Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Nursing - Mental Health

As a mental health nurse, you focus on the therapeutic relationship with those with mental ill health, and with their families. You provide the support and treatment to meet their physical, psychological, social, mental and spiritual care needs. More than anything else, mental health nursing requires empathy, to care about the people you are working with.
Unlike many of the older, traditional nursing schools, at Essex you receive a fresh, contemporary and relevant nurse education programme. You work with local organisations to ensure that you gain the best experience possible during your time with us, and studying alongside other health professionals means that you also have the opportunity to gain expert knowledge from them.
The School of Health and Social Care is proud to work closely with our Service User Reference Group (SURG). SURG is made up of service users, carers, and volunteers who generously share their first-hand experiences of health and social care. We work collaboratively with SURG to design our courses to ensure that we truly are putting the needs of patients and clients at the heart of what we do. SURG are involved as part of our course application processes and often form part of our interview panels.
Successful completion of our BSc Nursing (Mental Health) Work-Based Learning, leads to eligibility to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) on the Professional Register as a Registered Mental Health Nurse allowing you to practise as a nurse in the UK.

Successful completion of our BSc Nursing (Mental Health) Work-Based Learning, leads to eligibility to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) on the Professional Register as a Registered Mental Health Nurse allowing you to practise as a nurse in the UK.

GCSE: Mathematics and English Language C/4. Acceptable alternatives to our GCSE Maths and English requirements are listed further down this page.
Plus one of the following:
A-levels: BBC
BTEC: DDD
Access to HE Diploma: 6 level 3 credits at Distinction and 39 level 3 at merit
T-levels: Distinction, depending on subject studied - advice on acceptability can be provided.
We also consider a range of vocational level 3 qualifications for entry. If you are taking or have achieved any qualifications that are not listed here, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office.
GCSE/Level 2 requirements
All applicants must have, or be working towards, acceptable level 2 mathematics and English qualifications such as GCSE grade C/4 or equivalent.
We can accept a number of OFQUAL regulated level 2 maths qualifications in place of GCSE Maths C/4, including Functional Skills level 2, Key Skills level 2 or numeracy units taken as part of an Access to HE Diploma.
If you do not require a Student visa and are either a first language English speaker or have a lived in the UK for over three years, we can accept a number of OFQUAL regulated level 2 English qualifications, including Functional Skills level 2, Key Skills level 2 or literacy units taken as part of an Access to HE Diploma, in place of GCSE English C/4.
If you have not listed a suitable maths or English qualification in your application this may form part of any offer given to you.

You must also have a satisfactory Occupational Health Check and enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check (including child and adult barred list check) - both of these are organised by the University. Please contact our DBS team if you have any questions relating to this.

A satisfactory Overseas Criminal Record Check/Local Police Certificate is also required, in addition to a DBS Check, where you have lived outside of the UK in the last 5 years for 6 months or more.

For October 2023 entry, applicants must be aged 18 or over on 1 January 2024.

We welcome applications for Year Two entry, but they must be submitted by 30 April 2023. These applications will need to go through the APEL process, as applicants are required to have studied a comparable first year at another institution and to have completed comparable Professional Capabilities through placements. Applicants for Year Two also need to meet the GCSE Maths and English, or acceptable alternatives, requirements.

IELTS 7.0 overall, with 6.5 in writing, and 7.0 in all other components.
TOEFL IBT - 100 overall with minimum component scores: Listening: 17 Reading: 18 Writing: 17 Speaking: 20