will be examined within the framework of the knowledge, skills and attitudes underpinning professional nursing practice and contemporary drivers of healthcare professional education within a range of contexts.

Compulsory

Leading and Creating Organisational Health and Wellbeing (CMI module) - 10 credits

This module aims to provide you with a framework of knowledge and understanding of how to effectively lead and develop people in organisations for better health and wellbeing using a range of approaches whatever the master’s degree of specialisation you elect to follow. You will explore, for example, the influence and impact of leadership theories, culture and the impact of health and wellbeing on organisational performance in different types of organisational scenarios. You will appraise contemporary approaches for the creation of healthy work systems with emphasis placed upon modern-day methods and the role and skills of leaders in coaching and mentoring.

The module enables you to reflect critically on your personal learning and development needs and how you work with others, from an ethical and professional standpoint to encourage your continuing professional development.

Compulsory

Master’s Dissertation - 50 credits

The dissertation module is designed to allow you to undertake an in-depth individual study in an area of interest relevant to your nursing practice which will demonstrate research at an advanced level. The study will be supervised but independently undertaken. Within the study you will be expected to demonstrate understanding of the research process including ethical, theoretical and methodological issues associated with your particular subject and to demonstrate critical evaluation. It will build on the foundation provided by previous modules on this course.

Compulsory

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

Study 100% online.

This course is studied completely online via our digital learning environment. It can be studied as a full-time master's programme over three semesters in one year, or on a part-time basis.

You also have access to our library's electronic resources 24/7, including thousands of books, ejournals and newspapers.

In addition to the learning assets, you will have the support of an Associate Lecturer. The Associate Lecturer will undertake weekly live sessions (recorded for those unable to attend). These sessions will be seminar based, discussing the learning materials, giving clarity, depth and direction to your learning.

The Associate Lecturer will also offer fortnightly one-to-one surgeries for any individual requirements and will be available for questions on platform and via email.

Prefer to study with time on campus? Click here to view our on campus course.

Teaching contact hours

As a full-time student, you will study modules totalling 180 credits each academic year. A typical 20 credit module requires a total of 200 hours study.

Teaching hours vary each semester, year of study and due to module selection. You can expect typically two teaching hours per week. You will also have the option to attend optional sessions including time with your Associate Lecturer or to meet with staff for advice or feedback. As you progress through your studies, teaching hours may reduce.

Guided and independent study:

Throughout your studies, you will be expected to spend time in guided and independent study to make up the required study hours per module. You’ll be digging deeper into topics, review what you’ve learned and complete assignments. This can be completed around your personal commitments. As you progress through your studies, you’ll spend more time in independent study.

Online learning:

As an innovative university, we use different teaching methods including online tools and emerging technologies.

Whilst we would like to give you all the information about our part-time offering here, it is tailored for each course each year depending on the number of part-time applicants. Therefore, the part-time teaching arrangements vary. Request further information about part-time study.

Assessment

Assessment tools are varied and designed to maximise your opportunity to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge, critical thinking and application of theory to nursing practice.

Assessment methods include:

essays
service improvement plan
presentation
case study analysis
posters
independent research study for the dissertation.

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements:

Typical entry requirements

Applicants should hold at least a 2:2 undergraduate degree in nursing and should have completed a qualification leading to registration as a nurse. We will consider applicants with a diploma in nursing and evidence of continuing professional development that shows an ability to study at the master’s level*.

*For information regarding what might amount to ‘evidence of continuing professional development that shows an ability to study at master’s level’ please contact our admissions team here.

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:

You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

English language requirements

IELTS: 6.5 overall (with at least 5.5 in each component area)

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

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

General enquiries

Fees and funding

Student	Full-time	Part-time
UK and International	£13,550	Request fee information

The tuition fee stated above is calculated for the entire duration of this programme. You also have the option to pay fees by credit hour, rather than making a full upfront payment.

For advice and guidance on tuition fees³and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page and see the university's Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

Fees will be reviewed annually; however, any increase will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or must extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as re-assessments should you need them.

Scholarships, bursaries and discounts

We offer a range of scholarships, bursaries and discounts. For more information, visit our fees page or contact our study advisor.

How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.

If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.

Facilities

All students have access to these facilities in Coventry:

People walking in front of a building which has a big library sign

The Library

You will benefit from our support designed to help you succeed and our industry-relevant teaching and resources. These include our modern library and computing facilities, dedicated careers advice and Your Students’ Union.

Glass modern building with a spire in the background

The Hub

The Hub is the centre of student campus life. It's also home to the Student Wellbeing Centre, the Spirituality and Faith Centre, the Tank Studio, Student Success Coaches and the Enterprise Hub.

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.

Careers and opportunities

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

demonstrate a professional approach to self-development in a broad range of competencies relevant to nursing across national borders and areas of practice including digital literacy, critical decision-making, problem-solving, presentation and teamwork.
critically evaluate approaches to and conduct of research to support the practice and development of nursing care.
evaluate critically the application and implementation of the evidence base to a range of national and international areas of nursing practice, and contributions of nursing to public health and community development.
analyse approaches to support leadership, quality and service improvement and project management within policy and professional frameworks of nursing.
evaluate the complex social and political nature of nursing care using an integrated approach and drawing on a range of disciplines.

Our current teaching staff and the university’s career support team, which is known as the Talent Team, can support your search for employment in the UK or overseas by making use of our alumni network, industrial contacts, and individual advice (subject to availability).

This course provides an opportunity to learn from academic staff and clinical experts (subject to availability), to develop critical thinking and decision-making skills to support innovation, challenge and to develop the skills to support you in leading a clinical nursing practice.

Where our graduates work

Past students are working as nurses in a range of acute and secondary care settings in the UK and other European countries. These nurses have both senior roles as leaders and managers of teams or as well as newly qualified staff, choosing to achieve their master’s degree at an early stage in their career.

How to apply

UK and International students

Disclaimers

Coventry University together with Coventry University London, Coventry University Wrocław, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough, and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the University) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.

¹Accreditations

The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.

²UK and international opportunities

Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or international opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be unpaid and/or subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel, public authority guidance, decisions or orders and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand any visa requirements, please contact the International Office.

³Tuition fees

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

⁴Facilities

Student Contract

By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the current 2024/2025 contract is available on the website. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.

Nursing MSc

Course overview

Why you should study this course

Accreditation and professional recognition

Chartered Management Institute (CMI)

What you'll study

Modules

How you'll learn

Teaching contact hours

Guided and independent study:

Online learning:

Assessment

Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements

English language requirements

Fees and funding

Scholarships, bursaries and discounts

Facilities

The Library

The Hub

Careers and opportunities

Where our graduates work

How to apply

¹Accreditations

²UK and international opportunities

³Tuition fees

⁴Facilities

Student Contract

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