BSc(Hons) Nursing (Adult)

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Brighton

Program Overview

If you’re passionate about helping adults live healthier lives, Brighton’s Adult Nursing degree gives you the skills, confidence, and real-world experience to make a real difference. You’ll combine academic learning with hands-on placements and simulation-based training so that by the time you graduate, you’re ready to care for patients safely and professionally.

Curriculum Structure

Year One

In your first year, you’ll explore the foundations of nursing and start building practical skills. Modules like Nursing Assessment in Partnership with People and Planning Nursing Care in Partnership with People teach you how to assess and plan care with empathy, considering the physical, mental, and social needs of adults. Human Biology for Nursing gives you the scientific knowledge to understand how the body works and what happens when health is affected. You’ll also spend time in Practice Learning for Nursing Year 1, gaining hands-on experience in real care settings under supervision.

Year Two

Year two focuses on more complex care situations and evidence-based practice. Modules such as Quality Improvement Using Evidence-Based Nursing Practice help you learn how to make care safer and more effective, while Nursing to Promote Health and Prevent Illness teaches you about public health and preventive care. In Approaches to Nursing Adults with Long-Term Conditions and Nursing Assessment and Management of Clinical Deterioration, you’ll learn to care for patients with chronic or serious conditions, practising assessment, monitoring, and clinical decision-making. Your learning is reinforced with Practice Learning Year 2 placements in hospitals and community settings.

Final Year

The final year is about refining your skills and becoming a confident, competent nurse. Contemporary and Future Nursing Practice explores the wider health care system, preparing you for real-world challenges. Palliative and End of Life Care Using an Integrative Nursing Approach teaches you to provide compassionate support to patients and families in sensitive situations. Leading and Managing Nursing Care and Effective Teams develops your leadership and teamwork abilities, while Enhanced Nursing Assessment and Clinical Decision-Making sharpens your clinical judgement. Practice Learning Year 3 placements allow you to apply everything you’ve learned under supervision, preparing you to graduate as a fully qualified nurse.

Focus areas: adult nursing, holistic care, acute and long-term conditions, palliative care, public health, clinical assessment, leadership

Learning outcomes: deliver safe, compassionate care; understand adult health and disease; make independent clinical decisions; collaborate with multidisciplinary teams; lead and manage nursing care; be ready for professional registration

Professional alignment (accreditation): Approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) — graduates are eligible to register and practice as nurses in the UK

Reputation (employability rankings): 92% of graduates are in work or further study within 15 months; 92% of working graduates hold highly skilled nursing roles

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At Brighton, nursing isn’t just something you read about — it’s something you do. From day one, you’ll gain hands-on experience in realistic settings, building your confidence and skills before you step into a real ward. The course combines classroom learning, modern simulation labs, and extensive hospital and community placements, giving you a true taste of professional nursing life.

Here’s how you’ll get practical experience:

Clinical Skills and Simulation Suite – practice nursing tasks on lifelike mannequins in fully equipped simulation rooms.
Mock wards and community flats – realistic settings where you can learn assessments, daily care, and teamwork safely.
Extensive placements – around 2,300 hours of work in hospitals, community care, and NHS settings across Sussex, Kent, and Surrey.
Blended learning schedule – rotate between academic study and practice placements so theory and hands-on learning reinforce each other.
Supportive mentors – practice supervisors and academic tutors guide you every step of the way.
Teamwork-focused learning – collaborate with students from other nursing fields to mirror the real-world, multidisciplinary health environment.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduating from Brighton’s Adult Nursing degree sets you up for a rewarding career where you can make a real difference in people’s lives. With the professional registration and practical experience you gain, many graduates move straight into roles in hospitals, community health, or specialist care. Typical jobs include Adult Nurse, Ward Nurse, ICU / Critical Care Nurse, and Community Health Nurse.

Brighton supports your journey from student to professional in a number of ways:

Careers & Employability support – get help with CVs, interviews, placement-to-job networking, and employer events.
Strong employment outcomes – around 92% of graduates are in work or further study 15 months after finishing their degree.
Good starting salary – average earnings are about £28,000, with typical ranges between £27,000–£29,500.
Professional accreditation – the degree is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), making you eligible to register and practice as a nurse in the UK.
Diverse career opportunities – work in hospitals, community care, critical care, elderly care, or public/private health services. Over time, you can specialise, move into leadership, or even pursue research and teaching roles.

Further Academic Progression:
If you want to continue studying, you could pursue postgraduate degrees in advanced clinical practice, specialist nursing areas, or healthcare leadership. This opens doors to senior clinical roles, specialist practice, management positions, or academic and research careers.