Overview
Do you have a good first degree in Nursing or Midwifery and are ready to study at post-graduate level? Are you a UK Nurse or Midwife registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and looking for your next career step.
Would you like to progress into a more autonomous role in a community and public health-based role where you will use your leadership skills to influence and facilitate change in public health?
The Post-Graduate Diploma is accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), leading to Registration on Part 3 of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (UK) register.
On successful completion of the Post-Graduate Diploma (120 credits) in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing, at Brunel University London, you will be eligible to apply for Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN) posts within your field of practice.
You will also have the option to register ( an additional fee) for the full -time or part-time MSc top-up dissertation module (60 credits).
The Post-Graduate Diploma in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing programme offers three fields of study:
Health Visiting (HV)
You’ll learn to promote health and the prevention of ill health in a proactive and innovative way for families with children under five years of age. You will also develop leadership skills so that you can lead a health visiting team of variable skill mix and influence change in practice.
Occupational Health Nursing (OHN)
You’ll learn how to make a difference to the health and wellbeing of the workforce. This will include learning about health and safety at work, risk assessment, management of occupational disease and the promotion of physical and psychological health among the workforce.
School Nursing (SN)
You’ll learn how to make a difference to the health and well-being of children aged 5-19 years of age. You will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to promote school health, meet the health-related needs of children and young people and their families and carers. You will also develop leadership skills so that you can lead a school nursing team and influence change in practice.
The programme can be studied full time (52 weeks a year) or part time over two years (104 weeks) and starts in September each year.
You will study theory modules at the university and will learn practical knowledge and skills in a supervised practice placement. The schedule of study for a full-time student is two days university- based learning and two days in practice.
The schedule for a part-time student studying over two years is attendance at university one day a week in year one, and one day a week in year two. Throughout the programme, you will work with designated Practice Supervisors who will support your learning in practice and you will be assessed by a Practice Assessor.
If you are considering studying Specialist Community Public Health Nursing at Brunel University London, then you are committed to working jointly with the NHS to demonstrate the values and beliefs of the constitution.
The SCPHN Programme Lead is Angela Davy and can be contacted on email: angela.davy@brunel.ac.uk
NHS values
The NHS values are at the core of everything we do; working together for patients, respect and dignity, commitment to quality of care, compassion, improving lives and everyone counts.
The NHS values provide common ground for co-operation to achieve shared aspirations, at all levels of the NHS. We have great links with the local NHS and Community Trust, as well as organisations employing Occupational Health Nurses.
Patients, public and staff have helped develop this expression of values that inspire passion in the NHS and that should underpin everything it does. Individual organisations will develop and build upon these values, tailoring them to their local needs.
All incoming health and social care students must be double vaccinated against Covid-19 before the start of the course. More information can be found on the Immunisation Checking web page. ***Please note Brunel is aware that the mandatory vaccine policy is under Ministerial review and we will add an update here in due course.***
You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.
Course content
You’ll benefit from a course designed to combine your professional education with academic excellence. You’ll continue to gain valuable work experience while you study, as half of your time will be spent on supervised practice placements.
You’ll also undertake a combination of compulsory and professionally-specific modules, the latter will be during the practice-based component of the course.
Compulsory
- CM5627 - Enabling Autonomous SCPHN Practice
- CM5630/31 Transforming SCPHN Practice HV & SN (HV & SN only)
- CM5629 Transforming SCPHN Practice OHN (OHN only)
- CM5628 Leading and Collaborating to Improve Health Outcomes
- CM5626 Advancing Mental Health: A Life Course Approach
- PN5604 - Applied Research for Health and Social CareTo develop the student’s ability to critically understand and conceptualise the process of research and improvement in health and social justice, recognising the impact of research and health improvement, and refinement of critical appraisal and project planning skills.
- CM3616 Consolidation of Autonomous Practice
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Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel
Careers and your future
Our London location is ideal for access to a wide variety of fieldwork placements, so you’ll add exceptional clinical placement experiences to your Curriculum Vitae.
If you are seeking to progress into a leadership role in community nursing, a SCPHN qualification we’ll enable you to achieve these ambitions.
UK entry requirements
2025/6 entry
Qualified nurse/midwife with active registration on part one, or part two of the NMC Nursing Register (NMC PIN number should be provided within the application) with:
- 2.2 or above in a Nursing Degree
or
- A Nursing Diploma of Higher Education or the equivalent of 120 level 3 credits will only be considered if the applicant can demonstrate in their academic profile they have studied and achieved a minimum of 15 credits at Level 6. If this cannot be evidenced within an application, an access course to study at level 7 can be taken prior to applying for a level 7 programme.
The Preparing for Level 7 Study (CM3617) is a level 6 module which aims to widen access for all registered healthcare staff who do not meet the entry criteria for post-graduate study for example the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) programme. Applicants who hold a Diploma of Higher Education in a health related subject, a BSc Pass, Ordinary or 3rd class Honours Degree or who may have studied a long time ago may apply for this module to enable them to upskill and raise their academic portfolio. Applicants can either be funded for this module by their employers or be self funded. This 9-hour module is delivered on campus and there is an assessed academic portfolio. This module needs to be successfully completed before starting the SCPHN programme. There are two intakes each year: one in the Autumn and one in the Spring. The cost of the module is £574. Please see the Nursing CPD webpage for further details: Nursing CPD | Brunel University London
Two satisfactory references, one of which one should be an employment reference.
All applicants are required to be interviewed to ascertain their academic and professional readiness to undertake postgraduate study.
Please note: Students will be required to complete certain professional course requirements, this includes completion of a Criminal Conviction Disclaimer, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) application and a Pre Course Occupational Health Questionnaire. The application process, costs and more information about these requirements can be found here: Professional course requirements | Brunel University London
For further guidance please email dbs@brunel.ac.uk.
EU and International entry requirements
If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.
English language requirements
- IELTS: 7 (min 6 in all areas)
- Pearson: 64 (59 in all subscores)
- BrunELT: 68% (58% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 98 overall (min 20)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2025/26 entry
UK
£11,550 full-time
£5,775 part-time
International
£16,530 full-time
£8,260 part-time
An additional 60 credit module fee is charged for the dissertation for the award of MSc.
Overseas students who are funded by the NHS will be charged the NHS fee. Fees should be available early summer, however this fee is paid by NHS London. Self funded overseas students will be charged the displayed fee.
More information on any additional course-related costs.
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.
See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.
Scholarships and bursaries
Teaching and learning
You’ll benefit from a programme designed to combine your professional education as a Nurse Registrant (NMC UK) with academic excellence, and be taught by experts in your SCPHN field.
Specialist Community Public Health Nursing is part of the College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at Brunel, a college with a well-established reputation for providing high-quality education to healthcare professionals.
The PGDip Specialist Community Public Health Nursing Programme facilitates learning and teaching strategies that promote active and independent learning.
The programme will provide a range of teaching and learning opportunities that will be delivered on campus supplemented with online resources. You will be expected to attend all lecture or seminar sessions on campus.
In Addition,
- You will have access to professionally-developed online lecture materials. Learning will be supported with a range of other resources on Brightspace, our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
- Module/block leaders may offer additional briefing, and/or Q&A sessions on online platforms where appropriate.
- The development of study, academic and transferable skills are enhanced through the opportunity to participate in inter-field and inter-professional seminars and lectures which enable you to benefit from learning from each other.
- You will have access to a personal tutor.
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.
We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.
You’ll be allocated a qualified and experienced Practice Supervisor in your practice placement who will support you in achieving your practice proficiencies required for your field of SCPHN practice.
You’ll benefit from shared experiences with other health professional students (for example social work, physiotherapy and occupational therapy). Additionally, you’ll benefit from studying alongside others who are actively working in your profession.
Our lecturers are active in research and we have strong links with Practice Learning Partners so you know your learning will be up-to-date in a fast-moving field.
Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.
Assessment and feedback
In university, you’ll be assessed through a range of assignments which include written papers, oral presentations, and a viva voce. All theory assessments will be submitted via the online portal WISEflow and marked by academics on the SCPHN programme.
In practice, you’ll be allocated a Practice Assessor who assesses the achievement of practice-based competencies as specified by the SCPHN Standards of Proficiency (NMC, 2022). All practice-based assessments are submitted via the electronic Practice Assessment Document (ePAD).
Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.
