MM Midwifery (Long)

Postgraduate, Full-time
Midwifery (Long) MM



Help shape the future of midwifery with our three-year Master of Midwifery programme.

Course overview

Midwives provide skilled, knowledgeable and compassionate care to women, newborn infants and their families. They work across the continuum of pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, labour, birth, postpartum and the early weeks of a newborn infant’s life. To meet these needs our programme reflects a dynamic, student-centred approach to learning, teaching and assessment. 

It aims to prepare you for practice as an accountable and autonomous midwife with a focus on:
  • Mastery of the knowledge and skills required to provide safe and effective midwifery care to women and their families
  • The interpersonal and cultural competence required for effective and collaborative working
  • Developing self-capability in a midwifery leadership context, particularly in relation to quality, safety and efficacy
  • Demonstrating commitment to ongoing research, audit and service evaluation to enhance professional learning, policy and practice 

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto this programme.

 

 
Midwife lecturer watching student nurse treat a mannequin patient

Mode of Study:

Full-time

Duration:

3 years

Course details

This three-year Master of Midwifery programme is subject to the ‘NMC Standards for pre-registration midwifery programmes’ . This requires that 50% of programme learning is theoretical and 50% is practical. Theoretical content will be a hybrid delivery of both face to face teaching with some online sessions using a variety of student-centred interactive approaches. You will experience shared teaching the Bachelor of Midwifery (BM) cohort. The simulation and practice of clinical skills will take place face-to-face in our Simulation and Clinical Skills Centre prior to placement experiences. Clinical placements are undertaken with our Health Board partners in NHS Lothian, Forth Valley, Fife and Borders – all candidates should be aware that they may be placed in any of these areas and that you will be expected to travel. You will also have the opportunity to organise a four-week elective clinical placement at home or abroad as part of your programme. 

This programme is scheduled to commence in September 2027, subject to a minimum number of student applications. If insufficient applications are received for the Master in Midwifery route, you will be offered a place on the Bachelor of Midwifery 2027 programme instead.  Either route will enable you to register as a midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) upon successful completion. 

Additional mandatory costs

Students are expected to pay for the registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, £120

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    How you’ll be taught

    The theoretical components of the Masters of Midwifery will enable you to develop knowledge and skills that incorporate a critical and reflexive approach to learning. Theoretical content will be delivered using a blended approach to learning, using a variety of student-centred interactive approaches. You will broaden and deepen your knowledge of issues by developing advanced research awareness of:

    • Management
    • Leadership
    • Clinical Governance
    • Clinical Supervision
    • Education

    Practice placements are threaded throughout all years and trimesters of the programme. You will prepare for your placements in our Simulation and Clinical Skills Centre prior to your practice placements across South-East Scotland.
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    Assessments

     A variety of assessments, including academic essays, reports, written examinations and ongoing assessments in clinical placement.
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    Work placement

    On placement you will relate midwifery theory to clinical practice and will be supported by midwifery practice supervisors and assessors. 

    Practice placement experiences will reflect the current and emerging model of continuity of carer with implementation of The Best Start: A five-year forward plan for maternity and neonatal care in Scotland (Scottish Government, 2017).  This will involve caring for women through all stages of pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. You will follow the working patterns of your allocated practice supervisors. This will involve covering a variety of shift patterns.
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    Facilities

    This course is taught in person at our Sighthill campus.

    When you study midwifery with us you will spend an appropriate proportion of your time  developing your skills in our simulated environment.

ACCREDITED BY

Disclaimer

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Full information is available in our disclaimer.

Entry requirements

What are the entry requirements for Midwifery?

The entry requirement for this course is a First degree or Honours degree.

In addition applicants must also have English at Higher/A Level or a Literary subject at grade C, Biology at Higher/A Level Biology or Human Biology at grade C and Maths at National 5/GCSE grade C/4, or equivalent (all three are required to have been completed within the last 5 years) - if applicants do not have these we can suggest alternative online equivalent courses to undertake.

Admission to the programme is also dependent upon a satisfactory Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG) check. This will be conducted as part of the induction week. The cost of the PVG check will be paid by the University.

Selection 

Part of the selection process for entry to the programme will include a computer based Confident Caring Assessment (CCA) where you will be given a short video and related scenario with questions. This is an assessment of the attributes expected of a midwife, not your clinical knowledge and skills.

All applicants are required to sit the CCA. It presents a series of work-related situations, and you will be questioned about how you would respond. It is designed to assess the qualities needed to work as a midwife and the proficiencies outlined in the:  

Nurses Standards of proficiency 

Standards of proficiency for midwives 

The Code

Watch these short videos

 

Previous Nursing Students

Please note that students who have already studied a Nursing degree are unlikely to receive funding for a second healthcare related degree.

 

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto this programme.

 

Can I make an appointment with an advisor to discuss further about the admission process?

If you want to get more information on the admission process, please get in touch with the Postgraduate admissions team by submitting an enquiry form above.

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Entry requirements by country

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto the following courses:
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery
  • MSc Nursing courses
  • All Graduate Apprenticeship courses

See who can apply for more information on Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study. 

Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Undergraduate admissions policies
Postgraduate admissions policies

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Tuition fees
Students from 2026/27 2027/28
Scotland £1,820 £tba
England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland £9,790 tba
Overseas and EU £18,220 tba

Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland will be invoiced the tuition fees for 3 years of their 4 years of study.

Tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next. For more information on this and other tuition fee matters, please see our Fees and Funding links above.

If additional compulsory costs other than the tuition fees are applicable, these will be detailed in the course details.

Please note that the tuition fees liable to be paid by EU nationals commencing their studies from 1 August 2021 will be the Overseas fee rate. The University offers a range of attractive Tuition Fee bursaries to students resident in specific countries. More information on these can be found here.


Please note:

The discount for Edinburgh Napier alumni can only be applied to year one of a full-time Postgraduate degree, any additional years are exempt from the discount.

For part time Postgraduate degrees the discount will apply to years one, two and three only and any additional years will be exempt from the discount.

Please read our full T&C here

Careers & employability

What can you do with a Midwifery Degree?

By studying Midwifery at Edinburgh Napier University, you will be qualified to apply for roles within both a clinical and social care setting, as a midwife you will be the expert in supporting women during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. By having gained advanced communication, decision making and leadership skills during your course you will be able to support women compassionately and proactively during this time. You’ll be able to professionally apply the practical and theoretical knowledge you have learned through the most current research, having gained an understanding that midwifery is both an art and a science. This course will help you to develop your abilities not only to provide midwifery care but also emotional support to women and their families. If you’re a caring and helpful person by nature, passionate about women’s health, then this may be the right course for you.

What does a Midwife do?

As a midwife, you’ll most likely work in an NHS setting and occasionally a private healthcare sector. You will be a main primary care practitioner and expert in providing antenatal, intrapartum, neonatal and postnatal support and advice to women and their families. Midwives must recognise their role during pregnancy, birth and postnatal complications. Midwives support the use of interventions and technology when necessary to ensure an optimal outcome. Team and autonomous working skills will be required to deliver vital care in a fast-paced environment, with no day being the same.


Daily tasks and responsibilities in this role may include:

 

  • Advocate normality and midwifery led care as appropriate

  • Carrying out examinations and screenings before and after the birth, to monitor the growth of the fetus and the overall health of the mother and neonate.

  • Teaching skills, such as care of the newborn, infant nutrition and personal care to new mothers and parents.

  • Identifying high risk pregnancies and planning and implementing appropriate care around this.

  • Relationship building with expectant mothers, families and carers.

  • Providing information about nutrition and exercise for both the mother and the neonate.

  • Providing care and support during the labour and in the birth of a newborn, along with providing evidence-based care and supporting women’s choice.

  • Able to discuss future family planning and appropriate contraceptive methods with parents.

  • Keeping and updating important women and newborn’s documentation.