Nursing (Learning Disability), BSc (Hons)

Tuition Fees Covered

If you can commit to working in Wales for two years after graduation

student nurse helping patient

Course Overview

Our Learning Disability Nursing degree course will give you the skills and experience to launch a rewarding career in this diverse and essential profession.

Over the course of this carefully integrated, three-year BSc programme, you will learn how to adopt a life span approach to nursing a person with a learning disability.  As you progress, our range of learning and teaching strategies will develop your critical thinking to enable you to identify the diverse and complex needs of people with learning disabilities; make an accurate nursing diagnosis and plan and evaluate the care required.  You will learn how to deliver effective care to people with a learning disability who may have multiple health morbidities as well as mental, physical, cognitive, or behavioural health challenges, enabling practitioners to be able to support people with learning disabilities of any age.

At the end of the course, you will be demonstrating person centred care for people with a learning disability and work closely with their families.  As a qualified Learning Disability Nurse you will develop clinical and leadership skills to ensure that the gap between access to healthcare and people with learning disabilities is continuously shortened.

Why Learning Disability Nursing at Swansea University?

We have an outstanding reputation for nursing and are ranked in the Top 10 in the UK for Graduate Prospects (Times Good University Guide 2025).

Our academic staff are qualified nurses, doctors, and allied health professionals, many of whom are also practising clinicians, providing an exceptional combination of theoretical rigour, professional insight, and practical expertise.

We have very strong links with Welsh health boards, opening up clinical placement opportunities for you in hospitals or community mental health teams in both urban and rural locations.

If you are a UK student who can commit to working in Wales for two years after graduating, you could get your tuition fees covered in full through the NHS Wales Bursary Scheme, as well as maintenance funding and a reduced rate loan from Student Finance.

Please see our NHS Funding webpage to check your eligibility for funding before applying.

Your Learning Disability Nursing Experience

Our excellent facilities include a realistic clinical suite so you can put your theoretical knowledge into practice in an environment that reflects as closely as possible the actual conditions that you will experience when you go on placement in a hospital or community setting.

You can also study some modules through the medium of Welsh and may be eligible for internal scholarships or support through Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

Nursing Careers

On graduation, you will be eligible to apply for Registered Nurse (Learning Disability) status with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and to register as a nurse for work in EU and EEA.

You can expect a starting salary of £28,407 rising to £57,349 for a highly experienced staff nurse. Specialist nurses and practice managers can earn £50,056.

Modules

Module Summary

Nursing (Learning Disability), BSc (Hons)