BSc (Honours) Nursing (Learning Disability) and Social Work with Foundation Year

Year of Entry 2025/26
Social worker talking to woman

BSc (Honours)

Nursing (Learning Disability) and Social Work with Foundation Year

Become a health and social care professional, with dual registration in learning disability nursing and social work with this innovative course, with an initial foundation year to prepare for the course.

Everything you need to know...

  • Pound sign

    What is the fee?

    Home: See fees section below
    International/EU: £19,155 per year

  • Time

    How long will I study?

    4 Years

  • Location

    Where will I study?

    Collegiate Campus

  • Bookmark

    What are the entry requirements?

    64 UCAS Points

  • Checkmark

    What is the UCAS code?

    BB24

  • Date

    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.


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How you learn

At Sheffield Hallam, all our courses are designed to engage you with the world and challenge you to think in new ways. You’ll get to collaborate with others, and you’ll be taught in a supportive environment where you can thrive.

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 Campus map
Location

Collegiate Crescent
Sheffield
S10 2BP

Get directions
Students outside Collegiate Library
Collegiate library

Collegiate Library can be found just off Ecclesall Road. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.

Learn more

Equipment 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

360 tour - nursing and midwifery facilities

Media Gallery

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

Module
Credits
Assessment
Developing The Fundamentals Of A Healthcare Professional
Credits 60
Assessment Coursework(60%) , Exam(40%)
Promotion Of Contemporary Issues In Healthcare
Credits 60
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Year 2

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Collaboration For Individual And Community Wellbeing
Credits 20
Assessment Practical(100%)
Essentials Of Nursing And Social Work Practice
Credits 40
Assessment Exam(50%) , Practical(50%)
Personal And Professional Development
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Practice Placement 1
Credits -
Assessment
Sciences And Theory For Nursing And Social Work Practice
Credits 40
Assessment Exam(100%)
Year 3

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Applying Sciences And Theory Across The Life Course
Credits 40
Assessment Practical(100%)
Assessing And Addressing Complexity In Practice
Credits 20
Assessment Practical(100%)
Developing Nursing And Social Work Professional Practice
Credits 40
Assessment Exam(100%)
Evidence And Enquiry For Practice
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Practice Placement 2
Credits -
Assessment
Final year

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
1 Credit Psrb Requirements
Credits -
Assessment
Becoming A Learning Disability Nurse And Social Worker
Credits 40
Assessment Practical(100%)
Complexity & Leadership In Professional Practice
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Consolidating The Sciences And Theory For Critical Nursing And Social Work Practice
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Practice Placement 3
Credits -
Assessment
The Advancing Professional
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(100%)

Fees and funding

Home students

Our tuition fees for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2025/26 are regulated by the UK government and are yet to be confirmed. For an indication, our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2024/25 is £9,250 per year.

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.

HSC bursary image

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.

Learn more

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.

 

How do I apply?

Apply now via UCAS

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Why not come to our next open day? Open days are the perfect place to talk to staff and students, visit our campuses and get all the information you need. Alternatively, feel free to ask us a question.

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Why choose us?

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Teaching

We are Gold rated in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) for the outstanding quality of our teaching and student outcomes

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Funding

Home students can access a non-repayable maintenance grant of at least £5,000 per year, eligibility applies

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Training

We are one of the largest training providers of health and social care in the UK, giving you access to cross-discipline learning

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