Children's and Learning Disabilities Nursing MSci
- Nursing and midwifery
- Undergraduate
Join this four-year integrated masters course to gain dual field registration in children's and learning disabilities nursing.
Kingston University is rated No.1 in London for Nursing and Midwifery (The Complete University Guide 2026) and top in London for Children’s Nursing (The Guardian University Guide 2026).
Make a positive difference to the lives of children and people with learning disabilities
Take the first steps towards your career as a both a Children’s and Learning Disabilities Nurse
In 2023, we won two awards at the Student Nursing Times Awards, including Teaching Innovation of the Year for our simulated public health elective. This was part of our annual student nursing electives programme, which was also nominated for the Best Student Experience award, where students are supported to organise their own national or international placement of their choosing.
Throughout this course, you will be taught by our Simulated Learning and Clinical Skills Team. You will learn clinical skills fundamental to deliver high-quality care to patients in all fields of nursing within clinical, community and practice health settings.
Our award-winning simulation suite (Student Nursing Times Awards 2019) offers a wide range of realistic environments to learn in. These include hospital wards and community settings, with service users who play patients or relatives.
By taking part in award-winning innovative simulations with role players and full body manikins, you will develop the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours needed for safe and effective patient care.
Nursing at Kingston University
Change lives for the better with a degree in nursing. Discover where our award-winning teaching and facilities could take you in your career.
Why choose this course
Our Children’s and Learning Disabilities Nursing MSci integrated masters course will prepare you to apply to the NMC Register as a Registered Nurse with dual qualification in both the fields of children's and learning disabilities nursing.
Throughout the course, you'll learn to provide evidence-based care for children and young people (from birth to age 18), and people with learning disabilities across the lifespan. This will include working in partnership with individuals, their families and other health and social care professionals, in hospital and community settings.
You'll also study the factors that affect health inequalities in our society and how we can improve health outcomes for people with a learning disability.
The course is a blend of university-based learning activities and clinical placements. It will provide you with the skills and knowledge you will need to become a nurse. You'll spend 50% of your time on placement in hospitals, in the community and in our skills and award-winning simulation labs developing valuable, hands-on skills.
You'll be taught by a dynamic teaching team who are nationally and internationally recognised. Staff members have contributed to key text books and achieved awards for their excellence in learning and teaching.
You will apply your learning through placements in hospital and community settings. Placement settings include:
- medical and surgical care environments
- community and hospital-based learning disabilities services
- community nursing
- GP practice nursing
- integrated community teams
Placement opportunities are at London's leading NHS hospitals, including:
- Great Ormond Street
- St George's, Epsom and St Helier, Kingston, Royal Marsden, Chelsea and Westminster and Croydon Hospitals
- South West London and St George's Mental Health Trust
- Surrey and Borders Partnership Trust
- the Children's Trust
- the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability
All students have the opportunity to take a national or international elective at the end of Year 2. Previous graduates have travelled to India, Bulgaria, Tanzania, UAE and New Zealand. Nationally, students have also gained valuable experience in areas such as paramedic care, children's hospices, community service, exploring their specialist area of interest or building future networks for the next phase of their career.
Kingston University is top in London for Nursing and Midwifery (The Complete University Guide 2026).
Top University in London for Children’s Nursing, The Guardian University Guide 2026.
Accreditation
This degree confers both an academic award and a professional qualification in nursing. On completion of the programme, students are recommended to the Nursing and Midwifery Council for professional registration.
Course content
Year 1
Core modules
Year 2
Core modules
Option module
Year 3
Core modules
Year 4
Core modules
What career opportunities does this course offer?
This degree confers both an academic award and a professional qualification in nursing. On completion of the programme, students are recommended to the Nursing and Midwifery Council for professional registration.
Kingston University students are highly sought after, with students gaining first posts in acute hospitals and the community across Surrey and London in leading NHS and independent organisations.
Types of jobs include:
- Staff nurse (Paediatrics)
- Staff nurse (Paediatric intensive care)
- School nurse
- Health visitor staff nurse
- A&E nurse (Paediatrics)
- Neonatal nurse
Types of organisations include:
- Croydon University Hospital
- Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals
- Guy's & St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust
- Kingston Hospital
- St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Great Ormond Street Hospital
- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Bupa Cromwell Hospital
- St Peters Hospital (Chertsey)
- Frimley Park NHS Foundation Trust
- West Middlesex University Hospital
- University College London Hospital
- Greenwich and Lewisham NHS Trust
- Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Future Skills
Our Future Skills programme is embedded within all our undergraduate courses and throughout the whole Kingston experience. These skills will help you to become a future-proof graduate by equipping you with the skills most valued by employers, such as problem-solving, digital competency and adaptability.
As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills. You’ll also understand how to demonstrate and articulate to employers how these future skills give you the edge.
Teaching and assessment
Scheduled learning and teaching on this course includes timetabled activities including lectures, seminars and small group tutorials.
It may also include placements, project work, practical sessions, workshops, conferences and field trips.
Fees and funding
Additional course costs
Some courses may require additional costs beyond tuition fees. When planning your studies, you’ll want to consider tuition fees, living costs, and any extra costs that might relate to your area of study.
Your tuition fees include costs for teaching, assessment and university facilities. So your access to libraries, shared IT resources and various student support services are all covered. Accommodation and general living expenses are not covered by these fees.
Where applicable, additional expenses for your course may include:
NHS Training Grant
Nursing students on pre-registration courses will receive a payment of at least £5,000 a year which doesn’t need to be paid back, subject to eligibility criteria. For more information, please visit the NHS Business Service Authority.
Scholarships and bursaries
For students interested in studying this course at Kingston, there are several opportunities to seek funding support.
What are the facilities like?
When you join Kingston University, you will have access to a wide range of facilities and resources designed to support your studies. Use the virtual tour below to explore some of the facilities you will use as part of your course.
Course changes and regulations
The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Find out more about course changes
Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.
Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.
Key information
The scrolling banner below displays some key factual data about this course (including different course combinations or delivery modes of this course where relevant).