School of Nursing

Bachelor of Science Adult Critical Care

Award
Bachelor of Science
Start date(s)
12 January 2026
UCAS Code
Course specifications
Course length
Part-time (1 year)
Campus location
University: Walsall Campus
UCAS points calculator

Why choose this course?

The course is attended by staff working in critical care units across the Midlands region, this provides students with the opportunity to gain further knowledge and understanding of different specialities and practice techniques. Allowing students to network within the community of practice and learn from one another.

Students work in a variety of critical care units, from speciality critical care units to general critical care. This allows the opportunity for placements, where possible. These are arranged by the local critical care staff and not monitored by the University of Wolverhampton. The core academic team have a varied and expert knowledge and experience providing care to the critically ill and specialist environments.

Having this varied experience, provides students with a platform to participate in group activities and discussions on best practice and local variances to patient care. Students choosing to complete this BSC (top up) will gain practical clinical experience and theoretical knowledge to enable them to continue to develop within the critical care environment.

The adult critical care course meets the National Standards for Critical Care Nurse Education published by the Critical Care Network National Nurse leads (CC3N, 2023) and incorporates the relevant steps of the National Competency Framework for Adult Critical Care Nurses (CC3N, 2015). This ensures the adult critical care course meets the recommendations for critical care nurse education set out in the Guidelines for the Provision of Intensive Care Services (GPICS) published by the UK Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine and the Intensive Care Society (FICM & ICS 2022). The course curriculum is aligned with national standards; ensuring that the award achieved remains one which is professionally recognised and transferable and will be adapted as required to continue to maintain these.

The course continues to build and maintain close working relationships between the university and the critical care units within the local region and beyond. This is maintained through yearly review meetings with the course team and unit practice development nurses (PDNs). PDN collaboration with course developments is encouraged and regular contact by the course leader with the practice areas occurs. This relationship ensures that the content of the course remains responsive to the reality of practice in the clinical environment.

What happens on the course?

Course Modules

Potential Career Paths

Additional Information

Everything you need to know about this course!

Successful completion of the course provides the student with a nationally recognised and transferable award in adult critical care, which is a requirement for professional progression and promotion within the speciality.

The curriculum and course content are based around the practices and underpinning theory required to work in critical care. As you progress through the course you will work towards completing Steps Two and Three of the CC3N national standards and competences. This is a requirement of the post registration academic programme in critical care. This will also give you the potential to progress to Step Four (Leadership) competences as part of your ongoing professional development.

 Entry Requirements:

    • You must hold 12-months experience within critical care and working in a critical care department for the duration of the course.
  • You must have completed Step 1 of the National Competency Framework for Critical Care Nursing (CC3N, 2023), by the start of the course.
  • For this BSc top-up degree you must have 120 credits at level 4 (Certificate) and 120 credits at level 5 Diploma)
  • Self-funding:

    If you don’t want to take out a loan to pay your fees or if you aren’t eligible to receive a loan, you might want to take advantage of the University’s scheme to pay by instalments: see How to pay.

    Gateway.


    Your employer, embassy or organisation can pay for your Tuition fees:

    If your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees; the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

    We must receive notification of sponsorship in writing as soon as possible, and before enrolment, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.


    Financial Hardship:

    Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.


    Bursaries and Scholarships:

    In addition the University also offers a range of Bursaries and Scholarships packages

    You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

    Telephone

    01902 32 22 22

    Email

    enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

    Online

    Order a prospectus

    How we compare

    Find out how our course is rated on Discover Uni, the official website for comparing UK higher education courses.