Overview

Health visitors play a vital role in giving every child the best possible start in life. They work with children and families from pregnancy through to school entry, supporting early development, protecting health, and helping reduce inequalities across communities.

The PgD Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) prepares you to take on this role. Designed for NMC-registered nurses and midwives, the course focuses on developing specialist practice within child and family public health. You’ll develop the professional knowledge, leadership skills and clinical confidence needed to work autonomously within community settings while responding to the realities of modern health visiting practice across Scotland and the wider UK.

Practice-based learning is central to the course. You’ll work directly within health visiting teams, applying theory in real situations and building confidence in decision-making, communication and partnership working. Placements across NHS boards in Scotland help you understand current policy, service delivery and the challenges facing children, families and communities today.

At GCU, you’ll learn from experienced academics and practitioners with strong links to NHS services and third sector organisations. Guest speakers, specialist input and recognised training in areas such as perinatal mental health, parenting approaches and UNICEF Baby Friendly deepen your understanding of contemporary child and family health practice. The course also gives you an international perspective on public health nursing through collaborative online learning with partner universities in Sweden and Portugal. Alongside this, you’ll engage with current research, policy and professional guidance that reflects the changing landscape of health visiting and community care.

When you graduate, you’ll be ready to lead, influence and deliver services that support children, families and communities to thrive in the UK and beyond.

Please note:

Following completion of the PgD, you may choose to undertake a dissertation and graduate with an MSc in Community Nursing. See the additional information section below for more details on this progression route.

Why study Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) at GCU?

Gain an NMC-validated qualification and become eligible to register as a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (Health Visitor).
Build practical experience through a dedicated placement and apply your learning in real community settings.
Learn from experienced academics, practitioners and guest speakers working across child, family and public health services.
Strengthen your leadership, communication and decision-making skills to support children and families with complex and changing needs.
Explore international approaches to child and family health through collaborative learning with partner universities in Sweden and Portugal.

Nursing and Midwifery Council

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What you will study

Modules

Advanced Research Methods

Advanced Leadership for Health and Social Care Practitioners

The Art and Science of Specialist Community Public Health

Consolidation of Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) Practice

We aim to display the most up-to-date information possible.

The modules listed on this page and the Programme Specification are intended to give you an idea of what you may be able to study on this course. Please note that course content, modules, teaching and assessment may change each year and after you have accepted your offer to study at GCU. This might be because we are required to do so by law, by a governmental authority, regulator or accrediting body. We may also make changes for quality assurance reasons, or to enhance the course.

Careers

Our graduates typically move into health visiting roles within NHS services across Scotland and the wider UK.

You may go on to work in:

health visiting teams
family nursing services
public health services
community health services
early years and child health services.

As you gain experience, you may progress into senior or specialist roles. These can include team leadership, service development, safeguarding, or public health improvement roles within the NHS or government.

Some graduates also go into policy, education, or research, helping to shape services and influence how care is delivered at local, national, or international level.

Course information

Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location
PgD	Full Time	1 Year	Jan 27	Glasgow	Enquire Apply

Please note that admission to GCU is considered on a competitive basis, and the academic entry requirements stated here may be the minimum required to be eligible for an offer.

International students can get information on entry requirements specific to their country in our International Study section.

Minimum academic requirement

Applicants must evidence current registration with the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) Adult, Child, Mental Health, Learning Disability and Midwifery and are normally expected to hold a prior degree. If you do not have a degree, please contact the course leader for additional information.

English language requirement

IELTS score of 7.0 (or equivalent) with no element below 7.0.

Additional information for international applicants

Entry requirements by country
Application deadlines
English language tests
Knowledge of English - Applicants from a majority English speaking country may not be required to provide further proof of your English language proficiency. Information about this requirement is available on the Student Visa section of the gov.uk website.

Additional information for all applicants

Relevant experience (Recognition of Prior Learning)

GCU's flexible entry policies exist to allow relevant work experience and prior learning to be considered towards standard entry or advanced entry into a course.

If you do not have the typical academic entry qualifications, but can demonstrate relevant work experience and/or credits from recognised professional bodies, you may be eligible to enter this course via the University's Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) scheme.

Teaching methods

Accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the programme meets the Standards of Proficiency for Specialist Community Public Health Nurses (SCPHN) and provides eligibility to register on the SCPHN part of the NMC register.

You’ll learn through a mix of taught sessions, guided study and applied learning that reflects the realities of modern health visiting practice. Lectures, workshops and seminars introduce key theory, policy, research and public health priorities. You’ll then apply this learning through practical scenarios, discussion and case-based activities linked to real community and family health settings.

Teaching focuses on building the knowledge, judgement and confidence needed for autonomous practice. Reflective learning is embedded throughout the course, helping you develop self-awareness, strengthen decision-making and evaluate your professional practice over time.

You’ll also build leadership, communication and evidence-based practice skills that support effective partnership working across services. Learning alongside other health and social care professionals further develops your collaborative approach and understanding of integrated child and family care.

Guest speakers, practitioners and third sector partners add insight into current challenges, policy developments and best practice across child and family health services. This helps keep your learning closely connected to contemporary professional practice across Scotland and the wider UK.

Your learning is aligned with current Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards and the professional code. This helps you understand your responsibilities as a specialist practitioner and prepare for safe, effective practice.

You’ll also engage with current research, policy and professional guidance, so your knowledge reflects the realities of health visiting today.

Practice placement

Your placement is where your learning comes to life. You’ll be based within a health visiting team, working directly with families and communities.

You’ll take part in day-to-day practice, supported by experienced practitioners. This helps you build confidence, develop professional judgement, and prepare for autonomous decision-making.

Placements are delivered in partnership with NHS boards across Scotland, including:

Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Lanarkshire, Ayrshire
Highland.

This ensures your experience reflects current policy, service delivery and local community needs.

By the end of the course, you’ll have the practical experience and confidence to step into a health visiting role and make an immediate impact.

Recognised training to support your practice

You’ll complete recognised training that strengthens your day-to-day practice.

This includes:

Solihull Parenting Approach
UNICEF Baby Friendly
iHV Perinatal Mental Health Training
Money Guiders (by the Money and Pensions Service)
Gender-Based Violence and DASH-RIC Training
Safe Sleep Training

These areas reflect the realities of working with children and families in community settings.

Gain an international perspective

You’ll take part in collaborative online learning with our partner universities in Sweden and Portugal. This helps you explore how child and family health is approached in different countries. You’ll compare policies, share ideas and broaden your understanding of public health practice.

GCU is home to the UK’s only WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation. We play a central role in sharing good practice, strengthening nursing and midwifery capacity, and contributing to WHO’s strategic directions for education and workforce development. Our students benefit from teaching and research informed by real global health challenges.

Learn from experts with strong academic support

You’ll learn from academics and practitioners with experience in child and family health. They bring current insight from practice into your teaching, helping you understand how services work in real settings.

Guest speakers and third sector partners add further perspective. You’ll explore real challenges and see how different services respond in practice.

You’ll be supported throughout your studies by an Academic Assessor and Personal Tutor. They will guide your progress, give regular feedback, and help you stay on track. Your Personal Tutor will also support your wellbeing and connect you with wider university services when needed.

MSc Community Nursing

The PgD Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) is an NMC-validated qualification in its own right. On successful completion, you’ll be eligible to register on the Specialist Community Public Health Nurse part of the NMC register as a Health Visitor.

Following completion of the PgD, you may choose to undertake a dissertation and graduate with an MSc in Community Nursing. You don't need to decide right away, you can choose to take up this option within five years of qualifying with the PgD.

However, if you apply directly to the MSc Community Nursing programme, please note that you cannot exit with the PgD Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) qualification.

Specialist, NMC Recognised Qualification

Gain the NMC-validated Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) qualification, meeting the NMC Standards of Proficiency and preparing you for entry to the SCPHN part of the NMC register.

Visit the NMC register

This course is also UNICEF Baby Friendly Accredited.

Visit the Nursing and Midwifery Council website

Visit the UNICEF website

Download the programme specification

In addition to the core modules that all students must undertake, some courses offer students a choice from a selection of optional modules to shape the focus of their degree. Optional modules where available, form part of the overall credit structure of the course.

Download the programme specification for a detailed breakdown of the course structure, including modules, what you'll learn and other useful information.

Terms and Conditions

Details of the University’s terms and conditions are available here.

Overview

Why study Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) at GCU?

Accreditations

What you will study

Careers

Course information