Medicine and healthcare
Children's nursing
BSc approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council
Overview
Children's nursing focuses on babies, children and young people, and on working with their families. You study child development and illness, and you train on paediatric placements rather than only adult wards. It is a separate field of nursing, not a module inside adult nursing, although some universities offer dual awards that must still be NMC-recognised. The emotional side of the work is significant because patients cannot always explain symptoms, and parents are part of every decision. Students who enjoy it are patient communicators and interested in how illness affects a family, not only a body.
You want to nurse children and young people specifically.
Adult nursing and paediatrics as a medical speciality are different careers. A paediatrician first qualifies as a doctor.
People who communicate well with children and families and can stay calm in clinical settings.
What you will study
Universities do not teach the same modules. The lists below are a general shape, not a syllabus.
Year 1
- Child development
- Family-centred care
- Bioscience
- First placements
Later years
- Acute children's care
- Community nursing
- Complex and long-term conditions
Skills
Useful before you start
- Communication
- Patience
- Numeracy
- Interest in child health
Developed during the degree
- Paediatric assessment
- Working with families
- Safeguarding awareness
Teaching and assessment
Teaching often includes Lectures, Simulation, Children's placements.
Assessment often includes Exams, Practice assessments, Essays.
Typical weekly commitment
Estimate. Placement is a required part of the degree.
Entry requirements
Indicative patterns from published UK admissions information. Not an offer. Actual requirements vary by course, university and year. Pearson Edexcel International A Level and Cambridge International A Level are not treated as the same qualification as GCE A level.
Indicative requirements by qualification
The A-level band is the catalogue reference. IB and American lines come from the named university guides under the table. They are not a conversion every university uses, and they are not an offer.
| Qualification | Indicative requirements |
|---|---|
| A Levels | BBC–BBB. No single A-level subject is universal. Biology or psychology can help. Check the university. |
| IB Diploma | No UCL figure is stored for BBC or BBB. The stored UCL table runs from ABB to A*A*A. A required A-level subject must be Higher Level in UCL's rule. Each Higher Level subject in that table is at least 5. UCL equates A* to 7, A to 6 and B to 5. This is one university's table. |
| American curriculum | No Manchester social-sciences AP example is stored for BBC or BBB. Bristol publishes a GPA of 3.2, or 3.4 for competitive courses, and does not use one AP pattern for every degree. |
- University College London: Undergraduate entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, School of Social Sciences: Americas country guide. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, Civil Engineering: USA country entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Bristol: USA international qualifications. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
A-level subjects
No single A-level subject is universal. Biology or psychology can help. Check the university.
Often recommended: Biology.
Useful preparation: Psychology.
GCSE and IGCSE
Many healthcare courses expect English language and mathematics, and often sciences, at GCSE or IGCSE. Grade thresholds differ. No single grade is stored as a national rule. International GCSEs are not automatically treated as GCSEs by every university.
Bands are indicative only. The course must be NMC-approved for the children's field.
Other ways in
- Check that a combined nursing award is recognised for the field you want.
Admissions tests and extra requirements
No admissions test is stored as usual for this course. A university can still set one for a particular year.
Course costs
For many standard full-time courses in England, the home-fee maximum in 2026 to 2027 is Up to £9,790. This is the maximum standard full-time fee published for approved English providers with a TEF award and an access and participation plan. It is not the fee a named university charges, and it does not decide whether you pay home or international fees.
Clinical, laboratory and studio courses are not given a different home-fee figure here, because the regulated maximum is not the same thing as an international or clinical fee.
International tuition is set by each university and is not stored here. Clinical courses are often much higher than classroom-based courses. A school in Qatar does not decide home-fee status.
Source: Changes to tuition fees: 2026 to 2027 academic year. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Living costs, field trips and professional fees are not included.
Where you could study
UK degrees in this subject are numerous. This page does not list every university, because a list without a checked entry requirement would look more certain than it is.
No individual UK course page is stored yet for this subject. Use the university site.
No overseas course has been checked for this subject yet.
Where could this degree take you?
Children's nurse
Direct qualifying route
The degree needs to be approved for children's nursing.
Explore your pathway
A course sits between school subjects and a career. It does not guarantee either admission or a job.