BSc (Hons) Nursing (Child Branch)

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Swansea University

Program Overview

Swansea’s Child Nursing degree is designed for anyone who wants to make a real difference in the lives of babies, children, and young people. You’ll gain the knowledge, practical skills, and confidence to care for children in hospitals, community settings, and family environments, all while learning how to support their overall wellbeing.

The program combines classroom learning with hands-on experience, giving you the chance to understand child development, manage illnesses, and deliver compassionate, evidence-based care. By the time you graduate, you’ll be ready to step into a professional role making a positive impact every day.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1

Your first year lays the foundation for child nursing. Modules like Introduction to Child Nursing and Health Care, Understanding Children’s Health and Illness, and Contexts of Children’s Care teach you the basics of child development, health, and wellbeing. You’ll also learn how social and family factors affect care, helping you see each child as a whole person rather than just a set of symptoms.

Year 2

In year two, you’ll move into more specialised and hands-on learning. Modules such as Acute Children’s Care, Care of Children with Long-term Conditions and Palliative Care Needs, and Ensuring Quality Care for Children show you how to respond to emergencies, manage chronic or long-term conditions, and maintain high standards of care. This year also includes supervised clinical placements, giving you real-world experience with children and families.

Year 3

Your final year brings everything together, preparing you to become a confident, professional child nurse. Modules like Advancing Children’s Nursing Practice, Care of the Child with Complex Needs, and Preparation for Professional Practice help you manage complex cases, make professional decisions, and refine your skills for the workplace. By the end of this year, you’ll be ready to step into your first professional role caring for children and young people.

Focus Areas

Child and young-person holistic health, acute and long-term paediatric care, family-centred and community care, complex needs nursing for children, professional readiness.

Learning Outcomes

Assess, plan, and deliver evidence-based care for children; work collaboratively with families and healthcare teams; manage acute, chronic, and complex conditions; demonstrate professional and ethical practice; and graduate ready for professional registration as a child nurse.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

Fully accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), meaning you can register as a qualified child nurse and work across the UK, EU, and EEA.

Reputation (Employability & Ranking)

Ranked 7th in the UK for Graduate Prospects and 7th for Academic Support (NSS 2025), Swansea’s Child Nursing programme reflects both strong employment opportunities and excellent learning support.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Studying Child Nursing at Swansea is all about learning by doing. From the start, you’ll spend around half your time in real hospitals, community clinics, and care settings, working directly with babies, children, and young people under the guidance of experienced nurses. Alongside this, the university provides a realistic clinical training suite where you can practise procedures, assessments, and patient interactions in a safe, simulated environment. This mix of real-world experience and hands-on practice helps you graduate confident, competent, and ready for professional life.

Here’s what your practical learning looks like:

Clinical placements across South West Wales: Gain experience in NHS hospitals and community care, working with children in both hospital and home/community settings.
On-campus realistic clinical suite: Practise essential nursing skills and child-specific care scenarios in a safe, supportive environment before working with real patients.
Blended learning approach: Combine lectures, seminars, workshops, and practical sessions with digital tools like online resources and virtual learning platforms to reinforce your skills.
Partnerships with health service providers: Swansea’s connections with local hospitals and community health boards give you access to a variety of placements, from urban hospitals to rural clinics.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduating from Swansea’s Child Nursing program means you’ll be a fully qualified children’s nurse, ready to care for babies, children, and young people in hospitals, clinics, or community settings. Many graduates step straight into roles like Registered Children’s Nurse, Community Nurse, Paediatric Specialist Nurse, Child‑Health Service Coordinator, Nurse Educator, or Clinical Research Nurse, giving you a variety of meaningful career paths from the very start. Because the course combines hands-on clinical placements with strong academic learning, you’ll begin your career confident and ready for real-world challenges.

Here’s how Swansea supports your journey:

Careers and Employability services: Get help with CVs, interview preparation, finding placements, volunteering, and your first job — giving you a smooth transition from student to professional nurse.
Strong employability outcomes: Around 95% of graduates are employed in nursing or related roles within 15 months of finishing the degree.
Salary and growth potential: Newly qualified nurses start around £28,407 (Band 5), with experienced or specialist nurses eventually earning up to £57,349.
Professional accreditation: The course is fully accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), allowing you to register and work across the UK, EU, and EEA.
Real-world experience built in: About half the program is made up of clinical placements in hospitals and community settings, so you graduate with hands-on experience, practical skills, and professional confidence.

Further Academic Progression:
After qualifying, you could pursue postgraduate or specialised training, such as paediatric intensive care, neonatal care, advanced clinical practice, or community health leadership. This opens doors to roles like Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Manager, Health-Visiting Lead, or Clinical Educator, giving you long-term career growth and flexibility.