BSc Hons in Midwifery

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge Campus

Program Overview

The BSc (Hons) Midwifery at Anglia Ruskin University gives you the training and practical experience to support women and families through one of life’s most meaningful journeys. This course is perfect for caring, resilient students who want to combine academic learning with hands-on clinical practice so they can step confidently into a midwifery career.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1 – Foundations of Midwifery
In your first year, you’ll lay the groundwork for your midwifery journey with modules such as Foundations of Midwifery Practice, Midwifery Life Sciences, and Universal Midwifery Skills and Practice. These units help you understand the basics of anatomy, infant health, and public health while introducing you to real-world professional values. Alongside lectures, you’ll begin supervised placements where you’ll start developing essential clinical and communication skills.

Year 2 – Expanding Clinical Expertise
The second year is all about building confidence in more complex care settings. You’ll study modules like Medical Complexities, Obstetric and Neonatal Complexities, and Emergency Midwifery Care, which deepen your understanding of pregnancy challenges and critical decision-making. You’ll spend significant time on placements in wards and community settings, experiencing care in antenatal, delivery, postnatal, and neonatal environments to refine your practical skills.

Year 3 – Professional Practice and Leadership
Your final year prepares you for the transition into professional practice through modules such as Undergraduate Major Project: Maternity Service Improvement Project, Safe and Effective Neonatal Care, and The Midwife as Teacher. This stage helps you develop leadership, research awareness, and teaching confidence. You’ll consolidate your clinical experience in placements, ensuring you’re able to deliver safe, confident, and compassionate midwifery care from day one after graduation.

Focus areas: Midwifery practice, maternal and newborn health, public health, clinical decision-making, professional leadership

Learning outcomes: Safe and effective clinical care, strong communication and teamwork, evidence-based decision making, professional confidence, readiness for midwifery registration

Professional alignment (accreditation): Approved for Midwifery Council registration, enabling eligibility to register as a midwife in the UK

Reputation (employability rankings): Anglia Ruskin University is recognised for strong healthcare training, with graduates often moving quickly into NHS midwifery roles — many reporting high satisfaction with relevance and career fit after graduation.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The BSc (Hons) Midwifery program at Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge Campus emphasizes hands-on experiential learning to prepare students thoroughly for midwifery careers. You’ll develop practical skills essential to clinical practice through extensive simulation and real-world placements in NHS healthcare settings. The university provides purpose-built midwifery skills labs with realistic hospital ward environments and specialized equipment, enabling practice of vital procedures before clinical placements. These opportunities foster confidence, teamwork, and professional communication.

Experiential learning includes:

• Clinical placements every year in varied settings such as ante-natal, intra-partum, post-natal wards, birthing units, community midwifery, neonatal units, and gynaecology wards, typically lasting 6-10 weeks each, with shifts covering days, nights, and weekends.

• Access to state-of-the-art midwifery skills labs at Cambridge campus with abdominal palpation models, birthing torsos, and other simulation tools to practice procedures like blood-taking, catheterisation, and emergency care safely.

• Use of digital learning tools and healthcare simulation software to enhance understanding of clinical environments and patient care.

• Small group workshops promoting collaborative learning and communication skills essential in maternity healthcare teams.

• Academic and practice support from expert faculty, clinical supervisors, and assessors throughout placements.

• Opportunities for elective placements, locally or internationally, to broaden exposure to diverse healthcare delivery.

• Access to university libraries with extensive midwifery and health sciences resources to support research and study.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates from the BSc (Hons) Midwifery program at Anglia Ruskin University are highly skilled, compassionate healthcare professionals ready to work as registered midwives. Common roles include Registered Midwife, Community Midwife, Maternity Ward Manager, and Midwifery Educator, enabling graduates to impact maternal and neonatal care at multiple levels. The program provides a strong foundation for both clinical practice and leadership opportunities within the NHS and beyond.

Here’s how ARU supports your career progression and opportunities:

• The dedicated Careers and Employability Service offers tailored advice, job search resources, CV support, interview preparation, and access to ARU Temps for paid part-time roles.

• ARU’s Handshake platform connects students to exclusive job vacancies and internship opportunities across healthcare sectors.

• Graduate employment statistics are impressive, with a median salary around £26,000 within 15 months of graduation and high employment rates in healthcare roles.

• Strong partnerships with NHS Foundation Trusts, including Cambridge University Hospitals and East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, provide rich clinical placement experiences and networking for future job prospects.

• The course is NMC-accredited, ensuring long-term professional recognition and eligibility for registration as a midwife in the UK.

• Graduates often advance to leadership, education, research, policy, and specialist clinical roles, contributing significantly to maternal healthcare innovation and patient outcomes.