Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: £9,535 per year
International/EU: £19,155 per year -
How long will I study?
4 Years
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Where will I study?
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What are the entry requirements?
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What is the UCAS code?
BB24
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When do I start?
September 2025
Course summary
- Understand contemporary nursing and social work practice.
- Transform the lives of people who have learning disabilities.
- Spend 50% of your course on placement — enhancing your employability.
- Collaborate with other professional groups within health and social care.
- Gain real-world experience and sought-after credentials — qualifying as a social worker in England and a Learning Disabilities Nurse.
- Prepare for the full degree with an extra foundation year at the start.
On this course, you’ll gain the skills and experience you need to provide exceptional care to people with learning disabilities. You’ll tailor your studies, and learn from other practitioners and students — understanding where your specialism fits into the wider sphere of healthcare. You’ll graduate with the qualifications and credentials you need to enter practice.
The Foundation Year course is designed for anyone who feels they would benefit from extra preparation before undertaking degree-level study or who does not meet the entry requirements for the BSc (Hons) course (due to lower predicted grades or lower performance at a selection event). The academic staff leading selection event processes are well placed to advice on the benefits of additional study or wider preparation in advance of joining a degree course.
Come to an open day
Visit us to learn more about our gold-rated teaching and why we were awarded the highest possible rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
How you learn
The course is comprised of integrated health and social care modules, based around the central theme of learning disabilities which explore and develop your nursing and social work practice. There is also a strong emphasis on multidisciplinary collaborative teaching and learning throughout the programme.
You’ll be equipped with the knowledge, skills and values that enhance your employment opportunities, give you a strong professional identity as well as confidence in working with different professional groups and agencies to develop solutions to real world practice issues.
- Practice-based learning
- Lectures, seminars and workshops
- Simulations
- Online learning
Student View
Hear our BSc (Hons) Nursing (Learning Disabilities) and Social Work student Stacey, talk about how she makes a difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities.
Applied learning
Theory will prepare you for practice learning experiences are designed to help you not only to apply theory to practice, but to develop critical and ethical approaches to your practice in order to become life-long, competent professionals. You are required to attend the practice learning experiences provided on the course to achieve the course practice learning outcomes.
You’ll undertake a range of practice learning experiences, helping you to build your skills, confidence, creativity, resilience, integrity and curiosity. This will take place in different practice learning environments, reflecting the range of ways in which services are currently delivered. This might include simulated learning and virtual placements alongside real world experience of services delivered face to face to service users.
The university will ensure that the practice learning element of your course will be compliant with the requirements of the Professional and Statutory Regulatory Body (PSRB) governing your chosen profession. This is so that by the end of your course, you will have been provided with the opportunity to demonstrate attainment of the requirements to register as a professional with your chosen profession.
Future careers
This course prepares you for a career in
learning disability nursing and social work
teaching and academia
senior management in health and social care
Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for
- NHS
- Local authorities
- Private and voluntary sector health and social care organisations
- Higher education institutes
- Government
- Schools
- Prison services
Where will I study?
You study at Collegiate Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
Collegiate campus
Collegiate Campus can be found just off Ecclesall Road, a bustling student district.
Collegiate Campus map | Campus facilities
Collegiate library
Collegiate Library can be found just off Ecclesall Road. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
On this course you work with
- Clinical skills suites
- A moot court
- Simulated community environments
- Technology enhanced learning tools
- Simulation equipment
- Oxford Medical Simulation - Virtual Reality software
Media Gallery
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Nursing Learning Disability and Social Work -
Nursing Learning Disability and Social Work -
Nursing Learning Disability and Social Work -
Nursing Learning Disability and Social Work -
Nursing Learning Disability and Social Work
Entry requirements
All students
UCAS points
- 64
This must include at least 24 (Grade D) from one A level or equivalent BTEC National qualifications. For example:
- DDE at A Level.
- MPP in BTEC Extended Diploma
- Pass overall from a T level qualification with D or E from core
- A combination of qualifications, which may include AS levels and EPQ.
You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.
GCSE
- Science at grade C or 4 or equivalents*
- Maths at grade C or 4 or equivalents**
- English Language or Literature at grade C or 4 or equivalents***
*GCSE Science equivalents
- OCR Science level 2
- Science units gained on a level 3 BTEC or OCR National Diploma or Extended Diploma qualification
- Science credits gained on Access to Higher Education Diplomas (at least 12 credits at level 2 or 6 credits gained at level 3)
- Science equivalency test from www.equivalencytesting.co.uk
**GCSE Maths equivalents
- Level 2 Key Skills/ Application of Number/ Level 2 Maths credits from an Access course
- Maths equivalency test from www.equivalencytesting.co.uk
***GCSE English equivalents
- Level 2 Literacy
- Level 2 Key Skills
• Access - an Access to HE Diploma from a QAA recognised Access to HE course in a science based subject. Normally we require 15 credits at level 2 and 45 at level 3.
If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 7.0 or above, with a minimum score of 6.5 in each skill.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Developing The Fundamentals Of A Healthcare Professional
Promotion Of Contemporary Issues In Healthcare
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Collaboration For Individual And Community Wellbeing
Essentials Of Nursing And Social Work Practice
Personal And Professional Development
Practice Placement 1
Sciences And Theory For Nursing And Social Work Practice
Year 3
Compulsory modules
Applying Sciences And Theory Across The Life Course
Assessing And Addressing Complexity In Practice
Developing Nursing And Social Work Professional Practice
Evidence And Enquiry For Practice
Practice Placement 2
Final year
Compulsory modules
1 Credit Psrb Requirements
Becoming A Learning Disability Nurse And Social Worker
Complexity & Leadership In Professional Practice
Consolidating The Sciences And Theory For Critical Nursing And Social Work Practice
Practice Placement 3
The Advancing Professional
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fee for UK students on full-time undergraduate degree courses in 2025/26 is £9,535 per year. These fees are regulated by the UK government and therefore subject to change in future years.
We are currently reviewing our tuition fees for the foundation year stage of this course following the Government announcement of fee changes for some foundation year courses and will confirm fees as soon as possible.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £19,155, which includes an annual placement supplement of £2,000.
Health and social care funding
Home fee-paying students can access a non-repayable maintenance grant of at least £5,000 per year. You may also be eligible for additional financial support based on your circumstances.
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Health and Social Care (PDF, 165.7KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
