Midwifery - Pre-Registration
MSc
Start dates: September 2025 / September 2026
Full time: 36 months
Location: Headington (Marston Road site)
Department(s): Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery
Overview
Are you passionate about making a difference in the world? Do you want to work in midwifery, a valued profession that is in demand both locally and globally? Join us at Oxford Brookes and do just that.
Having already completed an undergraduate degree in any subject (except nursing), you'll learn to apply your critical thinking skills to support women throughout the pregnancy journey, from early pregnancy to post-birth care.
You’ll learn how to support women to make informed decisions, and you’ll become familiar with the full range of midwifery care. You will experience community midwifery, home and midwife-led units and will be part of a multidisciplinary team caring for complex cases in hospitals.
By combining your academic expertise with a rewarding career in midwifery, you’ll make a significant impact on the lives of countless women and their families.
The recent influx of midwifery funding has created many opportunities to take on leadership roles, once you’ve embedded yourself into the profession. As a master’s level graduate, your options to make a positive impact are endless.
Why Oxford Brookes University?
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Small year group sizes
Benefit from more personalised support from teaching staff and experience a stronger sense of community and collaboration among students.
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Unbeatable partnerships
Participate in the full range of midwifery care. From community midwifery and midwife-led units, to multidisciplinary teams caring for complex cases.
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Bespoke teaching experience
You’ll benefit from tailored MSc specific seminar and tutorial sessions to develop your critical thinking and research skills.
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Influential teaching team
The lecturing team is engaged in research, international project work or work in clinical practice, taking your education to the next level.
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Finesse your research skills
Take the opportunity to complete a bespoke module, where you’ll develop your primary research skills ready for your dissertation.
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Accreditation(s)
Nursing and Midwifery Council
Course details
Course structure
Year 1 starts with an introduction to core universal midwifery care. You’ll dive into anatomy and physiology, learn about the changes and adaptations that occur during pregnancy, labour, birth and postnatal. You’ll also explore the public health role of the midwife and its impact on the pregnant women and birthing people you’ll be supporting.
Practical experience starts early in the skills labs. You’ll then put it into practice in clinical placements alongside registered midwives within 6 weeks of starting the course.
In Year 2, you’ll discover how to support women with additional complexity, from medical conditions to mental health issues and social complexities. You’ll also take a bespoke research proposal module to develop your research skills, in preparation for your dissertation.
In Year 3, you’ll have the opportunity to provide caseloading midwifery care to a small group of women in supervised student groups. Alongside this you’ll explore your personal midwifery philosophy. You’ll also investigate a topic of your choice through your dissertation using primary data collection.
Study modules
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Research
Our academic staff have extensive experience of NHS, clinical practice and general management at senior level. They also have a significant record of research and publications on a range of topics, including water birth and breastfeeding.
We have a strong research profile, with experienced researchers working in:
- maternal and women’s public health
- cancer care
- children and families
- drugs and alcohol
- physical rehabilitation and enablement
- interprofessional education and collaborative practice.
We have excellent library resources, accessible both online and through a range of locally based facilities on university and NHS sites.
Careers
Studying midwifery at MSc level at Oxford Brookes will prepare you for a multitude of rewarding opportunities beyond university. You’ll become an expert in applying your analytical academic thinking to all stages of pregnancy, birth and postnatal.
We'll support your independence and encourage you to learn higher levels of critical thinking. This will lead to opportunities in leadership and management and clinical specialisms, as well as the more academic side of midwifery.
Roles include:
- consultant midwifery
- specialisms such as infant feeding, bereavement, and public health
- clinical educator
- delivery suite coordinator
- research midwifery.
Or perhaps you fancy deepening your knowledge and career further? At Oxford Brookes, we offer the option to complete a professional doctorate in midwifery or a PhD as a progression route, allowing you to enjoy a career in research and academia or extend your area of specialism further.
Student profiles
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
GCSE: 4 GCSEs, including Mathematics, English Language and a science subject (i.e. Chemistry or Biology) at grade 5 (B) or above (or equivalent).
Relevant experience (e.g. in a hospital) or a suitable indication of your interest in, and understanding of, the relevant healthcare profession.
Three years MSc:
- an honours degree with a first or 2:1 classification or above (or equivalent)
- this previous degree should not be in adult nursing or midwifery
- all applicants must be screened for fitness to practise.
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and from both genders.
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
Screening
All applicants will be screened for fitness to practise and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be made.
Selection process
All Oxford Brookes University Health and Social Care Programmes conduct Value Based Recruitment (VBR). We recognise that values and attitudes have the greatest impact on the quality of people's care and their experiences.
VBR is a way of helping our Programme recruitment teams to assess the values, motives and attitudes of those who wish to work with people in health and social care settings. When we refer to values we mean, for example, the values included in the NHS constitution.
VBR focuses on 'how' and 'why' an applicant makes choices in how they act and seeks to explore reasons for their behaviour.
English language requirements
For applicants whose first language is not English, an Academic IELTS score of 6.5 (with 6.5 in Reading and Writing, and 6.0 in Listening and Speaking) is required.
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.
Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.
If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
International qualifications and equivalences
How to apply
Application process
International applicants will need to apply early to allow enough time for obtaining visas.
If you are offered a place you may be asked to pay a deposit of £3,000 to secure a place on the course. Applications are dealt with on a first come, first served basis, so please act early to avoid disappointment.
All Oxford Brookes University Health and Social Care Programmes conduct Value Based Recruitment (VBR).
We recognise that values and attitudes have the greatest impact on the quality of people's care and their experiences.
VBR is a way of helping our Programme recruitment teams to assess the values, motives and attitudes of those who wish to work with people in health and social care settings. When we refer to values we mean, for example, the values included in the NHS constitution.
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page
Financial support and scholarships
All eligible midwifery students on courses from September 2020 (new and continuing) will receive a payment of at least £5,000 a year which they will not need to pay back. For more information please visit NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF).
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
Placement costs:
These are costs that need to be paid for by midwifery students when travelling to and from clinical practice placements throughout Oxfordshire. As an example, a random sample of first year students spent approximately £30 - £700 travelling to placements during the first year of their programme. For students eligible for tuition fee and maintenance support from the Student Loans Company, these costs are recoverable through the Learning Support Fund. Midwifery students spend 50% of their programme in clinical placement.
Other costs:
- Books and other learning resources: £50 - £300
- Shoes for practice to be worn with clinical uniform: £30 - £60
- Equipment (for example stethoscope and watch) and suitable non clinical clothing for community placements; £60 - £250
Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been
published on the website. For more information, please visit our
changes to programmes page.