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As a graduate of the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) programme at the University of Northumbria, you will build on your existing nursing knowledge to advance your evidence-based practice.

You will be able to apply critical thinking and synthesis in your expert learning within the field of health visiting or school nursing. As a postgraduate of this programme, you will be able to:

  • Critically analyse and address health and social needs in collaboration with people who use services, specific client groups, families, and communities within the context of promoting health and wellbeing and coordinating specialist care provision.
  • Transform and promote effective inter-professional, evidence-based practice, with a strategic approach to organisational and governance procedures. You will be able to promote health promotion and advanced practice through audit, research, and other forms of evidence in practice, evaluating and disseminating research findings to improve population health and wellbeing.
  • Assess and judge risk for children, young people and families in diverse and complex situations, leading care through interagency and multi-disciplinary collaborative approaches, including families.
  • Promote and advance population health with flexible and critical approaches to practice within the context of local, national and, where relevant, international policies.
  • Lead and coordinate care, teams and services being sensitive to conflicting priorities and ambiguous situations, demonstrating an ability to prioritise needs and delegate care or service provisions when in the best interest of the child, young person, family, or community.
  • Formulate strategies to develop your own lifelong learning, professional curiosity, and critical enquiry to advance your own practice, as well as the practice of others.
  • Facilitate, initiate, manage, and evaluate innovation and sustainable change management strategies and policies within your speciality to improve access to the service, improving partnership working, service user experiences and the provision of care to children, young people, families, and communities.

As a graduate of the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) programme at the University of Northumbria, you will build on your existing nursing knowledge to advance your evidence-based practice.

You will be able to apply critical thinking and synthesis in your expert learning within the field of health visiting or school nursing. As a postgraduate of this programme, you will be able to:

  • Critically analyse and address health and social needs in collaboration with people who use services, specific client groups, families, and communities within the context of promoting health and wellbeing and coordinating specialist care provision.
  • Transform and promote effective inter-professional, evidence-based practice, with a strategic approach to organisational and governance procedures. You will be able to promote health promotion and advanced practice through audit, research, and other forms of evidence in practice, evaluating and disseminating research findings to improve population health and wellbeing.
  • Assess and judge risk for children, young people and families in diverse and complex situations, leading care through interagency and multi-disciplinary collaborative approaches, including families.
  • Promote and advance population health with flexible and critical approaches to practice within the context of local, national and, where relevant, international policies.
  • Lead and coordinate care, teams and services being sensitive to conflicting priorities and ambiguous situations, demonstrating an ability to prioritise needs and delegate care or service provisions when in the best interest of the child, young person, family, or community.
  • Formulate strategies to develop your own lifelong learning, professional curiosity, and critical enquiry to advance your own practice, as well as the practice of others.
  • Facilitate, initiate, manage, and evaluate innovation and sustainable change management strategies and policies within your speciality to improve access to the service, improving partnership working, service user experiences and the provision of care to children, young people, families, and communities.

Course Information

Level of Study
Postgraduate

Mode of Study
1 year Full Time

School
Healthcare and Nursing Sciences

Location
Coach Lane Campus, Northumbria University

City
Newcastle

Start
September 2026

Fees
Fee Information

Modules
Module Information

Register your interest
Entry Requirements Modules Overview

Entry Requirements 2026/27

Standard Entry

Entry Requirements 2024/25

Standard Entry

Admission onto a higher or degree apprenticeship can only take place if applicants are currently employed and their employer has a training agreement in place with Northumbria University.

Applicants should normally have:

A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree in a any subject.

Registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and employed as a first level nurse.

International qualifications:

If you have studied a non UK qualification, you can see how your qualifications compare to the standard entry criteria, by selecting the country that you received the qualification in, from our country pages. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

English language requirements:

International applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 with 7 in each component (or approved equivalent*).

*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS.  You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications

GCSE Requirements:

Under 19 at the start of the Apprenticeship: 
 
Apprentices must hold a minimum of a grade C or 4 at GCSE in English and Mathematics or equivalent and be able to provide sufficient evidence of the qualification(s). Suitable and acceptable equivalencies can be located here 

If an apprentice cannot provide evidence of these qualifications or does not hold them, the University will support their achievement through a specified provider. 

Over 19 at the start of the Apprenticeship: 

Apprentices should hold a minimum of a Grade C or 4 at GCSE in English and Mathematics or equivalent and be able to provide sufficient evidence of the qualification(s). Examples of suitable and acceptable equivalencies can be located here 

If an apprentice cannot provide evidence or does not hold these qualifications, there are alternatives that can be considered: 

Level 2 English 

  • Northumbria University’s English Language Acceptable Qualifications (English Medium Tab, UK Section) 
  • Previous Accredited Qualifications at Level 2 or above including English (Language or Literature), Report Writing, Academic Skills etc (list not exhaustive) 
  • Previous and current work experience will also be taken into account, when assessing Level 2 requirements. A minimum of 1 years relevant work experience must be demonstrated in the relevant subject area, and must be substantiated with either a CV or Employer supporting statement. 

Level 2 Mathematics 

  • Previous Accredited Qualifications at Level 2 or above including Numeracy, Statistics, Algebra, Data Analysis, Calculus etc (list not exhaustive) 
  • For Apprenticeship programmes in Health and Life Sciences – we will consider and accept Non Medical Prescribing module 
  • Previous and current work experience will also be taken into account, when assessing Level 2 requirements. A minimum of 1 years relevant work experience must be demonstrated in the relevant subject area, and must be substantiated with either a CV or Employer supporting statement. 

If you’d like to receive the latest updates from Northumbria about our courses, events, finance & funding then enter your details below.

* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here

Modules Overview 2026/27

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

Year one

Year one

HA7025 -

Assessment, Surveillance, and intervention for specialist public health practice (Full-Time) (40 Credits)

You will learn how to conduct assessments, surveillance, and interventions utilising validated tools in specialist practice and explore and apply contemporary theory to a range of biopsychosocial and challenging situations surrounding infant/child, parents and carers. Utilising a range of knowledge, understanding and skills, you will learn to identify both normal and atypical patterns of infant/child development or anomalies, applying strategies to manage identified risks. Through risk management and family approaches, you will learn to take strength based and trauma informed approaches to evaluate the effects of childhood trauma. You will learn to be adaptable to different cultures and environments and appreciate intergenerational cycles of deprivation and vulnerability. You will have the opportunity to demonstrate, and apply advanced-level communication, motivational interviewing, and interpersonal skills within on and off the job to address the wider determinants of health.
Using the evidence-base from contemporary research, policy, and new and emerging technologies, including genetics, genomics and epigenetics, you will learn how to make effective observations and intervention plans which positively influence health and well- being, providing effective health promotion and prevention strategies.
Through field specific Action Leaning Sets (ALS) you will critically analyse, evaluate, synthesise and apply the evidence related to: Health Visiting - the health and wellbeing of parents, carers, families, infants and children. This will include topics such as the mental health in the perinatal period, promote healthy development of infants/children, initiate person-centred interventions appropriately to minimise risks through promotion of healthy relationships.
School Nursing - home, school and community life of school aged children and young people. This will include topics such as addressing the intergenerational cycles of dependency and adversity through identifying protective factors, early help and interventions, recognising assumptions, biases and stigma that have an impact on school aged children and young people, mental
health and wellbeing, sexual health and the impact of social media in cyber-bullying, sexting and exploitation.

More information

HA7026 -

Transforming Community Specialist Practice through Research, Policy, Evidence and Evaluation (30 Credits)

The module introduces you to research methods which assist you to transform current and contemporary Community Specialist practice across all Specialist Pathway Qualification (SPQ) Pathways. Apprentices will develop the ability to interpret and apply critical knowledge and appreciation of epidemiological research and contemporary public health policy as appropriate. You will evaluate specialist practice, using data, analysis and synthesis from evidence related to your area of specialist practice. Each pathway reflects specific complexity and need, which will be explored throughout the module in field-specific sessions dedicated to exploring your specific pathway. This learning will continuously link to your pathway in all delivered sessions. You will learn to determine strategies to critique, evaluate and disseminate evidence and research from local, national, and international sources which contribute to global innovation and improve the health of people, communities, and services. You will learn how to identify gaps in evidence and plan to address health inequalities through innovation that improves health and well-being. You will identify social structural factors from empirical and narrated data, which influence health and promote sustainable development and intervention goals. You will utilise and effectively participant in critique of evidence and research strategy across interdisciplinary and interagency teams to address public health priorities and evaluate interventions. In addition, you will generate new theory by applying evidence and data from research and policy to promote health and prevent ill health across the life course, applying an evidence-based approach to optimise public health outcomes. Finally, you will learn how to disseminate evidence from research and evaluation, sharing outcomes and lessons learnt locally, nationally, and globally through professional and peer reviewed processes.

More information

HA7027 -

Public health practice across the life course (20 Credits)

You will learn how to develop critical knowledge and appreciation of the changing patterns of populations, communities and people through adopting a life course approach to meet the public health agenda.
You will conduct, interpret and evaluate health assessment and screening programmes. You will undertake evidence-based analysis and synthesis from a variety of public health data and informatics, exploring intergenerational cycles of deprivation and health inequalities by determining a community profile from your area of specialist public health practice, assessing the public health needs of this community and their related determinants of health utilising a range of resources and based upon current legal, ethical and professional guidance to inform your decision.
You will develop skills to improve health and determine strategies for health preventative interventions and the promotion of health, social prescribing and health innovation to address the health status, health literacy, communicable diseases and emergency planning in relation to your specialist public health practice through entrepreneurship and innovation and understanding of how new and existing sciences and technology can influence health attainment within a diverse range of communities.
You will learn to recognise critically evaluate and monitor trends in strategies for prevention and promotion of health to inform public health practice, locally and nationally differentiating between availability of resources across devolved legislatures of the UK and globally. You will adopt a culturally appropriate life course approach to assess public health needs of individuals, families, communities and populations utilising community assets and resources in partnership with other agencies and services.
Through field specific Action Learning Sets you will critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise data related to:
Health Visiting- you will critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise data related to community health needs and assets which will enable you to develop sustainable and innovative strategies that contribute to complex place-based interventions and improve public health outcomes for children and families.
School nursing- you will critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise data related to home, school and the community which will enable you to design, lead and evaluate school nursing services, educational campaigns and interventions to promote the health and wellbeing of school aged children and young people.

More information

HA7028 -

Advancing Public Health Services Through Leadership (Full-Time) (30 Credits)

You will develop the ability to advance public health services through monitoring, reporting outcomes and triangulating data to evaluate service provision efficacy. You will focus on leadership and service improvement as the learning gives you an opportunity to explore an area of contemporary specialist practice to draw upon. During the module the data emerging from an audit in your area of specialist practice will provide the basis to develop the skills to critically assess service requirements, appraise strategies and business financial acumen and to create a poster for presentation outlining a business case for a service improvement. You will learn and be able to apply leadership theory, tailored to a range of stakeholders in practice such as service commissioners, community populations, families and peers. You will also gain knowledge about the development of sustainable practice-based interventions and the principles of risk stratification, that would improve health outcomes for your population. Specialist Community Public Health Nurses (SCPHN) (Health Visitor or School Nurse) are required to demonstrate a proactive, autonomous approach to their practice, presenting and building a business case will enable you to develop knowledge, understanding and skills related to business acumen, that promotes sustainable relationships through practice-based interventions and creates a culture that is inclusive and equitable for diverse populations. You will have recognised the need for action, entrepreneurship, and innovation in public health practice and have embedded techniques to lead, influence and challenge local services and/or health policies in your area of specialist practice.
Through field specific Action Learning Sets you will critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise data related to:
Health Visiting- you will lead, discuss, collaborate and co-produce flexible and creative services that engage parents and carers in infant and child health promotion. Through interdisciplinary and interagency collaboration, you will develop skills to develop services for infants and children with high impact health and care needs.
School Nursing- you will lead, discuss, and co-produce interventions so that the voice of school aged children and young people is heard. You will use your professional judgement to lead, discuss and co-produce services that positively influence policy and strategy to improve school aged children and young people's health and wellbeing.

More information

HW7000 -

Skills for Academic Success in a UK University (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

You will develop your understanding of academic conventions in UK higher education aligned to your level of study, including expectations around critical analysis, structure, argumentation, evidencing, and referencing. The module focuses on developing communication strategies that will help you express your ideas clearly and coherently in written assignments and spoken activities. You will also reflect on your current academic and language skills and develop strategies for development ahead of your assessments.

More information

Any Questions?

Our Applicant Services team will be happy to help.  They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901 or by using our Contact Form.

 

All information is accurate at the time of sharing. 

Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.  

Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.

 

Accessibility and Student Inclusion

Northumbria University is committed to developing an inclusive, diverse and accessible campus and wider University community and are determined to ensure that opportunities we provide are open to all.

We are proud to work in partnership with AccessAble to provide Detailed Access Guides to our buildings and facilities across our City, Coach Lane and London Campuses. A Detailed Access Guide lets you know what access will be like when you visit somewhere. It looks at the route you will use getting in and what is available inside. All guides have Accessibility Symbols that give you a quick overview of what is available, and photographs to show you what to expect. The guides are produced by trained surveyors who visit our campuses annually to ensure you have trusted and accurate information.

You can use Northumbria’s AccessAble Guides anytime to check the accessibility of a building or facility and to plan your routes and journeys. Search by location, building or accessibility feature to find the information you need. 

We are dedicated to helping students who may require additional support during their student journey and offer 1-1 advice and guidance appropriate to individual requirements. If you feel you may need additional support you can find out more about what we offer here where you can also contact us with any questions you may have:

Accessibility support

Student Inclusion support

 

 

Page last updated 05/08/26

If you’d like to receive the latest updates from Northumbria about our courses, events, finance & funding then enter your details below.

* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here

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