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STUDY

Undergraduate

BSc (Hons) Midwifery Shortened

Placenta and umbilical cord under a microscope
Institution code: S82
UCAS code: N/A
Start date: September 2025
Duration: Two years full-time
Location: Various placement locations
Typical Offer: See Entry Requirements section below for details
Institution code: S82
UCAS code: N/A
Start date: September 2025
Duration: Two years full-time
Location: Various placement locations
Typical Offer: See Entry Requirements section below for details
Book an Open Day Ask a question Applying for university get a prospectus
Book an Open Day Ask a question Applying for university get a prospectus

Overview

The BSc (Hons) Midwifery Shortened programme is a route into Midwifery for Adult Nurses who hold current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The programme is slightly shorter (two years) than the standard entry route into midwifery to take into account the pre-existing knowledge and experience that adult nurses bring. Upon successful completion of the course, students will obtain an additional NMC registration as a Midwife.

The course has been developed in line with the appropriate NMC Standards and is designed to optimise learning opportunities and account for the pre-existing knowledge that students bring. We build on the fundamental nursing skills of our students, equipping you with the aptitude to deliver safe, effective, high-quality and evidence-based maternity care to service users.

You will alternate through blocks of practice placement in an employing NHS Trust and blocks of theoretical learning at the University in Ipswich. Places on the course are recruited via employing NHS Trusts via Trust websites and/or the NHS Jobs website. If successful at interview with a partner Trust, students are enrolled with the University and employed for the duration of the course, salaried in line with the mid-point of Agenda for Change band 5. NHS salary matching is not offered for these studentships.

In addition to the salary offer, NHS England (NHSE) are currently offering a tuition fee contribution of up to £9,250 per student per annum, prorated for the course's duration, for students starting courses between January 2022 and April 2024. This funding offer is currently under review for courses starting after this date.

Current Trust partners collaborating with the University of Suffolk:

  • Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust
  • West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
  • East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
  • James Paget University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

The University of Suffolk is world-class and committed to our region. We are proudly modern and innovative and we believe in transformative education. We are on the rise with a focus on student satisfaction, graduate prospects, spending on academic services and student facilities.

5th

in the UK for graduates in career 15 months after graduation for health professions

(Guardian University Guide 2023)

6th

in the UK for spend on academic services

(Complete University Guide 2024)

2nd

in the East of England for graduate prospects

(Complete University Guide 2024)

Course Modules

Our undergraduate programmes are delivered as 'block and blend', more information can be found on Why Suffolk? You can also watch our Block and Blend video.

The course is divided into two years, divided into trimesters, and includes allocated annual leave and clinical recovery time throughout. The first year consists of seven weeks of theory and seven weeks of practice per trimester, while the second and final year is divided into blocks of six weeks of theory and eight of practice per trimester. 

During the practice blocks, the student will be exposed to all areas of midwifery care: community, antenatal and postnatal wards, intrapartum areas, neonatal care, and a variety of spoke placements aiming to develop the student’s capabilities. 

Downloadable information regarding all University of Suffolk courses, including Key Facts, Course Aims, Course Structure and Assessment, is available in the Definitive Course Records.

Surgical lamp

This is a mandatory module.

This is a mandatory module.

This is a mandatory module.

This is a mandatory module.

Normal midwifery practice will be the focus, enabling students to learn with and from their midwifery supervisors in these settings. They will observe and participate in practice which will facilitate their learning and enable them to learn from the women and families in midwifery led centres, birthing units, the community and the acute setting.

This is a mandatory module.

This is a mandatory module.

This is a mandatory module.

This is a mandatory module.

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WHY SUFFOLK

2nd in the UK for Career Prospects

WUSCA 2024

3rd in the UK for spend on academic services

Complete University Guide 2025

4th in the UK for Teaching Satisfaction

Guardian University Guide 2024
Midwifery students stimulating a caesarean
Midwifery students in class
Close-up of someone holding a blood pressure monitor
Facilities in the Health and Wellbeing Building
Lift shaft of the Health and Wellbeing Building
Health and Wellbeing Building
A student nurse writing on a whiteboard
Midwifery students in class

Entry Requirements

2024/25

  • Active registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a Registered Nurse (Adult) first level status. This must be maintained to meet the NMC revalidation requirements for the duration of the course.
  • A Degree or Diploma of Higher Education in Adult Nursing and
  • Six months’ full-time post registration experience within the last two years.
How to Apply Entry requirements explained

Non-Academic Requirements

Any offer of a place will be subject to:

  • Successful interview
  • Satisfactory health checks
  • Satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
  • Two satisfactory references

IELTS 7.0 overall, and a minimum of 6.5 in each component. You can read more about our English language requirements here.

Applicants whose first language is not English, but who have been living in the UK for 2 years or more will be expected to hold GCSE English at Grade C or above, (grade 4-9 for the new GCSEs) or the relevant Level 2 equivalent (if applicable).

Please select your country of permanent residence from the list below, specific requirements for your country will then be shown. 

International Home
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Career Opportunities

This qualification provides opportunities for employment as a midwife in community and hospital settings within the NHS and in private or independent practice. Additionally, the qualification is recognised in several countries internationally, such as within the EU, New Zealand and Australia, enabling the option of working abroad.  

Future careers in clinical practice, research, management and education are all possible options. Moreover, academic options such as MSc and PhD in midwifery practice are also available. 

Your Course Team

Fiona Judge

Fiona is Head of Midwifery. She trained in London as a nurse at King’s College Hospital, and worked in London before moving to York to train as a midwife.

Fiona Judge staff profile photo

Jo Divers

Jo is Associate Dean for Learning, Teaching and Student Experience and is a registered Midwife and Specialist Community Public Health Nurse.

Jo Divers staff profile photo

Becky Sawyer

Becky is a Senior Lecturer in Midwifery and is also the Deputy Course Leader for the Midwifery BSc (Hons) and the Midwifery [Short] BSc (Hons) courses.

Becky Sawyer staff profile photo

Rachel Woodcock

Rachel is Lecturer in Midwifery and a practising midwife at a maternity unit in Norfolk.

Course Funding

Students who are successfully recruited and employed by a recruiting NHS Trust will be salaried in line with the mid-point of Agenda for Change band 5. NHS salary matching is not offered for these studentships. Students may also be eligible for a tuition fee contribution from NHS England, currently up to £9,250 for students starting courses up to April 2024. Students are likely to incur other costs for travelling to placements and textbooks. The amount will depend on where the student lives in relation to the NHS Trust. Students may be eligible for a maintenance loan from Student Finance England to cover these additional costs.

Lift shaft of the Health and Wellbeing Building

Facilities and Resources

The Health and Wellbeing building provides students with a variety of state-of-the-art clinical simulation facilities, including two simulated hospital wards, a midwifery birthing unit, physiotherapy teaching spaces, a sports and exercise facility and a working radiography imaging suite.  The building also hosts the Institute of Health and Wellbeing Research and the Integrated Care Academy. 

Lift shaft of the Health and Wellbeing Building
A student paramedic using phlebotomy training equipment
A nursing student and lecturer using a manual resuscitator bag
Close-up of a laptop with student listening to heart rate in the background

How to Apply

To study this course on a full-time basis, you can apply through UCAS. As well as providing your academic qualifications, you’ll be able to showcase your skills, qualities and passion for the subject.

Apply Now Further Information on Applying
A silhouette of a student in their cap and gown

A student of BSc (Hons) Midwifery shortened

"The course and job are full-on, with practice and theory that challenged and stimulated me in equal ways. I loved that I was exposed to all aspects of midwifery practice."

Read more
Students standing in their caps and gowns

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NEXT STEPS

Now you know more about the course, we can guide you through the next steps.

HOW TO APPLY
ACCOMMODATION
FUNDING YOUR COURSE
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