Adult Nursing BSc (Hons)
Subject and course type
- Nursing and midwifery
- Undergraduate
Studying Adult Nursing at Kingston University will give you the specialist knowledge and clinical skills you need to become a registered adult nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
This course is in Clearing.
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Deliver life-enhancing care
Ready to change lives for the better?
You’ll learn from experts in everything from A&E, ICU and neurology to cancer, palliative care, community nursing, health visiting and mental health. You’ll gain practical, hands-on experience in hospitals, in the community and in our skills and simulation labs.
Studying Adult Nursing at Kingston will give you a strong foundation for a career with real, life-enhancing impact. Our graduates are highly sought after. Previous students gain their first jobs in a huge range of specialisms – from community and oncology nursing to research, coronary care, orthopaedics and more.
During the course, you’ll work with patients, carers, clinical mentors and other healthcare professionals. You’ll practise your skills in a safe, supportive environment and boost your learning with a wide range of student engagement activities.
Through a blend of placements, simulated learning and classroom teaching, you’ll develop the skills, values and knowledge you need to deliver effective care where it’s needed most.
You’ll even receive a £5,000 per year, non-repayable NHS Training Grant to support your studies. Check out the NHS Business Service Authority website to find out more.
This course is also available as an apprenticeship. Find out more about BSc Adult Nursing Apprenticeship.
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
While you study at Kingston University, you’ll benefit from top-quality teaching. Not only are we ranked Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework, we’re also top in London for Nursing and Midwifery (The Complete University Guide 2026).
A portion of your learning will take place at our award-winning simulation suite. This creates realistic environments to help you develop skills in clinical, community and practice health settings.
You’ll take part in innovative simulations, where role players and full-body manikins will offer unique opportunities to build the knowledge and behaviours needed for safe and effective patient care.
Outside the University, you’ll spend time on placement. We offer opportunities in medical and surgical wards, oncology, ICU, A&E, coronary care, operating theatres, district nursing, GP practice nursing and integrated community teams.
Some students choose to take a national or international elective at the end of Year 2. Previous students travelled to a range of countries across Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
You can even enrich your studies further through volunteering, fundraising, sports, societies, research and events. This course offers unique opportunities to explore concepts of nursing through arts-based education – plays, literature, museum visits, art exhibitions and drama workshops.
Kingston University is top in London for Nursing and Midwifery (The Complete University Guide 2026).
Top University in London for General 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
Your studies will include core learning relevant to all fields of nursing, and modules specific to Adult Nursing.
Year 1
In Year 1, you will be introduced to the core sciences underpinning nursing practice and the context of nursing and healthcare. This provides you with the knowledge and skills to establish and build professional relationships within all fields of nursing. You will also acquire an understanding of the factors that affect the health and well-being of individuals in a changing and diverse society.
Core modules
30 credits
This module will help you develop your knowledge and understanding of human anatomy and physiology across the lifespan in relation to nursing, which is an essential element of nursing proficiency.
Pathophysiology will be explored in relation to common conditions and you will also begin to develop your knowledge of pharmacological concepts in preparation for therapeutic interventions explored in Year 2.
The main features of the module are to enable you to apply scientific principles to nursing care. It will also support you to identify and understand current nursing practices underpinned by scientific theory.
60 credits
This module introduces you to the context of adult nursing practice across a range of healthcare settings. You will learn about contemporary healthcare concepts and a range of common health conditions. You will be introduced to The Code (NMC, 2018) to gain knowledge and understanding of its importance in guiding the nurse to deliver safe, effective and compassionate care, which is essential when caring for adults in partnership with families and other healthcare professionals. You will also develop your clinical skills and knowledge during this module.
30 credits
This module is a core requirement for all students across all fields of the BSc/MSci Nursing programmes. As an introductory module, it will enable you to develop knowledge and understanding of the principles of public health and health promotion. You will explore the global, social, political, economic and psycho-social forces on the population's health and well-being. In addition, you will explore the evolution of public health, the determinants of health and health inequalities.
Non-credit bearing credits
This module is the Practice Assessment Module which is designed to support you with the achievement of the NMC proficiencies and practice assessment requirements. The module focuses on practice preparation, reflection following practice experiences and the development of your numeracy skills.
Year 2
In Year 2, you will develop your understanding of the application of person-centred care, assessment, clinical reasoning and decision-making. You will examine holistic care across the life span and focus on acute and long term care within your chosen field.
Core modules
30 credits
This module enables you to build on the anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology knowledge acquired in Year 1 to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to assess and deliver safe and effective care when a person is acutely ill. It will equip you to recognise people who are acutely ill and at risk of deteriorating, undertake timely structured assessments, interpret clinical data and use situational judgement to escalate findings, prioritise care needs and to plan, deliver and evaluate evidence-based, person-centred care as part of the interdisciplinary team.
30 credits
This module develops your knowledge and understanding of long-term conditions and the lived experience of adults from a bio-psycho-social perspective. You will consider the political agenda and the socio-economic issues impacting on the management of long-term conditions. This will enable you to consider the role of the community care nurse in promoting self-management, shared decision making and hospital avoidance. It will incorporate professional accountability, social inclusion, partnership and interdisciplinary working, patient involvement in the provision of care, leadership and quality assurance in nursing, all of which are essential elements of nursing proficiency.
30 credits
This module will give you the skills and knowledge to understand the principles of evidence-based healthcare. You will learn how to apply them effectively to your clinical practice. You will learn concepts and skills used to search for, review and critique evidence. You will also develop the clinical skills and proficiencies required for Part 2 of your programme, through skills and simulated practice learning activities. A key element of the module is developing an understanding of the digital technologies used for enhancing care, in line with contemporary healthcare policy.
Non-credit bearing credits
This module is the Practice Assessment Module which is designed to support you with the achievement of the NMC proficiencies and practice assessment requirements. The module focuses on practice preparation, reflection following practice experiences and the development of your numeracy skills.
15 credits
This module will provide you with the foundational pharmacological and medicines management knowledge to enable you to safely develop your skills and knowledge in the administration of medicines to clients, patients and service users. You will develop your understanding of the regulatory, legal, and ethical frameworks that influence medicines management and the underlying pharmacological science. Issues such as concordance will be explored, and the skills required to access resources to support medicines management practice. Embedded within the module is simulated practice learning that will support the development of your clinical skills related to medicines management.
Option module
15 credits
In Year 2 of the course, you will have the opportunity to undertake an option module. Examples of modules available include: Global Health, Wound Management, Child and Adolescent Mental Health. You will be provided with details of all modules available at the beginning of Year 2 so you can make your decision.
Year 3
You will be prepared for the transition to professional practice and employment. You will develop skills in management, leadership, team working and teaching and supporting learners. You will learn how to critically appraise evidence to support future practice and explore complexities of nursing and service provision across health and social care organisations.
Core modules
30 credits
This module aims to explore the key areas that will enable you to transition and fulfil the role of a registered nurse. The module is designed to prepare you for professional nursing practice by further developing your knowledge and skills to enable you to be an accountable and compassionate registrant within the health and social care system. It focuses on the mechanisms that underpin care organisation and delivery, how nurses are integral to and can influence this and aims to develop your critical understanding of the factors influencing the environment in which you will be working. The role of politics in health and social care policy is critically explored and the module will provide you with the opportunities to explore these issues through a social justice lens.
30 credits
This module focuses on the collaborative learning and teaching of peers, people and families/carers. You will integrate your knowledge of learning theories, communication and relational skills to enable you to work collaboratively with others, critically reflecting on the challenges this can pose. You will also develop the clinical skills and proficiencies required for Part 3 of your programme through skills and simulated practice learning activities. You will have the opportunity to critically discuss inter and intra professional working alongside developing strategies for managing challenging communication. Your clinical communication skills will be refined building on your learning from previous modules, and you will have the opportunity to explore best practice approaches to communication for supporting people their families and carers in preventing ill health and managing their care.
30 credits
This module will provide you with the underpinning knowledge and skills required for your role in coordinating and managing the complex care needs of people in partnership with their families and carers across a range of organisations and settings. You will develop knowledge and skills related to caring for people with complex healthcare needs including clinical skills. You will critically reflect on how the wishes of people, their families and carers can be incorporated into complex care planning and decision making. The organisation of complex care and the political landscape in which it is delivered will be critically reflected on. You will also develop the clinical skills and proficiencies required for Part 3 of your programme through skills and simulated practice learning activities. You will build on your knowledge of partnership and collaborative working and examine the cultural, political, psychosocial and technological influences on nursing care, resource management and finances.
30 credits
Navigating the transition from student to a professional practitioner who is skilled at leading teams is critically important to the delivery of safe, effective and high quality health care. This module is designed to prepare you for professional nursing practice by expanding your knowledge and skills to enable you to be an accountable and compassionate leader within the health and social care system.
It focuses on leadership, team working, and performance management and enables adult nursing students to reflect on their transition to registered practice and build the evidence base for a career development portfolio. Some sessions will be shared across fields as they are core for all fields.
Non-credit bearing credits
This module is the Practice Assessment Module which is designed to support you with the achievement of the NMC proficiencies and practice assessment requirements. The module focuses on practice preparation, reflection following practice experiences and the development of your numeracy skills.
Nursing Foundation Year
If you would like to study one of our Nursing degrees at Kingston University but are not yet ready to join the first year of a BSc (Hons) course, you can include an extra foundation year within your chosen field. Please see the Nursing Foundation Year course page for details of modules.
What career opportunities does this course offer?
Recent Kingston graduates have gone on to work everywhere from A&E and intensive care to oncology, neurology, hospice nursing and more. You could work in the community, at an acute hospital or at a leading NHS or independent organisation across Surrey and London.
Links with the health sector
We have more than 40 practice partners for adult nursing from the NHS, independent and private sector, including:
- Ashford Hospital
- Bromley Healthcare
- Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
- Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
- Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, including Frimley Park and Wexham Park Hospitals
- Hounslow Community (West London NHS Trust)
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
- Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust
- Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
- London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
- Moorfields Eye Hospital
- NHS Blood and Transplant Service
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
- Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
- St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- University College London Hospitals
- West Middlesex University Hospital
- Your Healthcare
- Ashtead Hospital
- The Cromwell Hospital
- GP services in South West London and Surrey
- New Victoria Hospital
- Parkside Hospital
- St Anthony's Hospital
- Specialist health care providers
- Princess Alice Hospice
- The Royal Hospital for Neurodisability
- The Royal Star and Garter Home
- St Raphael's Hospice
- Trinity Hospice
You will have the opportunity to take a national or international elective at the end of Year 2. Our adult nursing students have recently visited a variety of countries including:
- Bali
- Ecuador
- Ghana
- India
- Kenya
- Mexico
- Nepal
- Peru
- Philippines
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Vietnam
- Zimbabwe
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.
Outside the scheduled learning and teaching hours, you will learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, preparing for and completing your work for assessments. Some independent study work may need to be completed on-campus, as you may need to access campus-based facilities such as studios and labs.
Our academic support team here at Kingston University provides help in a range of areas.
When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of academic staff who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at Kingston and who will show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer at Kingston University.
A course is made up of modules, and each module is worth a number of credits. You must pass a given number of credits in order to achieve the award you registered on, for example 360 credits for a typical undergraduate course or 180 credits for a typical postgraduate course. The number of credits you need for your award is detailed in the programme specification which you can access from the link at the bottom of this page.
One credit equates to 10 hours of study. Therefore 120 credits across a year (typical for an undergraduate course) would equate to 1,200 notional hours. These hours are split into scheduled and guided. On this course, the percentage of that time that will be scheduled learning and teaching activities is shown below for each year of study. The remainder is made up of guided independent study.
- Year 1: 57% scheduled learning and teaching
- Year 2: 83% scheduled learning and teaching
- Year 3: 74% scheduled learning and teaching
The exact balance between scheduled learning and teaching and guided independent study will be informed by the modules you take.
Your course will primarily be delivered in person. It may include delivery of some activities online, either in real time or recorded.
Types of assessment
- Year 1: Coursework 75%; exams 25%
- Year 2: Coursework 75%; exams 25%
- Year 3: Coursework 75%; exams 25%
Please note: the above breakdowns are a guide calculated on core modules only. If your course includes optional modules, this breakdown may change to reflect the modules chosen.
We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 20 working days.
Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled learning and teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9am and 6pm. For undergraduate students Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.
Fees and funding
| Fee category | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | |
| £10,050* | |
| Foundation Year | £10,050 |
| International | |
| Year 1 (2027/28): | £21,300 |
| Year 2 (2028/29): | £22,100 |
| Year 3 (2029/30): | £23,000 |
The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student.
Please visit the Fees and Funding page for more information.
* For full-time programmes lasting more than one academic year, a tuition fee is payable for each academic year of the course.
Your annual tuition fee covers your first attempt at all modules required for that academic year. Any re-study or repeat of modules will incur additional charges, calculated according to the number of credits taken.
Home students (UK):
Tuition fees are subject to inflation-linked increases in line with government policy. Updated fees will be confirmed in line with the maximum fee cap set by the Government or the Office for Students (OfS) for each academic year. This means your fee may increase for each academic year of study, but only up to the maximum amount permitted for that year.
International students:
Full-time taught international student fees are subject to an annual increase, which is published in advance for the full duration of your programme.
| Fee category | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | £9,790* |
| International | |
| Year 1 (2026/27): | £19,900 |
| Year 2 (2027/28): | £20,700 |
| Year 3 (2028/29): | £21,500 |
The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student.
Please visit the Fees and Funding page for more information.
* For full-time programmes lasting more than one academic year, a tuition fee is payable for each academic year of the course.
Your annual tuition fee covers your first attempt at all modules required for that academic year. Any re-study or repeat of modules will incur additional charges, calculated according to the number of credits taken.
Home students (UK):
Tuition fees are subject to inflation-linked increases in line with government policy. Updated fees will be confirmed in line with the maximum fee cap set by the Government or the Office for Students (OfS) for each academic year. This means your fee may increase for each academic year of study, but only up to the maximum amount permitted for that year.
International students:
Full-time taught international student fees are subject to an annual increase, which is published in advance for the full duration of your programme.
| Fee category | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | £9,535* |
| International | |
| Year 1 (2025/26): | £18,800 |
| Year 2 (2026/27): | £19,600 |
| Year 3 (2027/28): | £20,400 |
The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student. In 2025/26 the fees for this course are above.
Please visit the Fees and Funding page for more information.
* For full-time programmes of a duration of more than one academic year, the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the programme. Your annual tuition fees cover your first attempt at all of the modules necessary to complete that academic year. A re-study of any modules will incur additional charges calculated by the number of credits. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full-time taught International fees are subject to an annual increase and are published in advance for the full duration of the programme.
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:
Our libraries have an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as open-access computers and laptops available to rent. However, you may want to buy your own computer or personal copies of key textbooks. Textbooks may range from £50 to £250 per year. And a personal computer can range from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.
While most coursework is submitted online, some modules may require printed copies. You may want to allocate up to £100 per year for hard-copies of your coursework. It’s worth noting that 3D printing is never compulsory. So if you choose to use our 3D printers, you’ll need to pay for the material. This ranges from 3p per gram to 40p per gram.
Kingston University will pay for all compulsory field trips. Fees for optional trips can range from £30 to £350 per trip.
Your tuition fees don’t cover travel costs. To save on travel costs, you can use our intersite bus service. This route links the campuses and halls of residence with local train stations - Surbiton, Kingston upon Thames, and Norbiton.
Placements
Placement expenses for travel and accommodation may be reimbursed by NHS Bursaries where, for example, the requirement exceeds that of attending university; or requires additional accommodation to that of the usual term time location. These expenses may need to be covered initially by the student before any applicable reimbursement is received. Please note: EU and international students may not be eligible for support for travel and accommodation.
The University will pay for your application to be processed, but you’ll need to subscribe to the Update Service for £16 per year. This allows universities and potential employers to view any changes to your DBS.
We provide you with a uniform. You will need to purchase appropriate shoes (£20-£60) and a fob watch (£5-£20) for practice. Additional uniform items will be available for purchase if you want them.
You should arrange your own elective clinical placements in the UK or overseas. Kingston does not cover the practice costs of placements, which means you’ll need to cover things like travel, accommodation, visas and additional vaccinations.
Student membership with the Royal College of Nursing is recommended; this is £10 for student nurses. Membership is required for undertaking an elective placement. When you qualify, it costs £120 to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council for a year.
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. Please note, this is not available during the foundation year. 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.
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).
