Program Overview

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Midwifery Practice BSc (Hons)

Overview

Midwifery is a rewarding, dynamic, and highly-skilled profession. The role of the midwife is central in ensuring that women/persons have a safe and life-enhancing experience throughout pregnancy, labour, and the first few weeks after birth. As a midwife, you'll also be responsible for making sure newborn infants and families have the best possible start in life.

On the BSc (Hons) Midwifery Practice course, you’ll follow a woman/persons-centred approach to maternity care by applying a biopsychosocial model to enrich your practice as a midwife, tackling health inequalities and providing evidence-based practice. This midwifery degree has a focus on mental health within maternity and the role of the midwife in supporting women/persons and families with mental health issues.

Clinical placements will make up 50% of your time on this midwifery course, in a range of settings both in and out of hospital, under the supervision of registered practitioners. You'll also have regular contact with our Patient, Carer and Public Involvement (PCPI) participants who all have experience as patients or carers.

On successful completion of the course, you'll be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a registered midwife. You'll have five years from starting the course to complete and register with the NMC.

Why us?

• Our Nursing and Midwifery courses are in the UK top 30 for student satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2025)
• Undertake a range of clinical placements by taking advantage of our strong links with regional NHS partner Trusts. Work on real-life cases in a real working environment in practices and community settings throughout the North East.
• We have a unique relationship with our Patient, Carer and Public Involvement (PCPI) participants who actively support our courses. You'll have the chance to practise your learning on real patients and receive feedback to aid your development.
• When you graduate you'll be highly employable, as a midwifery degree is accepted nationally and internationally, giving you the ability to work globally

Course structure

Studying on the BSc (Hons) Midwifery Practice course will allow you to learn through a variety of methods including lectures, seminars, group work, clinical skills simulation, online/e-learning, and tutorials.

50% of your time over the duration of this midwifery course will be in a clinical environment, allowing you to directly apply theory to practice. You'll experience a wide variety of clinical settings across midwifery services at any one of our NHS partner Trusts and mental health Trusts (placements are limited so you'll be expected to travel to ensure you gain experience in a wide range of areas). This will give you a taste of what to expect once you qualify as a midwife.

Assessment methods on this midwifery degree include written essays, examinations, OSCEs, presentations, VIVAs, clinical placements, and the completion of your Midwifery Ongoing Record of Achievement (MORA).

Course modules

Year 1 (national level 4):

• Introduction to Midwifery and Professional Practice (20 credits)
  • Gain insight into the role of the midwife, from professionalism to competency.
  • Study the legal, ethical and professional frameworks which underpin practice.
  • Develop the knowledge and communication skills required to work with women/persons, families and interdisciplinary teams in practice environments.
• Applied Science for Maternity Care (20 credits)
  • Explore a range of science disciplines such as anatomy, physiology, genetics, and pharmacology, and learn how these are applied across the reproductive health continuum.
  • Examine psychological and cognitive changes and the sociobiological impacts for the parents in the perinatal period.
• Public Health and Transformation of Maternity Care (20 credits)
  • Learn about a variety of maternity settings including community, hospital, and home care.
  • Study equality, disability, and mental health to gain an in-depth understanding of the compassion, respect, and empathy required to provide dignified care for women/persons and their families.
• Midwifery Practice 1 and Pharmacology (60 credits)
  • Learn the foundation skills required for your first-year placement.
  • Gain experience of universal midwifery care within a variety of settings from antenatal to postnatal care.
  • Develop your understanding of mental health and mental ill health, including the effects this can have upon women/persons, foetuses, newborn infants and their families.

Year 2 (national level 5):

• Additional Midwifery Care for Women and Newborn Infants (20 credits)
  • Examine the additional care needs that may arise both as a result of the childbearing process and pre-existing medical conditions from a physical, mental and social aspect.
  • Explore risk and methods of risk assessment in relation to clinical decision-making, problem-solving and appropriate referral.
  • Consider the importance of providing continuity of care/carer and providing evidence-based information to help women/persons make informed choices about their own, and their baby’s care.
• Promoting Excellence through Evidence Based Midwifery Practice (20 credits)
  • Explore sources of knowledge, information and evidence which inform midwifery practice.
  • Gain the skills, knowledge and critical understanding of the relationship between evidence-based practice and women/persons and their family’s physical, mental health and wellbeing.
  • Use reflective practice to demonstrate continuous improvement and development of yourself, the team and service delivery.
• Population and Public Health Context for Midwifery Practice (20 credits)
  • Develop an understanding of a midwife’s public health contribution to maximising wellbeing and improving mental health in women/persons, babies and families.
  • Examine the factors that influence physical and mental health and ill health within the wider social and political context.
  • Reflect upon diversity and differences within the patient population, and how this affects an individual’s worldview and experience of healthcare.
• Midwifery Practice 2 and Pharmacology 2 (60 credits)
  • Extend your understanding of the evidence that optimises normal physiological processes for all women/persons and newborn infants, in order to promote positive outcomes and prevent complications.
  • Support women/persons and their families to make informed choices surrounding their care, taking greater responsibility for yourself and your role within the interdisciplinary and multiagency teams.

Year 3 (national level 6):

• The Midwife as a Skilled Practitioner (20 credits)
  • Enhance your communication and relationship building skills with women/persons, families, and colleagues.
  • Learn how to become a positive role model and support families through decision making and care provision.
• Midwifery Dissertation (40 credits)
  • Explore maternity care within the context of contemporary health and social care policy.
  • Engage in academic dialogue on a chosen aspect of safe and effective midwifery care for women/persons and their families.
• Midwifery Practice 3 and Pharmacology (60 credits)
  • This module will help you develop into a skilled midwife who can successfully engage in lifelong learning, working in partnership with women and leading practice as a member of a multi-disciplinary team.
  • You'll have opportunities to consolidate your knowledge and skills with increasing autonomy and lead care for a caseload of up to five women.
  • Working within your scope of practice, this will ensure that the care you offer to all women/persons, newborn infants, and their families has a woman/person-centred approach and prioritises the ethos of compassion, professionalism, and safe care provision.
  • The module will integrate biological, psychosocial theory, and midwifery care delivered in a range of practice environments, preparing you for your career as a midwife.

Facilities

The University of Sunderland offers modern and well-equipped facilities at The John Dawson Sciences Complex.

Entry requirements

• We don’t currently display entry requirements for Ireland. Please contact the Student Admin team on or .
• Enhanced Project Qualification in a relevant subject will also be considered.
• Our admissions policy uses a range of flexible options to support you to study with us. This may include a reduced offer of up to 16 UCAS tariff points, (or equivalent). Find out if you are eligible.
• If you already have a degree (minimum 2.2 at full honours) or your qualification is not listed above, you'll be classed as a mature student. Please note, your degree must have been obtained within the last five years for you to be considered eligible to study this course.

Fitness to practise

Medical assessments of your mental and physical health and disclosure of criminal convictions apply to all health courses and are based on current NMC requirements. Midwives are registered health care professionals and the ability to practise safely, effectively, and professionally is essential, so all applicants are required to follow our fitness to practise procedures. This means you're required to complete the following:

• A health declaration form. Here, you must demonstrate that you're of good health, good character, and can satisfactorily pass occupational health screening. In addition, you'll be required to attend an Occupational Health Assessment with an NHS Trust. The University will, taking into account current NMC regulations, make any reasonable adjustments if required.
• A self-declaration form about your conduct
• Obtain an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The cost of the DBS check is covered by the University.

Fees and finance

Fees for 2026 are tbc.

Please note, we are unable to accept international applicants.

A non-repayable grant of £5,000 and extra payments worth up to £3,000 is available to eligible home students for each year of study. Read more about the Training Grant on The NHS Business Services Authority website.

If you currently serve (or have recently served) within the Armed Forces, then the Ministry of Defence's ELCAS scheme may be able to help cover your funding for this course. Read more about funding for Armed Forces personnel.

Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

Career ready

The BSc (Hons) Midwifery Practice degree will make you highly employable, as you'll have the ability to work globally with a qualification that's accepted both nationally and internationally. Job opportunities are flexible, both within the NHS and community settings, and in the UK and overseas.

There were 44,125 midwives on the NMC register in 2024, which was a 5.8% increase on the previous year. The national midwife shortage continues, with the NHS in England short of the equivalent of around 2,500 full-time midwives.

Career options

Most midwives are employed by the NHS, working in hospitals, maternity and birthing centres, and in the community. With your midwifery degree, you could also find employment in private hospitals, independent practices and the armed forces. Starting salaries for newly qualified midwives are set at band 5, which starts at £29,970.

As your knowledge and expertise increase, you could move into more senior practitioner roles such as consultant midwife, where you'll have the potential to earn over £50,000 per year. Other leadership roles within the profession include becoming a supervisor of midwives, whose role it is to protect the public and support midwives in their practice. This is a key role that many midwives aspire to. You could also become a team or unit manager, with responsibility for managing other staff with ongoing hands-on involvement with clients. This could then lead to further influential roles such as head of midwifery and director of midwifery services.

Specialising in midwifery

After completing this midwifery course, you may choose to specialise in a particular area of perinatal care and study for further qualifications, which may involve carrying out research to help move the profession forward.

You could undertake further study to teach midwifery students at a university. If you stay in practice, you could consider the role of consultant midwife, providing clinical leadership for midwives and other healthcare professionals across maternity services. You could also move into neonatal nursing or health visiting.

Placements

At all levels of this midwifery course, you'll undertake unpaid clinical placements including community midwifery, antenatal and postnatal wards, delivery suite and clinics. These occur in blocks of varying duration.

During placement, you're required to provide care for a certain number of women/persons and babies in specific categories, as required by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). These include:

• Advising of pregnant women/persons, involving at least 100 antenatal examinations
• Supervising and caring for at least 40 pregnant women/persons
• Personally facilitating at least 40 births
• Supervising and caring for 40 women/persons at risk* during pregnancy, labour or the postnatal period
• Supervising and caring for (including examination) at least 100 postnatal women/persons and 100 healthy newborn infants.

You'll evidence this in the Midwifery Ongoing Record of Achievement (MORA).

Placements can take place at any of our partner Trusts. As you may be expected to travel long distances, start your shift in the early hours, or finish your shift late at night, you could be entitled to Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses (TDAE) which allows you to make a retrospective claim for excess travel costs and/or expenses for temporary accommodation near to the location of your placement. Find out more about the NHS Learning Support Fund.