Neonatal Care: Qualified in Speciality PgCert



This relevant and contemporary programme is designed to develop your knowledge, understanding and skills in neonatology.

Course overview

This programme is designed as a multiprofessional learning experience, recognising the value of collaboration between the different professional groups involved in providing neonatal care. By engaging with diverse perspectives and areas of expertise, you will develop a deeper understanding of neonatal care provision and the importance of holistic, family-centred approaches to support newborn infants and their families.

The programme aims to provide you with a rich teaching, learning and assessment experience that will support your development as a reflective and critical-thinking practitioner. You will build in-depth knowledge of neonatal physiology, pathophysiology, and contemporary evidence-based care, while developing the ability to critically analyse and apply current global evidence to your own area of practice.

Through a range of learning opportunities, you will be supported to develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence required to become a competent and compassionate neonatal professional. The programme will encourage you to integrate research, clinical expertise, and family-centred principles to enhance the quality and delivery of neonatal care.

In addition to preparing you for the challenges of professional practice, this programme will support you to explore the wider ethical, social, and moral responsibilities associated with caring for newborn infants and their families. You will be encouraged to consider your role as a local, national, and global citizen, recognising the importance of advocacy, equity, and continuous improvement in neonatal care.

a nurses' hands are putting a blanket around a baby dummy

Mode of Study:

Online learning

Duration:

1 years

Start date:

Sep

Course details

This part-time online course can be completed over a period of up to one year and has been designed to support you throughout your learning journey. The course combines a range of engaging online learning approaches, including seminars, guest lectures, tutorials, collaborative activities, and independent study, allowing you to develop your knowledge and understanding in a flexible and supportive learning environment.

Throughout the course, you will engage with a variety of online teaching, learning, and assessment activities that include both live (synchronous) and flexible (asynchronous) learning opportunities.

Live teaching sessions will be delivered through Microsoft Teams, providing you with opportunities to interact in real time with tutors and fellow students. These sessions will encourage discussion, reflection, and the sharing of experiences from practice, helping you to develop your critical thinking, communication skills, and professional networks with others on the course.

Between live sessions, you will access a range of asynchronous learning activities through the university’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). These activities are designed to allow you to study flexibly at a time that suits your personal and professional commitments. They may include interactive workbooks, guided learning activities, reviewing and critically appraising literature, exploring case studies, listening to podcasts, watching recorded teaching sessions, and participating in online discussions with peers and tutors.

You will also have opportunities to engage in collaborative learning activities, including action learning sets and online forums, where you can share ideas, apply your learning to practice, and reflect on your experiences alongside other students and academic staff.

This flexible approach allows you to take responsibility for your own learning while ensuring you remain connected, supported, and engaged throughout your studies.

The programme is structured around three complementary 20-credit modules, designed to support your progressive development of knowledge, clinical reasoning, and specialist practitioner skills in neonatal care. Each module builds upon the previous stage of learning, enabling you to develop an increasingly complex understanding of neonatal physiology, pathophysiology, evidence-based practice, and the delivery of holistic, family-centred care.

Lead academic

Anne Moylan is programme and module leader. She has extensive experience in neonatal care both nationally and internationally and a clinical career in neonatology spanning 35 years including many years as an advanced neonatal nurse practitioner. As an educator she has taught within several universities in both Scotland and abroad and is committed to developing and delivering neonatal education programmes that are committed to evidence based holistic care of the neonate and their families.

  • calendar

    How you’ll be taught

    This part-time online course can be completed within one year and is designed to support you throughout your learning journey. We recognise that postgraduate students bring a wealth of clinical experience and have different learning needs, so the course offers a diverse range of engaging and interactive learning opportunities.

    You will learn through a variety of approaches, including expert-led lectures, specialist guest sessions, podcasts, narrated presentations, interactive workbooks, self-assessment activities, online tutorials and opportunities for reflection and discussion. These flexible learning resources will allow you to explore key concepts at your own pace, test your understanding, and apply new knowledge directly to your clinical practice.

    Through a combination of structured, guided online learning, independent study and opportunities to engage with peers and educators, you will be supported to develop your knowledge, skills and confidence as you progress through your specialist practice journey.

    To succeed on our Global Online degrees you must have access via computer or laptop to view and download written and video content. As live sessions are interactive and require active participation, you must have access to a working camera and microphone on your device for these online sessions.

    You will also need basic IT skills that enable you to write and edit document, send and receive email, find your way around our online learning environment and search for and access online learning resources, download files and use online forums.

  • note and pen

    Assessments

    There is an assessment towards the end of each module. You will be assessed through activities that require you to show knowledge, understanding, creativity skills and synthesise of research.

    Assessment methods employed to assess core knowledge and understanding include self-assessment, written professional development activities, case studies and time limited, unseen examinations. Skills and professional capabilities are assessed in your clinical practice area by way of completion of a set of professional specific capabilities.

Entry requirements

What are the entry requirements for Neonatal Care Qualified in Speciality?

To apply for the Neonatal Care Qualified in Speciality programme, you must meet the following entry requirements:

  • A bachelor’s degree in nursing, Midwifery, or a related Allied Health Profession.
  • Current professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or the relevant professional registration body within your country.

As this programme is designed for registered healthcare professionals working within neonatal care, applicants must have the support of their employer. Your employer or line manager will be required to provide a statement of support confirming approval for you to undertake the programme and, where applicable, confirming that your Health Board or organisation is funding your studies.

Where employer funding applies, your employer must raise a purchase order (PO) and submit this to fees@napier.ac.uk, following which an invoice will be issued for payment.

 

Please note that you will be unable to complete registration onto the programme until the required approval and payment arrangements have been confirmed.

 

Applicants who do not meet the standard entry requirements but can demonstrate relevant professional experience, qualifications, or prior learning may be considered through the University’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process. Applicants must be able to demonstrate appropriate knowledge and skills equivalent to SCQF Level 10.

Can I get admission into Neonatal Care Qualified in Speciality based on my working experience in this sector?

This course has academic entry requirements which are assessed alongside relevant work experience. Full details of any relevant work experience, including references should be submitted with your application and may be considered for entry where the minimum academic entry requirements are below those required.

Usually, unrelated work experience is not considered sufficient for entry without meeting the minimum academic entry requirements. Please contact us with your specific circumstances by submitting an enquiry form above and we will be happy to discuss your options.

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

If you would like more information on the admission process, please get in touch with the Global Online admissions team by submitting an enquiry form above.

A minimum International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 6.0 overall with all four elements having a score of at least 5.5 or an equivalent.

 

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
2026/27 2027/28
UK Students (per 20 credits) £985 tba
Overseas Students (per 20 credits) £1,005 tba

Modules for your course can be purchased through our online store and must be paid in full at the time of enrolment. You will purchase modules in advance of each trimester of study.

The fee listed above applies to 20 credits. Please note that the full course comprises 120 credits in total for BA/BSc top-up programmes and 180 credits in total for MSc programmes.

Please note that you will pay the module fee according to the academic year in which you study each module. This means that the total cost of your course will vary depending on the year in which modules are undertaken.

If you are paying a fixed programme fee through one of our global partners, the cost will be no higher than if you were purchasing modules directly from our online store.

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.


Careers & employability

a dummy of a newborn baby in an incubator

As a graduate from this education programme, you will be in possession of the knowledge and skills to develop professionally and work as a specialist in your chosen field of practice where neonatal care is provided. Within your scope of practice, you will work in a safe and innovative way and make challenging decisions within a multidisciplinary team. 

a group of nurses sitting and standing around a table that has the dummy of a newborn baby on it, discussing things and providing it care