Masters in Midwifery MM



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

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 
Midwife lecturer watching student nurse treat a mannequin patient

Mode of Study:

Full-time

Duration:

3 years

Placement:

Yes

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 delivered online using a variety of student-centred interactive approaches. 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. You will also have the opportunity to organise a four-week elective clinical placement at home or abroad as part of your programme. 

Over the next decade the Scottish Government plans to implement a new strategy  which will re-shape maternity services in Scotland. This programme will enable you to be a part of this dynamic and exciting change and contribute to improving the care and experiences of women and their families across Scotland.

Additional mandatory costs

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

Modules

Year 1

  • Professional Midwifery Practice
  • Antenatal and Postnatal Midwifery Care
  • The Science of Midwifery
  • Evaluating the Evidence base for Normal Labour and Birth
  • Evaluating Midwifery Care of the Newborn and Family
  • Midwifery Practice 1

Year 2

  • Conceptualising Public Health and the Social Context of Childbearing
  • Midwifery Practice 2
  • Midwifery Care of Mothers and Babies with Complex Needs
  • Midwifery Practice 3
  • Management of Emergencies during Childbirth
  • Midwifery Practice 4

Year 3

  • Research Skills for Professional Midwifery Practice( 2)
  • Midwifery practice 5
  • Critiquing Midwifery Practice for Women Centred Care
  • Midwifery practice 6
  • Midwifery Practice 7
  • calendar 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. Content will be delivered in an online environment and will involve lectures, tutorials and self-directed learning and workshops. You will broaden and deepen your knowledge of issues by developing advanced research awareness of:

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

    You will prepare for your placements in our simulated clinical environment prior to your practice placements across South-East Scotland.
  • note and pen Assessments

    A variety of assessments, including academic essays, reports, written examinations and ongoing assessments in clinical placement.
  • briefcase 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.
  • study abroad Study abroad

    You will have the opportunity to organise a 4-week elective clinical placement at home or abroad.
  • library Facilities

    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

Entry Requirements

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

In addition applicants must also have Higher/A Level English grade C, Higher/A Level Biology/Human Biology grade C and National 5/GCSE grade C/4 in Maths, or equivalent.

Selection Day 

You may be invited to our Sighthill campus for a selection day. This will give you the opportunity to meet with the recruitment and teaching teams. You will also have the chance to explore some of the University teaching facilities, for example our state-of-the-art clinical skills simulation area.  

Part of the selection process for entry to the programme of your choice 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 nurse/midwife, not your clinical knowledge and skills. It is designed to assess the qualities needed to work as a nurse/midwife and the proficiencies outlined in the:  

Nurses Standards of proficiency 

Standards of proficiency for midwives 

The Code and watch these short videos

It presents a series of work-related situations, and you will be questioned about how you would respond. All applicants are required to sit the CCA. 

Previous Nursing Students

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

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

 

English Language Requirements

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test. The English Language requirements for this programme are IELTS 7.0 (with no less than 7.0 in each component, excluding Writing which requires 6.5).  Alternatively, Occupational English Test with grade B in all components.

Our entry requirements indicate the minimum qualifications with which we normally accept students. Competition for places varies from year to year and you aren't guaranteed a place if you meet the minimum qualifications.

International students

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:
  • BN Nursing/MSc Nursing (Pre-registration) (Adult, Mental Health, Child, Learning Disabilities)
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery

Admissions policies

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 2022/23 2023/24
Scotland £1,820 £1,820
England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland £9,250 £9,250
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. 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 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 Frequently Asked Questions about Fees

Click this link for Information of Bursaries and Scholarships
If additional compulsory costs other than the tuition fees are applicable, these will be detailed in the course details.


**Please note, whilst this programme leads to a Masters level qualification, the course is eligible for student funding in the same way as undergraduate nursing programmes are, and therefore offer holders should apply for funding via these routes.

Careers

On successful completion of the course, you will be well equipped for your role as a Registered Midwife. This will also be supported by a process of lifelong learning and development throughout your career through a process known as revalidation. This is set out in ‘The Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates’. Registrants are expected to:

  • Promote professionalism and trust
  • Prioritise people
  • Practice effectively
  • Preserve safety

These standards are firmly embedded in our programme of professional learning and you will be expected to adhere to these as a student midwife. Midwifery roles extend into other aspects of practice including, midwifery research, specialist roles and education.