Overview

Advance your nursing career in a way that fits your experience, goals and working life.

Our BSc Professional Studies in Nursing course is a flexible route for registered nurses in the UK and internationally who want to build on existing qualifications.

You can tailor your pathway to suit your professional goals, choosing modules across a range of topics to support your professional development. Study full time in up to one year, or part time over two years, so you can continue working alongside your learning.

You will graduate with a BSc Professional Studies in Nursing.

Your learning is tailored from the start. Once you’re accepted onto the course, you will meet with the academic team to plan your study pathway. Through a dedicated one to one session, you will receive personalised support to choose modules that align with your current role and future ambitions.

You can create a route that reflects your professional development needs and the demands of modern healthcare services in areas such as:

adult nursing
child nursing
mental health nursing
public health nursing.

As Scotland’s largest provider of continuing professional development nursing education, we offer a wide range of nursing modules. You can study on campus, online or through blended learning, giving you flexibility in how and where you learn while continuing to work in practice.

Our teaching team includes practising nurses and researchers with extensive clinical and academic experience. Drawing on their professional knowledge and industry connections, they will support and guide you throughout your studies and help you prepare for the next stage of your nursing career.

Through practical learning and simulation, you will build confidence, strengthen clinical decision making and develop the skills to deliver safe, person-centred care in complex environments.

This course will support the development of your professional competence and confidence. It will enable you to fulfil your potential as a nurse, delivering person-centred care, safely and effectively.

The course also provides a strong foundation for further academic development, with opportunities to progress towards advanced study such as an MSc qualification.

For added flexibility, you can choose to exit with a Graduate Certificate in Professional Studies in Nursing after successfully completing 60 credits.

Please note:

The information on this page is for the BSc qualification. There is an honours year open to:

applicants who are registered nurses and already hold a BSc Nursing degree
students who have successfully completed the BSc Professional Studies in Nursing programme and wish to continue with their studies

Please visit the BSc (Hons) Professional Nursing Studies course page for more information.

You must apply for your preferred route. Opportunities to transfer between the BSc and BSc (Hons) once you accept your offer are limited.

Why study Professional Studies in Nursing at GCU?

Study with flexibility that fits around your role. We work closely with large health boards to offer full-time and part-time pathways, helping you balance study with clinical practice.
Shape your course around your career goals. Choose from modules across adult, child, mental health and public health nursing, and build a route that reflects your role and ambitions.
Learn in facilities that bring practice to life. At our Interprofessional Simulation Centre, you can develop clinical skills safely through realistic, hands-on scenarios that build confidence and practical experience.
Build the professional skills to progress in your career. Strengthen your knowledge and confidence to take on new responsibilities and move towards future opportunities in the UK and internationally.
GCU is home to the UK’s only WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation. It supports global nursing, community and public health initiatives.

What you will study

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.

Modules

Exploring Practice and Practices: Learning at Work

Anesthetic Practice

Clinical Assessment and Decision Making

Critical Care Nursing

Delivering Excellence in Care

Deteriorating Adult Patient

Developing Practice and Practices: Learning at Work

Education in Health and Social Care

Enhancing Palliative and End of Life Care

Fundamentals of Public Health

Leading and Managing for Quality Improvement

Leading and Managing Change in Primary Care Settings

Leg Ulcer Management

Paediatric Cardiac Nursing

Paediatric Critical Care Nursing

Post Anaesthetic Practice

Prescribing for Healthcare Practitioners

Safe Scrub and Circulating Practice

Sexual and Reproductive Health Learning at Work

Supporting Anticipatory Care

Supportive Care at End of Life

Symptom Assessment and Management in Palliative Care

The Theory of Sexual and Reproductive Health

Working with Vulnerable Populations

Understanding core and optional modules

The core modules shown are based on the standard full-time route for students entering Year 1 of the course. If you study full time from Year 1, you will normally study the outlined core modules for each year of the course.

Optional modules provide opportunities to tailor your studies. You will not normally study every optional module shown and will be asked to select from the available options during your studies. Information about available options and the module selection process will be provided after you enrol. Please note that the availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and is subject to factors including student demand, timetabling, staffing and academic requirements.

The module information shown is based on the standard full-time route through the course. If you study through an alternative entry or study route, including part-time study or Advanced Entry, the modules you take in each year and the order in which you study them may vary.

Careers

A degree in nursing can support your long-term career progression and open up a wider range of opportunities. This course is designed to build on your existing experience, helping you develop the knowledge and confidence to take the next steps in your career.

Graduates have gone on to progress within their roles and, with further experience, move into more senior or specialist positions in the UK and internationally. Many also choose to continue their studies, developing expertise that supports career development across:

clinical practice
teaching and education
research
management and leadership.

Within the NHS and private healthcare sector, this can contribute to progression into roles such as community nursing leadership, advanced practice, service development, or research-focused positions.

You may also choose to apply your skills in different settings. Roles within the third sector, including health charities and social enterprises, offer opportunities to work in community-focused services, prevention and public health initiatives, and projects aimed at reducing health inequalities.

Course information

Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location
BSc	Full Time	1 Year	Jan 27	Glasgow	Enquire Apply
Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location
BSc	Part Time	2 Years	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.

Year 1

All applicants must be registered nurses, registered or licensed by the regulatory body in their home country. Typical minimum requirements of Nursing Diploma for direct entry to this course.

English language

IELTS score of 6.0 with no element below 5.5 (or equivalent)

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.

Minimum entry requirements

Minimum entry requirements are for widening access students only. If you are from a group that is not currently well-represented in higher education you may qualify as a widening access student. This includes living in a target postcode area, attending a target school or college, attending SWAP, are care-experienced or provide care for someone else, have refugee status or are an asylum seeker.

Teaching methods

Our learning and teaching methods ensure the course is vocationally relevant and academically challenging. Our student-centred approach is practical, collaborative, and relevant to employers.

We encourage you to think independently and develop critical thinking skills.

Each module uses a different learning, teaching and assessment strategy to make sure you build a comprehensive understanding of adult nursing and achieve the necessary learning outcomes.

Our learning and teaching methods include:

lectures
seminars
guided study
simulation
group work.

Assessment methods

Assessment methods include:

examinations
class tests
essays
coursework
presentations
academic posters
group work.

Exit award option

If your circumstances change, or you decide not to continue to the full degree, you may be eligible for an exit award. If you successfully complete a minimum of 60 credits, you can choose to exit with a Graduate Certificate in Professional Studies in Nursing.

Interprofessional Simulation Centre

Our Interprofessional Simulation Centre is a state-of-the-art teaching facility where health and social care students learn through realistic, hands-on experience. It includes lifelike hospital wards, simulated home and care environments, an ambulance and specialist spaces such as X‑ray, radiotherapy and physiotherapy clinics.

Using real healthcare equipment, advanced patient manikins and video recording, you can practise real-life situations safely and review your learning. The Centre supports nursing, paramedic, allied health and social care training. It helps you learn how to work across specialties while building your confidence and practical skills before working with real patients.

ISC Recording

We use video and audio recording of students during practical exercises in our teaching and assessment. If you’re applying to study a health-related course, you should be aware that you may be recorded. These recordings may be viewed by staff, students, and external examiners for learning and assessment. This is not an optional component of the course.

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.