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Midwifery Dissertation Topics

Published by Owen Ingram at January 3rd, 2023 , Revised On August 16, 2023

There have been midwives around for decades now. The role of midwives has not changed much with the advent of modern medicine, but their core function remains the same – to provide care and comfort to pregnant women during childbirth.

It is possible to be a midwife in the healthcare industry, but it is not always a rewarding or challenging career. Here are five things you didn’t know about midwifery nursing to help you decide if it could be the right career choice for you.

The profession of midwifery involves caring for women and newborns during pregnancy, childbirth, and the first few days following birth. Registered nurses are trained with four additional years of education along with major research on methods involve in midwifery and writing on midwifery dissertation topics, while midwives provide natural health care for mothers and children.

As a midwife, your role is to promote healthy pregnancies and births while respecting women’s rights and dignity. Midwives provide care to patients at every stage of life, from preconception to postpartum, family planning to home delivery to breastfeeding support.

Important Links: Child Health Nursing Dissertation Topics , Adult Nursing Topics , Critical Care Nursing Dissertation Topics . These links will help you to get a broad experience or knowledge about the latest trends and practices in academics.

Midwifery Is A Good Fit for the Following:

● Those who want to work with women, especially those at risk of giving birth in a                    hospital setting. ● Those who enjoy helping people and solving problems. ● Those who like to be creative and solve complex problems. ● Those who want to help others and make a difference in their lives.

Midwifery is a career with many benefits for both the midwife and the baby. They are well-trained and experienced in caring for pregnant women and newborns and often have access to the exceptional care that other nurses may not have.

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Midwifery Dissertation Topics With Research Aim

Topic:1 adolescence care.

Research Aim: Focus on comprehensive medical, psychological, physical, and mental health assessments to provide a better quality of care to patients.

Topic:2 Alcohol Abuse

Reseasrch Aim: Closely studying different addictions and their treatments to break the habit of drug consumption among individuals.

Topic:3 Birth Planning

Research Aim: Comprehensive birth planning between parents discussing the possible consequences of before, between, and after labour.

Topic:4 Community midwifery

Research Aim: Studying different characters in community midwifery and the midwife’s role in providing care for the infant during the early days of the child’s birth.

Topic:5 Contraception

Research Aim: Understand the simplicity of contraception to prevent pregnancy by stopping egg production that results in the fertilization of egg and sperm in the later stages.

Topic:6 Electronic fetal monitoring

Research Aim: In-depth study of electronic fetal monitoring to track the health of your baby during the womb, record construction per minute, and make a count of your baby’s heart rate.

Topic:7 Family planning

Research Aim: Importance to follow the basic rhythm methods for the couple to prevent pregnancy and use protection during the vaginal sex to plan a family without fertility treatments.

Topic:8 Foetal and newborn care

Research Aim: Expansion of the maternal-fetal and newborn care services to improve the nutritional quality of infants after delivery during their postnatal care time.

Topic:9 Foetal well being

Carefully tracking indications for the rise in heart rate of the fetal by weekly checkups to assess the overall well-being of the fetal.

Topic:10 Gender-based violence

Research Aim: Studying the consequences of male desire for a child that results in gender-based violence, harming the child’s physical and mental health.

Topic:11 Health promotion

Research Aim: Working on practices that help in controlling the amount of pollution of people, taking care of their overall health, and improving quality of life through adapting best health practices.

Topic:12 High-risk pregnancy

Research Aim: Calculating the ordinary risks of a high-risk pregnancy and how it affects a pregnant body resulting in a baby with poor health or any by-birth diseases, increasing the chance for complications.

Topic:13 HIV infection

Research Aim: Common causes of HIV infection and their long-term consequences on the body’s immune system. An in-depth study into the acquired immunodeficiency and the results leading to this.

Topic:14 Human Rights

Creating reports on human rights and their link with the freedom of thought, conscience, religion, belief, and other factors.

Topic:15 Infection prevention and control

Research Aim: Practices for infection prevention and control using efficient approaches for patients and health workers to avoid harmful substances in the environment.

Topic:16 Infertility and pregnancy

Research Aim: Evaluating the percentage of infertility and pregnancy, especially those facing no prior births, and who have high chances of infertility and pregnancy complications.

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Midwives are nurses who provide continuous support to the mother before, during, and after labour. Midwives also help with newborn care and educate parents on how to care for their children.

How Much Do Midwives Make?

The salary of a midwife varies depending on the type of work, location, and experience of the midwife. Midwives generally earn $132,950 per year. The average annual salary for entry-level midwives is $102,390.

The minimum requirement for becoming a midwifery nurse is a bachelor’s degree in nursing, with the option of pursuing a master’s degree.

An accredited educational exam can also lead to certification as a nurse-midwife (CNM). The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) enables you to practice independently as a midwife.

There are many pros and cons to working as a midwife. As a midwife, you have the following pros and cons:

• Midwives have the opportunity to help women during one of the most memorable moments in their lives.
• Midwives can positively impact the health of mothers and their children.
• Midwives can work in many hospitals, clinics, and homes.
• In midwifery, there are many opportunities for continuing education and professional development.
• You will often have to work nights and weekends, which can be mentally draining.
• You will have to travel a lot since most births occur in hospitals or centres in different areas.
• You will have to deal with stressors such as complex patients and uncooperative families.
• You will be dealing with a lot of pain, so you need to be able to handle it without medication or other treatment methods.

A career in midwifery is a great fit for those with a passion for health and wellness, an interest in helping people, and a desire to work in a supportive environment.

It is important to become involved in your local midwifery community if you are contemplating a career in midwifery – the best source of learning is your major research work, along with writing a lengthy thesis document on midwifery dissertation topics that will submit to your university to progress your midwifery career.

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How to find midwifery dissertation topics.

To find midwifery dissertation topics:

• Explore childbirth challenges or trends.
• Investigate maternal and infant health.
• Consider cultural or ethical aspects.
• Review recent research in midwifery.
• Focus on gaps in knowledge.
• Choose a topic that resonates with your passion and career goals.

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Theses and Dissertations

Black midwives for black mothers: ameliorating racial disparities in the quality of maternal healthcare.

Kimberly Navarro Follow

In the United States, maternal mortality represents a dire health crisis with a stark racial imbalance. Black women are two and a half to three times more likely to die from pregnancy and birth-related complications than their White counterparts. Racial disparities in maternal health can be explained by variations in the quality of maternal healthcare services that women tend to receive. Racial and ethnic minority women are more likely to receive inferior quality prenatal care (PNC), which brings to question the care model of traditional PNC and its adequacy in serving the healthcare needs of Black women. Since Black women disproportionately experience lower quality PNC, the overall improvement in the quality of PNC is likely to yield high benefits for Black women. This study sought to identify and give perspective to the unique challenges that Black women experience in the maternal healthcare system. Findings show that Black mothers who had home births with a race-concordant midwife experienced excellent quality of care. For Black home-birthing mothers in this study, PNC and childbirth were normalized at home, PNC was accessible, mother led, consistent, encouraging, and supportive, good quality, emotionally fulfilling and peaceful, personalized, race-concordant, and with family involvement, which made mother feel well prepared for birth. Findings from this study highlight the importance of race-concordant midwifery care for Black mothers to experience high quality care. Black midwives in this study demonstrated the provision of high-quality midwifery care to Black mothers. These findings may help inform clinical practice for the maternal care of Black women. Advocating for Black women to receive high-quality PNC, promoting race-concordant midwifery care and diversity midwifery are essential in the fight to ameliorate racial disparities in maternal health. Policies that support further research into maternal healthcare for Black women, promote midwifery care and diversity in midwifery, like the Black Maternal Health Momnibus, are instrumental to improve maternal health outcomes for Black women.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Maternal health services; Mothers--Mortality--Women, Black; Pregnancy--Women, Black; Midwife and patient--Women, Black

Date of Award

School affiliation.

Graduate School of Education and Psychology

Department/Program

Degree type.

Dissertation

Degree Name

Faculty advisor.

Kfir Mordechay

Recommended Citation

Navarro, Kimberly, "Black midwives for Black mothers: ameliorating racial disparities in the quality of maternal healthcare" (2023). Theses and Dissertations . 1346. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/1346

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Studying for Your Midwifery Degree

• Siobhan Scanlan - Oxford Brookes University, UK
• Hilary Walker
• Description

This essential handbook helps midwifery students to make the most from their time studying. It clearly explains the core learning skills you will need right from the start of the course, such as academic writing, placement learning and understanding theoretical concepts. It also introduces more advanced skills, such as reflection, research, evidence-based practice, writing a dissertation and complex decision making. It shows why these important skills are essential for you both to succeed at university and when you are a registered midwife.

Key features

- An accessible student-friendly guide specifically written for midwifery students - Three midwifery students are followed throughout the book to show real issues that you may face during your studies - Activities throughout help you test and develop your own learning skills - Each chapter is linked to relevant NMC and QAA standards, so that you can see what you are expected to know in order to pass your programme. Series Editor The Transforming Midwifery Practice series editor is Judith Jackson, Canterbury College.  

See what’s new to this edition by selecting the Features tab on this page. Should you need additional information or have questions regarding the HEOA information provided for this title, including what is new to this edition, please email [email protected] . Please include your name, contact information, and the name of the title for which you would like more information. For information on the HEOA, please go to http://ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html .

For assistance with your order: Please email us at [email protected] or connect with your SAGE representative.

SAGE 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, CA 91320 www.sagepub.com

Super relevant for our students

Good basis for 1st year students

This clear and accessible book will be very helpful for midwifery students embarking on their course of study. The skills needed are fully described and examples are given throughout, to highlight the importance of continuous skill development both academically and whilst on placement. A very useful resource for all midwifery students.

This book is good as a supplementary read for midwifery students. Those that would find it most useful are students new or returning to university level study. The book is divided into logical sections and chapters, progressing to more in depth study skills as the reader progresses thorough the book.

This text contains so much information that will help students to develop and progress through the course. Advised for precourse reading and essential reading on commencing course

A thought provoking and interactive book.

A truly great book for popel wishing to tudy midwifery. I used his book with a lady thinking of studying midwifery. this book gacve her a great overview of subject areas she would need to look at and what would be involved that could not be found in teh course material prived by unversity in advacne..

A good useful book providing ideas and thoughts for future students

The title does not truly reflect the contents of this as hidden inside are a range of gems of advice to suit the evolving midwifery student as they make the step by step transition through the midwifery programme.The case studies and activities engage the reader while allowing further exploration of topics. I will be recommending this to my personal tutees as a companion guide .

An excellent companion for the journey from novice to expert. I have asked students to purchase.

Preview this book

For instructors, select a purchasing option, related products.

This title is also available on SAGE Knowledge , the ultimate social sciences online library. If your library doesn’t have access, ask your librarian to start a trial .

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Guide for Students to Find the Best Midwifery Dissertation Topics

Table Of Contents

• What Does Midwifery Mean? | Significance in the Real World 

What Are the Steps to Writing a Midwifery Dissertation?

• 21 Latest Midwifery Dissertation Topics for Undergraduate
• 22 Trending Midwifery Dissertation Topics for Students

Unsure About Your Midwifery Dissertation Topics? Get Help

Finding the best midwifery dissertation topics is a challenging job for students. To overcome this issue, Assignment Desk experts have prepared this blog. It will provide you with all relevant information on how to choose midwifery dissertation ideas , some good topics to choose from, and how to start writing your dissertation.

As a midwifery student, you will be required to write your dissertation . Although the dissertation is a mandatory task, students need to complete this work if they want to pursue midwifery as an occupation. Before starting your dissertation, find a suitable topic that might interest you and write about it in detail. The challenge in this process is identifying the best dissertation topics in midwifery . Every student must have a clear understanding of this step of dissertation writing. So, let's start with the basics of midwifery.

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What Does Midwifery Mean? | Significance in the Real World

In this blog, we're going to look at midwifery and where it fits in with our society today. As you may know, there's still some debate about its meaning. We'll dive into the best midwifery dissertation titles .

The word "midwife" is a little hard to define. It's derived from the Latin word "mater," which means "mother." Midwives are those who offer maternity care and health services. Midwifery is a caring occupation that strives to preserve natural childbirth, prevent maternal death, reduce maternal morbidity and mortality, and improve perinatal outcomes.

Some still use it about a woman who gives birth, while others use it as a slang term for childbirth education and training. It can be unclear because many women wish to become midwives even though they still need formal educational credentials.

Midwives are one of the oldest professions in human history. They care for women, children, and families through childbirth every year. The definition of midwifery means "midwife." The Greeks first used this term to describe women who helped with birth and prenatal care. This fact can be easily used in the dissertation structure to make it more realistic and trustworthy.

Midwives remain vital to our society because they help women maintain their dignity during labour. And help them make healthy decisions throughout their pregnancy.

All these facts about the oldest profession attract students to pursue it as a profession. They are so inspired that the most challenging job of finding midwifery dissertation topics and writing a dissertation is easy for them. It is because they follow a proper procedure to do so. In the next section, you will learn more about that procedure.

While writing a dissertation on midwifery, it's important to remember that time is of the essence. You need to make sure that you complete and prepare a perfect dissertation on time and in an efficient manner that also makes it meaningful.

Here are some tips for students who want to write their midwifery dissertation. Or they can also seek a lot of help from these tips and tricks to improve dissertation writing skills .

• Writing an outline is the first step of any dissertation writing. Starting with this sections of your dissertation will make it easily formatted.
• Create a timeline. The timeline should include all the significant steps and milestones you must pass to complete your midwifery dissertation on time.
• Each section should be divided into smaller subsections, each with clear midwifery dissertation topics UK and a relevant purpose for your research.
• When you have your outline, you can begin writing. One of the best ways to get started is by writing down everything that comes to mind about each section. Then begin with the formal content planning.
• Now, look at the resources available on your midwifery dissertation topics : books written about it, articles published in journals or magazines, and videos or documentaries about caregivers.

Try using a checklist before starting this dissertation phase so you remember essential steps to include in the content!

Now that you have all these tips and tricks, it's time to start finding suitable and interesting midwifery dissertation topics . With a little bit of planning and some effort, you'll be able to complete this on time!

21 Latest Midwifery Dissertation Topics for Undergraduate

We have listed some of the best midwifery dissertation ideas to help you find a good topic that suits your research.

• Midwife experiences with asylum seekers' maternity care
• What causes pregnancy fear, and how can midwives help women?
• Uses, expectations, perspectives, and experiences with birth plans
• Pregnancy, childbirth, and IPV relationships
• Increasing normalcy with midwifery care: aquatic births
• Fathers' postnatal depression
• Antidepressants and postnatal depression
• During the postnatal period, it reduces pain and infection and promotes healing of the sutured perineum
• Enhanced maternal safety in the Philippines
• Pediatric, obstetric, and clinician-indirect home interventions for the Medicare population
• Nurses and midwives manage hypoglycemia in healthy-term newborns
• A comprehensive assessment of the qualitative literature on the experiences of health workers in acute hospital settings with teamwork education
• A comprehensive assessment of the experiences of midwives and nurses working together to offer childbirth care
• How have "care pathway technologies" affected integrating services in stroke care? And how strong is the evidence for their success in this area?
• Our nation has a midwifery culture
• Knowledge of gender in midwifery
• Early midwives among the Native Americans: the art of midwifery
• Midwifery trends happening in the nursing practice
• What role does midwifery play in society?
• Relationship between women and midwives and childbirth education in your nation.
• Midwives have experience with difficult deliveries

Choose dissertation topic from the above-mentioned examples and make your efforts worthwhile. After a deep analysis, our expert has curated these ideas for you to save time. You are only required to pick the one that interests you and start working on it. if still, these 21 titles are not as per your expectation, then below are more dissertation topics in midwifery available for your help.

Also Read:  How Long Should a Dissertation Be?

22 Trending Midwifery Dissertation Topics for Students

We understand how difficult it is to research a suitable topic for academic dissertation writing. Keeping that in mind, we have asked our team of professional writers with years of experience to create some of the most sensible midwifery dissertation topics UK with the help of trends. These will give you a good idea of the current issues confronting midwifery.

• The cause of recurrent miscarriage
• The cultural perspective on male midwives
• Effectiveness of DNA testing in diagnosing a child's hereditary condition
• Surgical success in treating an umbilical hernia
• What hereditary factors contribute to miscarriage?
• The importance of eating well and being nourished when pregnant
• Treatment for a ruptured hernia
• Midwives' treatment of postpartum depression
• Miscarriages' underlying mechanisms
• Trends involving males who work as midwives
• What are the differences between pregnant women's expectations and birthing experiences?
• What dangers lurk in-home abortions?
• Why do umbilical cord hernias occur?
• What part do infections play in miscarriages?
• Techniques for promoting a normal birth during the second stage of labour
• Management of perinatal depression
• Perinatal treatment for disabled women
• Obese women are still able to give birth typically, right?
• Describe the variables that prevent natural birthing.
• How practical are the WHO perinatal recommendations?
• Taking care of hepatitis B while pregnant
• The right to pick one's birthplace

These interesting midwifery dissertation topics can impress your faculty and get you instant approval, as experts pick them personally. So, if you're having trouble with your dissertation, seek professional assistance and leave all of your worries to those who have done it before.

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Do you want to specialise in midwifery or do you need help with nursing dissertation ? We have a team of experts to help, who can write your dissertation with 100% originality.

As a midwifery student, you may require a dissertation to be written by an expert writer. Moreover, it might be necessary to outline the study and write your dissertation proposal. We can organise all the essential steps for you and provide strong online dissertation help .

Writing a dissertation in midwifery is a tough job that requires tremendous concentration, so it is always advisable to engage the services of a professional writer who can complete your dissertation on time. We do not just offer midwifery, but we also provide many other benefits on several subjects. You can also find assistance for Nursing dissertation topics or Nursing assignment help . So if you want help from experts, make sure you go to the Assignment Desk and only pay a nominal fee.

Anyone interested in learning different ways to write a dissertation and wants to explore its art can also contact us. We offer samples on many levels of assistance, such as assignment help or anything from medicine.

You cannot ignore the importance of midwives in today's world. A Midwifery dissertation topics will provide valuable insight into the field. If you have difficulty finding resources for your dissertation, remember that we are here to help! We create a multitude of dissertations from scratch just for you.

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Midwifery-led researches for evidence-based practice: Clinical midwives engagement in research in Ethiopia, 2021

Keflie yohannes gebresilassie.

1 Midwifery Directorate, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia

Adhanom Gebreegziabher Baraki

2 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia

Belayneh Ayanaw Kassie

3 Midwifery Directorate, School of Midwifery, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia

Sintayehu Daba Wami

4 Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia

Associated Data

All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting information files.

Introduction

Health workers involvement in research had an impact on studies and whole system. They influence the clinical practice and help to implement evidences. Although International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) put research as one of the midwifery competencies and professional development activity, clinical midwives are poorly involved in research. Therefore, this study is aimed to assess clinical midwives engagement in research and bridge the gap through applicable strategies.

Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among clinical midwives working at public health facilities of Central and North Gondar Zone, Ethiopia from September to October, 2020 G.C. A structured and pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data and entered into Epi-info version 7. Descriptive statistics was used to describe study population. Bi-variable and multi-variable logistic regression analysis was performed using STATA Version 14 and significance level declared at 95% confidence interval, p-value ≤ 0.05 and respective odds ratios.

Out of 335 clinical midwives, 314 were participated making the response rate 93.7%. Among the midwives, one hundred seventy two (54.8%) (95% CI: 49.08%, 60.37) have good skill on conducting a research. Clinical midwives with mothers with formal education [AOR: 1.90, 95% CI: (1.03, 3.51), currently work on referral hospitals [AOR: 2.33, 95% CI: (1.19, 4.53)] and having good level of knowledge on research [AOR: 2.19, 95% CI: (1.25, 3.82)] have significant association with having good research skill. Forty eight (15.2%) (95% CI: 11.5%, 19.7%) ever participated in research during their clinical practice. Clinical midwives who have good knowledge on research [AOR: 0.31, 95% CI: (0.14, 0.70)] are about 0.3 times less likely to participate on research than who have poor knowledge [AOR: 0.31, 95% CI: (0.14, 0.70)].

Conclusion and recommendation

Although more than half have good research skill, only a small proportion of midwives were involved in research. Capacity building activities are crucial to strengthen midwives skill on research and ensure their involvement.

Health workers involvement in research had an impact on studies and whole system. They influence the clinical practice and help to implement evidences [ 1 ]. The new approach named clinical academics had health care and academic roles, thus they combine practice with research [ 2 ]. Despite these recommendations [ 3 ], most college and universities didn’t have clinical academic [ 4 ] and they are not appropriately utilizing their potentials.

Health workers involved in research activities have various reasons that includes individual interest, as part of the curriculum, to improve service quality through shred of evidences, prior experience and/or exposure, professional development and financial benefits [ 1 ]. Nevertheless, International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) has put continuous professional development including research activities as one of midwifery competencies [ 5 ].

Clinical midwives perceived research as other professions role, especially the academic [ 6 ]. They had to aware of and involve in research to improve the clinical care [ 7 ] and overall quality of midwifery services as they can identify health problems for research from their experience.

Although research capacity building for clinical midwives is recommended [ 8 ], most involve as data collector and not more than that. Individuals were capacitated with training, support, workshops and using technologies. In low and middle-income countries projects, partnership and network had built health research capacity. However the lack of empirical research has become a challenge to see their effectiveness [ 9 ].

Once ability to influence practice with research, difficulties to work with the academics [ 1 ], and communication skills could affect their motivation [ 10 ] and confidence [ 11 ] to conduct research were individual barriers for conducting a research. Organizational leadership and management and research recognitions [ 1 ] also had an effect on research capacity. Resources for research such as dedicated time [ 12 , 13 ], research expertise [ 14 ], access to research findings [ 15 ] and opportunities [ 1 ]; availability of funding [ 12 , 14 , 16 ] and investment on research activity [ 15 , 17 ] could limit once research capacity and ability to conduct research. Other studies added that building research partnerships [ 10 ], having research culture [ 16 ], professional development opportunities and inadequate salaries [ 14 , 15 ] as cause to poorly involve in research. At Supra-organizational level, health research policies and governance [ 10 ] had an influence on participation and involvement in research.

Despite the observed gaps and limiting factors, scientific studies are lacking to study clinical midwives engagement in research and contributing factors. Thus, this study was done to bridge the gaps, which will help to set appropriate strategies and interventions to conduct midwifery-led researches. The study will be a baseline for conducting further studies and results will have an input for School of Midwifery at University of Gondar to improve the curriculum and built midwifery student’s research capacity at undergraduate level.

Methodology

Study design, setting, study population and sampling.

Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among clinical midwives working at public health facilities of Central and North Gondar Zone, Ethiopia, from September to October 2020 G.C. The study area covers two of the four zones of Amhara region (Central, west, north and south Gondar Zones), in which around 6,335,757 estimated populations are living. There are a total of 23 public hospitals and 222 health center. In North and Central Gondar Zone, around 350 trained registered clinical midwives are working in these institutions. All Midwives working in clinical setting of Central and North Gondar Zone were considered as the source and study population. All registered midwives working in the study area were included, whereas those who are working in administrative and academic area, midwives who are sick and unable to respond were excluded from the study.

Data collection and quality control

Before actual data collection, discussion was done on prevention measures of the current pandemic, Corona-Virus (Covid-19) and basic protective materials (Sanitizer, face mask and glove) were given for data collectors and supervisors. A structured pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The tool was developed by referring different literatures [ 18 ], first prepared in English and translated back into Amharic, the local language. The tool was checked for consistency statistically using Cronbach’s alpha. Training was given for five data collectors and supervisor on the objective of the study and confidentiality for two days. Pretest was done on 5% of sample size among midwives working other than the study area and necessary correction done. The collected data was assessed for completeness and accuracy on daily basis. The tool has socio-demographic and academic characteristics; questions for assessing research skill and participation. Clinical Midwives are a registered midwives working in the clinical setting/area. A participant who answers more than 50% of the skill assessment questions will be considered as having good skill on research. Similarly, a participant will be considered as practicing (conducting) research if s/he has ever involved in part of a research other than one conducted as a partial fulfillment of his or her midwifery study.

Data management and analysis procedure

Data was entered into Epi-info version 7 and exported to STATA version 14 for further analysis. Descriptive analysis like frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations computed for all variables. Model fitness was tested with Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness of fit and both bi-variable and multivariate logistic regression models were carried out to estimate the association. Variables with a p -value of less than 0.2 in the bi-variable analysis were entered into the multivariable logistic regression analysis. Both Crude Odds Ratio (COR) and Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals were estimated. Finally, variables with a P-value of less than 0.05 in multivariable logistic regression model were considered as significantly associated with knowledge and attitude towards research.

1. Socio demographic and academic characteristics

Out of 335 clinical midwives 314 were participated making the response rate 93.7%. Age of the midwives range from 18 to 50 years, with median age of 27 years old. More three fifth (66.9%) of the midwives age was between 25 to 29 years. Among all midwives, more than half (52.9%) were male, while two hundred seventy four (87.3%) were Urban dwellers. More than three fifth (63.1%) of the midwives’ were Bachelor degree holders, while majority (73.6%) were graduated from governmental colleges. Nearly there fifth of the midwives (58.6%) study with regular educational program ( Table 1 ).

Others*—dead

Others**—Gyn ward, Postnatal care, Youth Friendly Service, Immunization

2. Clinical midwives research skill and practice

2.1 skill of clinical midwives to conduct a research.

Among the midwives, one hundred seventy two have good skill on conducting a research making the magnitude 54.8% (95% CI: 49.08%, 60.37).

Among the midwives, nearly half (48.4%) reported as having high skill on identifying research problems, while 132 (42%) have high skill on conducting literature review. More than two fifth (42.7%) and one hundred twenty three (39.2%) of the midwives reported as having poor skill on data management and data analysis using software respectively. Clinical midwives reported as they have high skill on applying for research funding (35%) and to give advice for less experienced researchers (28.7%). ( Table 2 ).

2 . 1 . 1 . Factors associated with clinical midwives skill on research . To identify factors, bi-variable and multi-variable logistic regression analysis was carried out for seven explanatory variables. In multi-variable analysis; Mother educational status of having formal education; currently working on referral health facilities; having good level of knowledge on research and taking prior research course have a positive significant association with skill on research ( Table 3 ).

Clinical midwives who take prior research course were about 1.9 times more likely to have good research skill than their counterparts. [AOR: 1.95, 95% CI: (1.00, 3.82)].

Clinical midwives who have mothers with formal education are about 1.9 times more likely to have good research skill. [AOR: 1.90, 95% CI: (1.03, 3.51)].

Clinical midwives who currently work on specialized/referral hospitals were about 2.3 times more likely to have good research skill than their counterparts. [AOR: 2.33, 95% CI: (1.19, 4.53)].

Clinical midwives who have good level of knowledge on research are about 2.2 times more likely to have good research skill than their counterparts. [AOR: 2.19, 95% CI: (1.25, 3.82)].

2.2. Clinical midwives involvement in conducting research

Among all the midwives, forty eight (15.2%) (95% CI: 11.5%, 19.7%) ever participated in research during their clinical practice. ( Fig 1 ).

More than half (52.1%) have involved in one research activities, while thirty (9.6%) have a responsibility of data collection in the research they involved. Nearly three fifth (72.9%) believe that the research they involved in contributed to the policy and/or the clinical practice in any way. Among the midwives, twenty three (7.3%) ever present at conferences and 13 (4.1%) ever publish research findings. ( Table 4 ).

2 . 2 . 1 . Factors associated with clinical midwives practice on a research . To identify factors, bi-variable and multi-variable logistic regression analysis was carried out for five explanatory variables that have association with outcome variable. In multi-variable analysis; knowledge level on research course have a negative significant association with participation on research. ( Table 5 ).

Clinical midwives who have good knowledge on research are about 0.3 times less likely to participate on research than who have poor knowledge. [AOR: 0.31, 95% CI: (0.14, 0.70)].

The ICM strongly recommends involvement of midwives in research to provide high quality midwifery services [ 19 ]. This study was conducted to assess clinical midwife’s engagement on research and associated factors in Northwest Ethiopia. A total of three hundred fourteen midwives working at public health facilities were participated and majority (63.1%) were registered midwives with Bachelor degree holders.

Only nearly above half (50.6%) of the midwives say that their facility has continuous professional development program for staffs including midwives and this indicate that there is a limited opportunity to upgrade oneself. Unless there is no adequate and continual support to midwives, quality of midwifery services provided for the women could be affected [ 20 ]. A study in Tanzania was also evident that lack of evidence-based practices supported with research could result to poor service provision for patients (30% to 40%) and to have poor health outcomes [ 21 ]. A recent studies review highlighted that midwifery and nurses research publication are increased and suggested to have capacity building activities for strengthening the observed result [ 22 ]. Although it is not found significant, level of income is associated with quality of midwives performance on provision of care as evidenced by a study conducted in Gaza [ 23 ]. Professional benefits such as good salary might have an effect on midwives motivation and retention.

A significant proportion (52.9%) of midwives also responded that their health facilities doesn’t conduct research activities relevant to clinical practice. This might be due to that majority (64.5%) of midwives work on Primary Health Care units (Health Centers and Primary Hospitals). In Ethiopian health care system, facilities are not expected to conduct research activities unless they have teaching role, in addition to patient care service [ 24 ]. Midwives also reported that in addition to poor support from their facility (63.1%) and other professionals (60.2%), there are no opportunities to participate in research conferences (52.9%). As a result midwives poorly utilized research findings in their clinical service [ 25 ]. Moreover lack of dedicated time and poor implementation of research findings further deteriorate the application of research in the clinical practice [ 26 ].

In our study higher odds of good research skill was noted among midwives with formal maternal education (1.9 times) and it has an effect on academic performance [ 27 ].

Midwives who work on specialized/referral hospitals were found to have higher good research skill (2.3 times) than who work in primary health care facilities (health centers). This finding is supported with recent study conducted in North Gondar [ 25 ] and might be reasoned with that in referral health facilities there might be different opportunities to learn about research and related activities as they are teaching hospitals. Moreover these facilities are more likely to utilize research findings in their day too day clinical practice [ 25 ].

Having good research knowledge was associated with having good skill on research (2.2 times). Both research knowledge and skill are crucial to conduct a research as they are interrelated competencies.

Our study found that a small proportion of midwives (15.2%) ever participated in research during their clinical practice, in which 9.6% as data collector. This indicate that there is limited opportunities for midwives to be involved in research activities. Although a higher proportion (36.4%) of Australian nurses were reported as they involved in research, there is still a deficiency in health professional’s engagement in research activities [ 28 ]. In Latin America and the Caribbean, a review of studies also found that there is gap on midwifery-led researches, where most (95.8%) studies were nurses-led [ 29 ]. In our study, although more than three fifth (70.8%) of the midwives reported as they participated in a midwives-led researches, their capacity could be improved if they have the opportunity to work collaboratively with other disciplines such as public health experts, epidemiologists and physicians. Nearly three fifth (72.9%) believe that the research they involved in contributed to the policy and/or the clinical practice in any way. This is indicate that midwives have a positive understanding on the research activities they involved in. As they know the practical setting, they can identify and suggest on the real problem that will benefit the woman and her child [ 7 ].

Although midwives have good knowledge on research, they were less likely (0.3 times) to ever participate on research than who have poor knowledge. This indicate that there is limited opportunities for midwives with adequate research knowledge. This might be due to that a significant proportion of midwives (47.8%) work on health centers and opportunities are scarce.

The study find that research capacity of clinical midwives is not adequate. Only small proportion (15.2%) of midwives participated in research and having good knowledge on research was associated with it. Similarly research skill was associated with mothers with formal education, currently working in specialized /referral health facilities, and having good knowledge on research.

Recommendation

Ethiopian Ministry of Health better to capacitate health facilities to conduct local researches, particularly primary and general hospitals. It is also better to give priority and support health professionals working in the clinical setting to conduct research and related activities. With the existing continuous professional development programs, Regional Health Bureau better to expand opportunities for clinical midwives working in the region.

Ethiopian Midwifery Association (EMwA), University of Gondar and School of Midwifery better to contribute a lot to support clinical midwives with capacity building activities on research such as training, create opportunities and arrange conferences so that they can be involved and conduct researches in their clinical practice. Strengthening the integration of the school and hospital midwifery coordinator is also crucial to work collaboratively and share experience on research and related activities. Moreover it is good to provide dedicated time for clinical service providers including midwives to participate in research and related activities.

Supporting information

Acknowledgments.

We are indebted to the University of Gondar for the approval of the ethical clearance. The authors also forward their gratitude to study participants, data collectors and supervisors who participated in the study.

Funding Statement

The authors received no specific funding for this work.

Data Availability

Home » Blog » Dissertation » Topics » Nursing » Midwifery » Midwifery Dissertation Topics List (30 Examples) For Your Research

Midwifery Dissertation Topics List (30 Examples) For Your Research

Mark Dec 14, 2019 Jun 5, 2020 Midwifery , Nursing No Comments

As a student, if you are finding Midwifery dissertation topics, you have visited the right site. We offer a wide range of midwifery dissertation topics and project topics on midwifery. As the field has evolved, the research topics on midwifery are based on new and emerging concepts and ideas. You can choose any of the […]

As a student, if you are finding midwifery dissertation topics, you have visited the right site. We offer a wide range of midwifery dissertation topics and project topics on midwifery. As the field has evolved, the research topics on midwifery are based on the new and emerging concepts and ideas.

You can choose any of the give topic for your research in midvfery and our team can offer quality dissertations according to your requirements.

A list Of midwifery dissertaton topics

Emerging trends in midwifery and obstetrical nursing.

Modern trends of the N education in midwives and modern methods in practical training.

The impact of delayed umbilical cord clamping after birth.

How the cell-free DNA screening is helpful in identifying genetic problems in the baby?

Limiting interventions during low-risk labor.

The concept of cost containment in healthcare deliver.

The importance of family centred care and natural childbirth environment.

An interpretive research on the disparity between women’s expectations and experience during childbirth.

Systematic literature review on the extrauterine life management focusing on lung functions in new born.

To analyse the role of perinatal care to pregnant women.

Studying the treatment alternatives for urogenital infections in rural women.

Conducting a systematic review on how midwifery students plan their career.

Strategies adopted by midwives to advise pregnant women about nutritional values and healthy food consumption.

Studying the impact of Hepatitis B in pregnant women.

Analysing how frequent miscarriages are linked with higher anticardiolip antibodies.

Studying the relationship between perinatal mortality rates and physical activity levels.

How can nurses recommend preventive strategies to avoid sexual transmission of Zika virus to new born?

Evaluating the attitude of women related to the implementation of basic immunisation programs in village.

Analysing the modern trends of the education in midwives and new methods in practical training.

To study the advance trends in gynaecology and obstetrics.

The role of midwives in saving the lives of unborn foetus.

Exploring the global trends in nursing and midwifery education.

Analysing the role of optimal midwifery decision-making during second-stage labour.

To study the integration of clinical reasoning into midwifery practice.

A literature review on labouring in water.

Exploring the experiences of mothers in caring for children with complex needs.

An ethnography of independent midwifery in Asian countries.

To explore the perceptions of control in midwifery assisted childbirth.

Analysing the decision-making between nurse-midwives and clients regarding the formulation of a birth plan.

The role of Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy .

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• Journals, Databases and Critical Thinking

What is a literature review?

Choosing a topic, developing your search strategy, carrying out your search, saving and documenting your search, formulating a research question, critical appraisal tools.

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So you have been asked to complete a literature review, but what is a literature review?

A literature review is a piece of research which aims to address a specific research question. It is a comprehensive summary and analysis of existing literature. The literature itself should be the main topic of discussion in your review. You want the results and themes to speak for themselves to avoid any bias.

The first step is to decide on a topic. Here are some elements to consider when deciding upon a topic:

• Choose a topic which you are interested in, you will be looking at a lot of research surrounding that area so you want to ensure it is something that interests you. 
• Draw on your own experiences, think about your placement or your workplace.
• Think about why the topic is worth investigating.  

Once you have decided on a topic, it is a good practice to carry out an initial scoping search.

This requires you to do a quick search using  LibrarySearch  or  Google Scholar  to ensure that there is research on your topic. This is a preliminary step to your search to check what literature is available before deciding on your question. 

The research question framework elements can also be used as keywords.

• Think about who the population/ sample group. Are you looking for a particular age group, ethnicity, cultural background, gender, health issue etc.
• What is the intervention/issue you want to know more about? This could be a particular type of medication, education, therapeutic technique etc. 
• Do you have a particular context in mind? This could relate to a community setting, hospital, ward etc. 

It is important to remember that databases will only ever search for the exact term you put in, so don't panic if you are not getting the results you hoped for. Think about alternative words that could be used for each keyword to build upon your search. 

Build your search by thinking about about synonyms, specialist language, spellings, acronyms, abbreviations for each keyword that you have.

Inclusion & Exclusion Criteria

Your inclusion and exclusion criteria is also an important step in the literature review process. It allows you to be transparent in how you have  ended up with your final articles. 

Your inclusion/exclusion criteria is completely dependent on your chosen topic. Use your inclusion and exclusion criteria to select your articles, it is important not to cherry pick but to have a reason as to why you have selected that particular article. 

• Search Planning Template Use this template to plan your search strategy.

Once you have thought about your keywords and alternative keywords, it is time to think about how to combine them to form your search strategy. Boolean operators instruct the database how your terms should interact with one another. 

Boolean Operators

• OR can be used to combine your keywords and alternative terms. For example "Social Media OR Twitter". When using OR we are informing the database to bring articles continuing either of those terms as they are both relevant so we don't mind which appears in our article. 
• AND can be used to combine two or more concepts. For example "Social Media AND Anxiety". When using AND we are informing the database that we need both of the terms in our article in order for it to be relevant.
• Truncation can be used when there are multiple possible word endings. For example Nurs* will find Nurse, Nurses and Nursing. 
• Double quotation marks can be used to allow for phrase searching. This means that if you have two or more words that belong together as a phrase the database will search for that exact phrase rather than words separately.  For example "Social Media"

Don't forget the more ORs you use the broader your search becomes, the more ANDs you use the narrower your search becomes. 

One of the databases you will be using is EBSCOHost Research Databases. This is a platform which searches through multiple databases so allows for a comprehensive search. The short video below covers how to access and use EBSCO. 

A reference management software will save you a lot of time especially when you are looking at lots of different articles. 

We provide support for EndNote and Mendeley. The video below covers how to install and use Mendeley. 

Consider using a research question framework. A framework will ensure that your question is specific and answerable.

There are different frameworks available depending on what type of research you are interested in.

Population - Who is the question focussed on? This could relate to staff, patients, an age group, an ethnicity etc.

Intervention - What is the question focussed on? This could be a certain type of medication, therapeutic technique etc. 

Comparison/Context - This may be with our without the intervention or it may be concerned with the context for example where is the setting of your question? The hospital, ward, community etc?

Outcome - What do you hope to accomplish or improve etc.

Sample - as this is qualitative research sample is preferred over patient so that it is not generalised. 

Phenomenon of Interest - reasons for behaviour, attitudes, beliefs and decisions.

Design - the form of research used. 

Evaluation - the outcomes.

Research type -qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods.  

All frameworks help you to be specific, but don't worry if your question doesn't fit exactly into a framework. 

There are many critical appraisal tools or books you can use to assess the credibility of a research paper but these are a few we would recommend in the library. Your tutor may be able to advise you of others or some that are more suitable for your topic.

Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP)

CASP is a well-known critical appraisal website that has checklists for a wide variety of study types. You will see it frequently used by practitioners.

Understanding Health Research

This is a brand-new, interactive resource that guides you through appraising a research paper, highlighting key areas you should consider when appraising evidence.

Greenhalgh, T. (2014) How to read a paper: The basics of evidence-based medicine . 5 th edn. Chichester: Wiley

Greenhalgh’s book is a classic in critical appraisal. Whilst you don’t need to read this book cover-to-cover, it can be useful to refer to its specific chapters on how to assess different types of research papers. We have copies available in the library!

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Nursing and Midwifery (Theses and Dissertations)

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Establishing a cooperative inquiry group for people with intellectual disabilities to explore relationships and sexuality in their lives. , uncovering sedentary behaviour: a comprehensive exploration of patterns and health effects among older adults with an intellectual disability , women's mental health and resilience in the perinatal period and five years after first-time motherhood: a mixed methods study , sources of information for lesbian, gay, bisexual and questioning adolescents on sexuality and sexual heath , children's and parents' experiences and expectations of their roles in hospital-a constructivist grounded theory study .

If you’re a practising midwife our MSc in Midwifery puts you at the cutting-edge of thinking, research and practice to benefit your career. It’ll also help you meet new challenges and opportunities as a practitioner, partner and leader delivering and shaping future maternity services.

Why study with us

• Depending on the modules you select, you may be able to study this course entirely online.
• Modules within this course can be studied as standalone CPD courses, and built upon to gain either a PGCert, PGDip or full master's degree.
• You’ll focus on key areas like advancing midwifery practice, leadership, research and education. You’ll also look at service development and change, including legal, ethical, cultural and societal issues.

What you'll do

• There are options to be taught in class and via e-learning, using multimedia teaching materials, live interactive sessions, email contact with tutors and peer groups, message boarding and scheduled live personal tutorials.
• Reflections and peer study, including with those from around the world, is a valuable part of the course which is delivered in English.
• There are stepping off points at postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma, and master’s degree levels.

Module information

You will study at least three core modules and build the rest of your course by choosing from the list of optional modules. The modules are also available as standalone courses which can be studied alone or built upon to gain the MSc award.

For compulsory modules, everyone will study:

• Introduction to postgraduate research (NU4025)

Select minimum two modules from:

• Spontaneous labour and birth: evidence and debate (MW4057)
• Maternal and child health: culture and society (MW4035)
• Psycho-social influences and impact on maternal, child and family health (MW4033)

Select one module from:

• Dissertation (NU4008)
• Dissertation: project (NU4053)

You will then build the rest of the course from the list of optional modules.

Modules studied

Compulsory modules.

These modules are set and you have to study these as part of your course.

Psycho-social Influences and Impact on Maternal, Child and Family Health

This module aims to provide you with the opportunity to reflect upon your experiences and advance your knowledge and skills in three key areas. First how psychosocial factors interact and influence access, perceptions and experiences of midwifery and wider perinatal care. Second, the specific interventions and support in place to address psychosocial wellbeing, and finally the wider implications of psychosocial wellbeing on maternal, child and family health.

Maternal and Child Health: Culture and Society

You'll advance your knowledge base and skills to engage with contemporary social issues. Importantly, the consequences for maternal and child health. You'll also explore the impact of social processes and cultural norms on maternal and child health practices.

Spontaneous Labour and Birth; evidence and debate

The aim of this module is to enable you to critically apply theoretical insights and practical knowledge to midwifery practice for women and their partners to optimise physiological childbirth. It demands significant theoretical and reflective engagement with a range of concepts, and it aims to develop the capacity to apply these reflections to practical, empathic, rights-based solutions in the UK and globally.

• Dissertation

In this dissertation you will draw to a conclusion the themes that you have explored throughout your learning experience. You will demonstrate your knowledge and ability to produce a piece of work that will have a potential impact on your own area of healthcare practice.

Introduction to Postgraduate Research

This module aims to develop your understanding of research within health and social care. You will be presented with a broad overview of the principles of research beginning with ethical, epistemological and theoretical perspectives, and moving through qualitative and quantitative research designs, and synthesis.

You'll channel your prior knowledge and clinical experience in the creation of a dissertation project. Your research project will centre around professional and clinical contexts and academic needs. You'll independently work with guidance from a chosen supervisor.

Optional modules

Depending on how many compulsory modules you take, you may be able to choose optional modules to make up your course.

Organisational Leadership and Management

On this module, you will develop to be a practitioner as a leaders and/or a manager who can think critically, strategically and be able to facilitate change and influence policy.

Enhancing Critical Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth

As a midwife, you'll enhance existing knowledge and increase confidence, knowledge, and skills while focusing on caring for women and families receiving critical care in the maternity setting. You'll explore evidence-based practice and reflect on the identification and treatment of the critically ill woman together with exploring the role of the midwife within this multidisciplinary setting.

Substance use: impact on the childbearing woman, baby and family

This module aims to highlight the need for holistic care of childbearing women, babies and families through an in-depth exploration of both maternal and neonatal issues, whilst also recognising the diversity of the cultural and societal frameworks in which we live.

Advocating and Educating for Quality Improvement (AEQUIP) through effective leadership

This module will develop your understanding of the A-EQUIP model and acquire the knowledge and skills required to undertake the role of a professional advocate in a safe and competent manner.

Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Nurture: Bio-cultural Perspectives

This module aims to advance knowledge and skills to enable critical engagement with complex issues of maternal, fetal and infant nutrition and nurture within diverse cultural and societal frameworks. It explores and critiques: the nutritional needs of pregnant women and their babies: the biology of human milk; the socio-cultural influences on maternal nutrition and infant, feeding practices; the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding and breast milk feeding; practices to enhance optimal nutrition and nurture for all mothers and babies; and the influence of nurturing, relational and responsive care on early childhood development. The module will draw on local, national and wider global contexts.

Innovative approaches to midwifery education

This module aims to develop and prepare confident, creative and innovative midwifery educators who will transform midwifery care and practice improving outcomes for childbearing women, babies and families.

Non-medical Prescribing

This module prepares healthcare professionals such as nurses, midwives, pharmacists and allied health professionals to practice as independent prescribers as well as supplementary prescribers. You will use the relevant professional standards set by the relevant council for each profession.

To study this module, you must be an appropriately trained and qualified health professional with at least 3 years’ experience and be currently working in the relevant specialist field as you require patient access for assessments.

Advanced Research Methods

In this module you will be provided with the research skills that are needed to design and conduct a piece of research within your chosen set of ideas. You will choose between sessions from either or both of the quantitative and qualitative sections to suit your research topic.

Applying Methods in Health Research

The module enables you to focus on methods used in health and health service research. The module examines the practical application of research methods. You will also develop independent qualitative and quantitative research skills.

Safeguarding

You'll critically appraise the issues, policies, and theory relating to issues of safeguarding. You'll produce findings to consider appropriate strategies. You'll put procedures in place to work in the arena of safeguarding children and adults.

Examination of the Newborn (2)

This module aims to develop your knowledge and skills for a career in the neonatal profession. You will be prepared as a health professional to undertake an examination of newborn babies to screen for abnormalities.

Course delivery

The majority of your teaching will be online with some modules offering on campus modules. By module selection, 100% of your course could be completed online.

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our published course information. However, our programmes are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may cause alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses. Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of accrediting bodies or revisions to subject benchmarks statements. As well as to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Join us on campus

Explore our fantastic campuses and discover what life is like here at the University of Central Lancashire.

View the course facilities

Future careers

Following successful completion of the MSc Midwifery course you can progress your career as an educator, leader, or advanced practitioner. You could also pursue further study with a professional doctorate or a PhD.

Successful completion of the course means you’ll meet new requirements of midwives including having a master’s qualification. 

Academic expertise

Kerry has worked as a Lecturer in Midwifery since April 2015. She has BSc (Hons) degree in Adult Nursing with a clinical background working in the Emergency department and Urgent care centres. Kerry also has a BSc (Hons) degree in Midwifery and her previous clinical role was as t…

Soo is a midwife with a particular research focus on the nature of, and cultures around, normal birth. Soo has undertaken research using a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods, from phenomenology and ethnography to surveys, RCTs, and epidemiological analysis of lar…

Gill Thomson is a Professor in Perinatal Health within the Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Unit (MAINN) in the University of Central Lancashire. Gill has a psychology academic background and a PhD in midwifery. Gill has been led/been involved in a number of research/eva…

Rebekah joined UCLan as a Midwifery Lecturer is 2018.

Kenny works in the midwifery research team and holds a particular interest in qualitative research. Much of his work is focused on the inter-relational aspects of maternity care and the adoption of a salutogenic approach to care provision. Methodologically, Kenny is interested in…

Leah is a Senior Midwifery Lecturer within the School.

Sarah joined us in 2020. She has varied experience in midwifery care with a previous role as an infant feeding specialist. Sarah is also a nurse with a clinical background working in cardiothoracic intensive care.

Fees and funding

Additional costs.

As part of your course there may be additional costs to consider that are not included in your tuition fees. Most of these will be optional, but some courses have essential additional costs. Find out more about additional costs .

Scholarships and bursaries

We have a wide range of bursaries, scholarships and funds available to help support you whilst studying with us.

Select your country to see eligibility information and how to apply by selecting more info on the cards below.

Dependants Bursary

Students with financially dependent children may be eligible for our Dependants Bursary as part of our financial support package. 

Carers Bursary

If you need extra support because you have unpaid caring responsibilities alongside your studies.

Sports scholarships

We offer student athletes support and opportunities for their playing careers whilst they study a high-quality degree.

Alumni Loyalty Discount

UK students with a previous award from us will receive 20% tuition fee discount.

Learning and assessment

We use a range of assessment strategies which include:

• Written assignments,
• Reflective tasks
• Case presentations
• Peer observation
• Viva’s
• Clinical assessments
• Project/grant applications

You’ll need to complete each module for which you are registered, and to deadline unless we agree an extension. For CPD you’ll need to demonstrate working in leadership roles.

Further information

All tutors are qualified to teach and many of the academic staff teaching on this course are qualified nurses and or midwives; some contribute to the pre and post registration midwifery curriculum. The course team have a wide range of expertise and skills within midwifery, sexual health and neonatal practice. The team keep up-to-date with evidence-based practice and utilise research based evidence to inform teaching. 

As part of the course you will have the opportunity to hear about the experiences of service users, carers, patients and public members via our community engagement and service user support groups ( Comensus ).

This course is based in the School of Nursing and Midwifery

For information on possible changes to course information, see our essential and important course information

You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at the University of Central Lancashire on our student contract page

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Course type

Qualification, university name, masters degrees in midwifery.

36 degrees at 27 universities in the UK.

Customise your search

Select the start date, qualification, and how you want to study

Related subjects:

• Masters Midwifery
• Masters Cancer Nursing
• Masters Care of Dying (Nursing)
• Masters Children's Nursing
• Masters Community Nursing
• Masters Diabetes Nursing
• Masters Drug Medicine Control Nursing
• Masters Health Visiting
• Masters Infection Control Nursing
• Masters Intensive Care Nursing
• Masters Mental Health and Addiction Nursing
• Masters Nursing
• Masters Nursing Specialisms
• Masters Nursing Studies
• Masters Nursing and Midwifery
• Masters Nursing: Specific Conditions
• Masters Operating Theatre Nursing
• Masters Practice Nursing
• Masters School Nursing

• Course title (A-Z)
• Course title (Z-A)
• Price: high - low
• Price: low - high

Enhanced Midwifery Care MSc

City, university of london.

• 1 year Full time degree: £11,800 per year (UK)
• 2 years Part time degree: £6,250 per year (UK)
• Introduction to Research Methods and Applied Data Analysis (30 Credits) - Core
• Optimum Birth (15 Credits)
• MSc Dissertation (60 Credits)
• Midwifery Theory: Knowledge, Profession and Practice (online) (15 Credits)
• Risk and Midwifery Practice (15 Credits)
• View all modules

Midwifery MSc

University of bedfordshire.

• 2 years Full time degree: £9,350 per year (UK)
• Individualised And Additional Midwifery Care (MDD005-6)- Core
• Midwifery Care In Practice (MDD003-6)- Core
• Examination Of The Newborn (MDD007-6)- Core
• Universal Care And Human Development (MDD001-6)- Core
• Enhancing Quality And Safety In Midwifery (MDD004-6)- Core

Midwifery Studies MSc

Bangor university.

• 3 years Part time degree
• Optimising the Childbirth Experience (20 Credits) - Core
• Leadership in Context and Research Methods (20 Credits) - Core
• Dissertation (60 Credits) - Core

Midwifery MSc (Shortened programme)

University of worcester.

• 2 years Full time degree: £9,250 per year (UK)
• Developing Midwifery Practice
• Universal Care and Skills - Women and Family
• Midwifery Philosophy and Public Health
• Additional Care and Skills Women and Families
• Consolidating Midwifery Practice

Midwifery - Pre-Registration MSc

Oxford brookes university.

• 36 months Full time degree: £9,250 per year (UK)
• Anatomy and Physiology for Midwives- Core
• Introduction to research and evidence- Core
• Midwifery Practice 2: The continuum of care- Core
• Public Health in Midwifery 1- Core
• Midwifery Practice 1: Core skills- Core

MSc Higher Midwifery Practice

Anglia ruskin university.

• 2 years Distance without attendance degree: £4,100 per year (UK)
• 1 year Full time degree: £10,600 per year (UK)
• 2 years Part time degree: £5,300 per year (UK)
• Research Methodology
• Facilitating Complex Birth
• Major Project
• Promoting Normal Childbirth

MSc Advanced Clinical Practice (Midwifery)

Middlesex university.

• 3 years Part time degree: £2,520 per year (UK)
• Capabilities for Advanced Clinical Practice (30 Credits) - Core
• Advanced Practitioner Enquiry (30 Credits) - Core
• Advanced Work Based Project (MSc pathway only) (60 Credits) - Core
• Capabilities of Advanced Clinical Practice (30 Credits) - Core
• Advanced Practitioner Inquiry (30 Credits) - Core

MSc Midwifery

University of central lancashire.

• 3 years Part time degree: £2,925 per year (UK)
• NU4053: Dissertation- Core
• NU4008: Dissertation- Core
• MW4057: Spontaneous Labour and Birth; evidence and debate- Core
• MW4035: Maternal and Child Health: Culture and Society- Core
• MW4033: Psycho-social Influences and Impact on Maternal, Child and Family Health- Core

Midwifery MSc (Hons)

University of bradford.

• 3 years Full time degree: £9,250 per year (UK)
• Midwifery Practice 1- Core
• Transition to Professional Self 1- Core
• Beginning Midwifery Knowledge 1: Fundamentals of Practice- Core
• Beginning Midwifery Knowledge 3: Midwife as Global Citizen- Core
• Beginning Midwifery Knowledge 2: Public Health- Core

Midwifery with Registered Midwife MMid

Kingston university.

• Midwifery Profession and Practice 1A (30 Credits) - Core
• Bodies and Birth 1 (30 Credits) - Core
• Midwifery Profession and Practice 1B (30 Credits) - Core
• Social and Political Context of Birth 1 (30 Credits) - Core
• Bodies and Birth 2 (30 Credits) - Core

MSc Advanced Professional Practice (Nursing and Midwifery Professions)

University of plymouth.

• 1 year Full time degree: £11,000 per year (UK)
• 2 years Part time degree: £5,490 per year (UK)
• Advancing concepts in research - methodology and methods (20 Credits) - Core
• SPP702 Substantive Professional Project (40 Credits) - Core
• APP701 Advancing Practice in Context (20 Credits) - Core

MSc (Pre Registration) Midwifery 3 Years

University of salford.

• Emergency and Intensive Care of the Newborn
• Critically Exploring Professional Practice
• Perinatal Mental Health
• Evidence-based Care for Normal Birth
• Project Management

Edge Hill University

• 20 months Full time degree: £9,250 per year (UK)

Northumbria University, Newcastle

• MW0637 -Midwifery Practice 1 (40 Credits)
• MW0636 -Universal and Additional Midwifery Care 1 (40 Credits)
• MW0638 -Professional Practice in Midwifery (20 Credits)
• MW0635 -Health and Society (20 Credits)
• MW0715 -Universal and Additional Midwifery Care 2 (40 Credits)

Teesside University, Middlesbrough

• 1 year Full time degree: £1,965 per year (UK)
• 1 year Part time degree: £1,965 per year (UK)

Enhanced Professional Midwifery Practice, MSc / PGDip / PGCert

Swansea university.

• 3 years Online/Distance degree: £2,950 per year (UK)
• SHGM90M - Starting Your Professional Development (30 Credits) - Core
• SHGM91M - Professional Midwifery Practice Portfolio (60 Credits) - Core
• 5 years Part time degree: £9,760 per year (UK)
• Clinical Examination and Case Management- Core
• Clinical Examination and Care Management (Enhancing Contemporary Midwifery)- Core

Midwifery with Registered Midwife for Registered Nurses (Adult) MMid

• Midwifery Profession and Practice 2A (30 Credits) - Core
• Social and Political Context of Birth 2 (30 Credits) - Core
• Midwifery Profession and Practice 2B (30 Credits) - Core
• Midwifery Profession and Practice 3A (30 Credits) - Core

MSc Midwifery (Pre-Registration)

• Pharmacology and Medicines Management (MID604) (20 Credits) - Core
• Wider Determinants of Health and Wellbeing (MID603) (20 Credits) - Core
• Professional Midwifery Practice - MORA (MID508)- Core
• Biology for Midwifery (MID602) (20 Credits) - Core
• Evidence Based Practice (MID605) (20 Credits) - Core
• 1 year Full time degree: £8,820 per year (UK)
• Third Trimester Ultrasound
• Maternal Critical Care
• Independent Learning Midwifery

1-20 of 36 courses

About Masters Degrees in Midwifery

In addition to child delivery, midwifery is a comprehensive area of healthcare that deals with pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period, as well as the sexual and reproductive health of wome n throughout their lives. It is an immensely important field and one which requires a high level of training and experience to become qualified to work professionally in the UK.

There are many different types of postgraduate qualifications, including MSc, PGDip and PGCert; however, entry requirements typically include a 2:2 undergraduate degree in nursing or a related field, registration as a nurse with a relevant healthcare regulatory body and relevant clinical experience.

What to Expect

The master’s programme covers a range of topics, and you can expect to study for two years full-time, or three years on a part-time basis. The course will enable you to become a highly skilled, autonomous midwife, able to confidently support, advise and advocate for women, their partners and their families. Your studies will comprise of both theoretical study and hands-on training, and you’ll be fully supported by midwifery academics and practice educators throughout.

Accredited by institutions such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), postgraduate midwifery programmes ensure that graduates meet the highest standards of midwifery practice, in preparation for fulfilling careers as professional midwives, contributing to maternal and infant healthcare.

Course type:

• Distance learning Masters
• Full time Masters
• Part time Masters

Qualification:

Universities:.

• Edinburgh Napier University
• King's College London, University of London
• Birmingham City University
• University of Sunderland
• University of Cumbria
• University of Hertfordshire
• Robert Gordon University
• Queen's University Belfast
• University of Sheffield
• University of Derby
• University of the West of Scotland

Related Subjects:

• Open access
• Published: 23 February 2024

Strategies used by midwives to enhance knowledge and skill development in midwifery students: an appreciative inquiry study

• Fiona Arundell 1 ,
• Athena Sheehan 1 &
• Kath Peters 2  

BMC Nursing volume  23 , Article number:  137 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

838 Accesses

Metrics details

Midwifery practice experience for midwifery students is an important component of education to enhance knowledge and skill development. Practicing midwives provide student support in the clinical setting, there is minimal literature relating to strategies midwives use to support students.

To explore midwifery student experiences of the strategies used by midwives to facilitate knowledge and skill development in the clinical practice setting.

Qualitative approach based on Appreciative Inquiry. The setting is one University in Australia. Participants, thirteen Graduate Diploma in Midwifery students. Individual interviews followed by thematic analysis.

Data analysis identified six themes, Willingness to share knowledge and develop skills; The positive use of questioning; Moderating support; Teaching through the woman; Learning through problematisation and Providing constructive affirmation.

Conclusions

Midwives incorporated varied strategies to support student development in the clinical setting. For an equitable clinical experience, all midwives need support to develop skills and confidence in facilitating student learning.

Peer Review reports

Midwifery education programs vary internationally; however, they commonly comprise theoretical and clinical practice components. The equal emphasis on theory and midwifery practice experience demonstrates the significance of each component. Midwifery education in Australia is provided as a collaboration between universities and hospitals, and midwifery programs are accredited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC). There are two models of midwifery education, postgraduate programs for registered nurses and the Bachelor of Midwifery (BM). This study involved participants undertaking the Graduate Diploma in Midwifery (GDM) a postgraduate midwifery program. This model is for the most part an employed student model where universities provide the theoretical component of the course and hospitals provide employment, clinical education, support and supervision. The midwifery student must meet the standards and clinical skills prescribed by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) [ 1 ]. Midwifery practice experience provides students the opportunity to apply theory to practice and knowledge, intuition, and reflexivity as it relates to midwifery [ 2 ]. Most of the responsibility for supporting the development of these standards and clinical skills is undertaken by practicing midwives, who are allocated to midwifery students on a shift by shift basis.

The acquisition of clinical skills is essential to midwifery student education however, students repeatedly provide disenchanted and negative accounts of their clinical learning experience [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. This suggests that a midwife with professional experience might not necessarily have the skills to effectively facilitate student learning.

When students are supported in the clinical learning environment, confidence and competence are developed [ 7 , 8 ]. Conversely, midwifery students identify that a lack of commitment and capacity from some midwives to support them in the clinical setting is a source of student stress [ 9 , 10 ]. Skill development is often reliant upon students observing midwives carrying out procedures, usually with minimal explanation [ 11 , 12 ]. Development of clinical skills can be so fragmented that students are not able to envisage a holistic approach to care [ 13 , 14 ]. The lack of support for students in the clinical setting may be linked to midwives being underprepared for role expectations, in Australia the Midwife Standards for Practice state in standard 3.4 that the midwife ‘contributes to a culture that supports learning, teaching, knowledge transfer and critical reflection’ [ 15 ]. Midwives have identified an insecurity in supporting the educational development of students [ 16 ] and have reported teaching using methods by which they were taught [ 11 ]. Midwives however have acknowledged, that if they were adequately educated for the role, student learning would improve [ 13 , 16 , 17 ].

The qualities of an effective clinical teacher include, confidence in their own skills; interest in teaching; providing demonstration-observation-feedback; teaching to suit students’ needs; good communication skills; and awareness of potential learning opportunities [ 11 ]. Students respond most positively to midwives who encourage learning by implementing strategies such as questioning [ 18 ] and in-practice reflection [ 18 , 19 , 20 ].

Although several qualitative studies (3–7; 9–14) have explored the midwifery practice experience of midwifery students, findings primarily highlight the negative aspects of the experience and in particular the relational, social, and emotional experiences of students. While some positive teaching and learning strategies have been identified there is minimal literature detailing the realisation of effective strategies used by midwives to support knowledge and skill development. Therefore, this study sought to explore the midwifery role in the provision of peak experiences for students on midwifery practice experience that had not been explored in previous related studies. The aim of this paper is to report findings that highlight and describe strategies implemented by midwives that students valued as facilitating their knowledge and skill development in the clinical practice setting.

Study design

Previous research has primarily identified the deficits of the midwifery practice experience and in doing so has potentially failed to appreciate supportive practices and behaviours already in place [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. When considering the prominence of negative experiences revealed in previous studies, an alternative methodology was sought to optimize the potential of capturing positive experiences for midwifery students on midwifery practice experience. To highlight optimal examples of student skill and knowledge development in the clinical setting, Appreciative Inquiry (AI) was chosen as the methodology because of its focus on the exploration of positive experiences [ 21 ]. AI focuses on what is effective and acknowledges that a solution to improvement already exists [ 22 ]. Consequently, this study aimed to discover the current positive strategies and behaviours of midwives to support clinical skill and knowledge development of midwifery students. AI has four phases, identified as the 4D cycle, the four phases include discovery, dream, design, and destiny [ 21 ]. The process of discovery provides an understanding of the ‘best of what is’ the dream phase to imagine the ‘what might be’, the design phase constructs the ‘what should be’, the design phase to sustain ‘What will be’ [ 21 ].

The focus of this paper was the discovery phase of the study, to provide an understanding of what is being done well [ 22 ]. The discovery phase interviews generated individual student’s peak experiences of the strategies implemented by midwives to facilitate knowledge and skill development in the clinical practice setting. The discovery phase provides new detail and insight into peak midwife strategies and behaviours to support midwifery student knowledge and skill development.

Participant selection and setting

All participants were registered nurses who were enrolled in the GDM and currently on midwifery practice experience at a large tertiary institution in Australia. Participants were personally invited to participate by a midwifery academic not involved in the study or student teaching. Participants were given the option to be interviewed on campus or at a public location of their choosing. All students except one chose to be interviewed on campus on a routine study day, only one student selected to be interviewed at their employing hospital.

Data collection

Each participant was interviewed two to six months after commencement of clinical placement, using an AI interview guide. The interview guide was developed for this study (see supplementary file). In keeping with AI, the questions were designed to have the following qualities, asked in the affirmative; generated from a primary question that draw upon specific past experiences developed from the topic being explored; encouraged storytelling; appreciated ‘what is’; encouraged the uncovering of valuable experiences [ 21 , 23 ]. This method of questioning has been compared to the ‘glass half full’ or positive approach compared to the ‘glass half empty’ or negative approach to questioning [ 22 ]. The duration of interviews ranged between 40 and 80 min. Questions followed a specific format of lead in questions, followed by topic questions, backward questions which focus on past experiences and concluding with inward questions which discovered the attributes and impact of positive support. The format and rationale for the AI interview and the type of questions asked is described in detail in a previous methodological publication [Authors’ own]. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Participants were offered the opportunity to review their transcript and comment or correct if they wished.

Data analysis

Data were analysed using the six stages of Braun and Clarke [ 24 ] thematic analysis framework. First, the transcript of each participant was read and re-read to gain a deep understanding of the data. Each transcript was annotated to identify patterns, repetitions, differences, and similarities. In the next stage, initial coding (level 1 coding) of the whole data set, the codes were then arranged into themes. The entire data set was then reviewed (level 2 coding) identifying further themes and sub-themes. Themes were discussed and refined with all authors and findings were generated and supported with quotes.

Ethical considerations

The study was approved by the Institutional Human Research Ethics Committee (H11484). Students were informed about the purpose of the study and requirements of participation. They were assured that their participation would be strictly confidential and voluntary. Participants chose pseudonyms to ensure data were deidentified for use in dissemination and were aware that they could withdraw from the study without consequence.

Research team and reflexivity

The first author, a midwifery academic, conducted all interviews, but did not have a direct relationship with the study participants at the time. After each interview a reflective journal was completed by the interviewer to reflect on the process and consider whether the interviewer’s preconceptions or the style of questioning during the interview influenced participants’ responses. These reflections were discussed with other authors to ensure rigour in the research process was maintained.

Thirteen students agreed to participate in the study. All were female, aged between 22 and 50 years, with between one and 25 years’ experience as a registered nurse. All participants were enrolled in a 14-month GDM program involving one day per week of on-campus learning and four days per week employment as a midwifery student in a maternity unit.

Analysis of data identified six themes, Willingness to share knowledge and develop skills; The positive use of questioning, Moderating support; Teaching through the woman; Learning through problematisation and Providing constructive affirmation.

Willingness to share knowledge and develop skills

Students recognised that supportive midwives were knowledgeable and skilled practitioners who shared their knowledge. Midwives who were lifelong learners and used evidence to support practice were admired, instilled confidence in the student, and were considered reassuring, Lilac (p.10) described a midwife’s knowledge as ‘comforting’. As well as sharing knowledge, supportive midwives challenged students about their practice and encouraged them to read evidence and decide how research would influence their future practice. Poppy recalled a conversation with midwives discussing perineal support in labour and their subsequent reaction to her thoughts on the topic.

There is actually some research about this,…[they say] you should have a look…every time I ask them something they’re very keen to share…They say, oh, I’ve done this research, or I’ve read an article regarding this. That’s why I feel like I should do it this way. (Poppy, p.5)

Poppy appreciated the opportunity to practice alongside midwives who were enthusiastic about evidence-based practice. The use of evidence in teaching promoted trust in the midwives’ knowledge. Therefore, this knowledge was subsequently transferred to the student and influenced how she envisaged her future practice.

As well as using research evidence, midwives who were willing to expertly explain and demonstrate skills were considered by participants to be more supportive than those who simply role modelled. Students recalled supportive learning experiences that related to both fundamental and complex midwifery skills. Supportive midwives had an appreciation that a fundamental skill might need to be taught more than once therefore building on existing skills. Peony had previously been shown how to undertake a palpation on a woman at term but appreciated being supported to develop the specific skills required for a palpation on a woman at only twenty weeks gestation.

I had a really lovely midwife…go over a proper palp [palpation] with me. It was the first time I’d actually done a proper palp [palpation] on a 20-week antenatal. (Peony, p.5)

Students appreciated being sought out to develop less common midwifery skills. Daisy recalls her experience of a midwife including her in the delivery of care for a stillborn baby and their parents.

Just the practical skills of getting a footprint and a handprint. She was sharing that and things like oh this is good that you’re seeing this as a student. (Daisy, p.17)

Supportive midwives had the ability to share knowledge through advice and tips grounded in years of experience, for example, prevention of perineal trauma.

If you’ve got blanching, you know be careful because it might rip. You might have a tear. This is how you would guard the perineum to prevent that. Warm compresses. (Jasmine, p.7)

Sharing knowledge and skills, also required midwives to consider when and where to do so. Fleur (p.8) recognised that a midwife considered students’ needs by ‘calmly explaining things outside the room’ ensuring the priority in the room was the woman. Similarly, Iris appreciated that the midwife briefed specific aspects of expected care before entering the room.

We did talk about it before we went in there…We’ll do the Syntocinon in the arm, not the leg, because it’s underwater (Iris, p.10).

The outcome of the briefing was that the midwife displayed trust in the student to provide autonomous care. She just left me to it (Iris, p.10).

The positive use of questioning

The use of questioning was seen as helpful by students and fell into two categories, ‘student-led questioning’, and ‘midwife-led questioning’. Midwives who took the time to encourage students to ask questions, or asked students questions, were considered to be invested in student learning.

Student-led questioning

Students who asked questions frequently considered this as taking responsibility for their own learning. Receptive midwives were key to effective student learning because they encouraged and supported the students to ask questions.

She definitely listens…I’m not embarrassed now to ask her questions because I’m thinking I’m an RN, I need to know these things. She tells me “No you’re still learning and you need to ask”.…she makes me feel comfortable (Lilac, p.10).

Supportive midwives let students know they were available to answer questions, with statements such as ‘look if you’re not sure come and ask’ (Peony, p.8) and ‘(the midwife) asked me lots of times, do I have any questions’ (Jasmine, p.6). This provided students with confidence to ask questions.

Midwife-led questioning

Questioning from midwives took several forms including assessing student knowledge on specific topics to establish potential knowledge deficits.

She went through and asked us what’s that drug for? What do we use it for? Any idea what the standard dose is? (Rose, p.9)

Students were receptive to this style of learning. They found it to be to the point, reinforcing that this was expected knowledge in the clinical setting. Midwives would also use questioning to ensure students understood what they were going to do in specific scenarios.

She’d say to me okay this lady now is 28 weeks, what would you be looking at at 28 weeks? (Lilac, p.6)

When questions were asked in a positive way, even in front of women, students felt comfortable because they were not being asked in a way that made the student look inept. Consequently, there was not a negative impact on the student/woman relationship.

They were never questions to degrade me. I always felt that she was asking so the woman can feel confident that I knew what I was doing. (Lilac, p.6)

As students progressed through the course, questioning became more complex, less reliant on recall and more problem based.

…she’d find time to come back to me and be like, so what have you done? Why did you do that? What do you want to do next? (Aster, p.9)

Students reported midwives could pose questions creatively. In one example, the student recalled being overwhelmed by completing a CTG interpretation, she did not think she had the skills to undertake the task. The lack of confidence manifested as student negativity and a resistance to knowledge development. The midwife sensed the student response to the situation and then reframed her questioning.

It was my antenatal rotation and I just said in frustration, and she was right there, and I said I hate CTGs, don’t make me do CTGs I hate them. I mean I walked away I must’ve had a really bad day… She comes around, she plonks herself down and she goes okay, here’s a CTG, tell me what you hate about it. I went okay this is what I hate about it (Lilac, p.11).

The midwife did not accept avoidance but was creative utilising humour to deflect the student’s negative sentiment in order to develop learning.

Moderating support

Students described varying levels of support from midwives in the clinical setting. Supportive midwives were able to moderate the level of support provided to the student depending on need, and usually this moved along a continuum from high to low support. When midwives moderated support, it demonstrated to students that there was not a generic approach to support provided but was considered according to a student‘s need and ability. Knowing that a midwife was in close proximity also encouraged students to undertake skills they would not have attempted when in an unsupported environment. High support required the midwife to be close to the student most of the time, often working in such close proximity that many of the tasks undertaken were shared. As student knowledge and skills developed, and support moved to low support the midwife maintained such proximity to the student to be aware of student care provision and available if required, however at a distance that enabled the student to practice independently.

In the early weeks of placement, students reported high support from midwives to meet their learning needs, which students viewed positively.

I noticed at the beginning when I was with her in clinic days she was sitting right beside me like overviewing everything that I was doing. She was very helpful giving me information, according to the weeks [of gestation] of the woman. (Lilac, p.5).

Aster also described an intense two-week orientation to antenatal ward, expressing that as a result she had increased confidence in this setting. After initial close supervision, Aster perceived that with her growing confidence, the midwife also had increased confidence in her ability. This allowed Aster to take more responsibility with the midwife close at hand if needed.

I found it so helpful… She would go through the ward routine and as we had been working together for a few days she’d allow me to take control of the day and manage my time and everything and just step in say, why are you doing this, like rationale everything that we are doing. (Aster, p.8)

Students recognised that high support and use of positive and encouraging communication pushed them to attempt skills they may have otherwise avoided.

If there’s any questions don’t worry about it, I’m right here, I’ll help you through it. But I am sure you can do it and we’ll do it together. That support from them to say you can do it, I’ll be here. Doesn’t matter if you mess it up. (Fleur, p.9)

As knowledge and skills developed there was a transition from high to low support. This transition was most evident in the antenatal clinic, where the midwife/student dyad had the greatest engagement. Unlike in other clinical areas, the long-term student/midwife exposure in the antenatal clinic enabled midwives to have knowledge of the student’s ability.

When experiencing moderated support, students had the confidence to voice the type of support they needed. The boost of confidence provided by moderated support encouraged students to be more proactive in their development and to initiate care independently knowing support was available if required.

When I work with someone and they will say what are you up to, I’ll say I need this and this and this, I have done this before, but can you just be close by. (Daisy, p.26)

Being able to independently assess, plan and implement care with the back-up of a midwife was described as ‘exciting’ by Daisy.

I think the first high point that comes straight to mind is the birth with one of the recent graduates. It was the first normal that I’ve seen in terms of she wasn’t induced. She didn’t have an epidural. Certainly, I was able to do all the things that I’m meant to do, the palpation, the VE (vaginal examination). I did it first and then she did it and then I had to explain to her and we agreed four centimeters, so that was very exciting. (Daisy (p.7).

For moderating support to be effective a midwife needs to be conscious at all times of a student’s progress through the course and level of capacity.

Teaching through the woman

Students were aware that midwives’ priority was to meet the care needs of women and babies whilst supporting their development. Students frequently recalled midwives converging the women’s need for midwifery care with student learning, by teaching through the woman. This technique did not compromise the woman’s care whilst providing education for the student. The use of teaching through the woman was either protracted as in a clinic setting where the whole visit incorporated teaching through the woman or included in a single skill or action.

Instead of making it a separate little learning thing, they just do it as part of the care that’s being given for the woman. (Rose, p.29)

The practice of teaching through the woman was also seen as being beneficial for women, the focus remained on them while opportunistically providing student education.

They’re teaching me at the same time as well, so they are including me in the conversation with the woman and the woman doesn’t mind that they’re teaching me at the same time. (Bluebell, p.19)

Learning through problematisation

Problematisation occurred when midwives assisted students to recognize problems with clinical practice. There were two types of problematisation. Firstly, a student may have identified a problem themselves but required assistance from the midwife to resolve it. Alternatively, a student may have been unaware that they were facing a clinical problem and needed a midwife to help them identify and resolve it. Students were realistic about their limited knowledge and appreciated midwives’ identification of incorrect knowledge or actions. Regardless of the source of the difficulty students appreciated the positive approach to problem resolution, the midwife would be respectful and kind in their approach. A variety of examples of problematisation were identified.

I happened to notice one deceleration which probably wasn’t a big deal, but I went out and spoke to the midwife who was actually really positive that I’d come out and I’d spoken to her. She went over why there would have been a deceleration at that point in time. Reassured me that I’d done the right thing by alerting her to the situation (Peony, p.6).

Students described instances of misinterpreted information where, if it had not been recognised as a problem by a midwife, they would have provided incorrect care. Commonly, supportive midwives identified problems, addressed them in a way that did not highlight student inadequacy to the woman, and were able to address them in appropriate timeframe. For example,

If… it was the wrong thing I was saying, they would just pipe up and be like or you could try this…Or if I was doing the wrong thing then they would start doing it over the top of me, but then when we left the room, they’d be like you did this wrong… They do rectify it at the time but not in a way that’s…obvious to the woman (Iris, p.14).

Supportive midwives exposed students to clinical experiences that could challenge their decision making and expose the student to new problems for which they needed solutions. Confidence to develop new skills occurred when midwives provided opportunities for exposure to new experiences while providing gentle guidance and correction if necessary. Aster gave an example of this when undertaking a vaginal examination,

If I get it wrong, she is really nice about it. She doesn’t go, no, that’s not right. She will be like, no, but have a feel here. Can you feel more cervix here? She will explain a little bit more what I am feeling. (Aster, p.7)

Although Aster did not expect to get all elements of the vaginal examination correct, she knew the midwife would guide her in developing the required knowledge and skills.

Though a potentially challenging strategy, the consistent message was that the key element of problematisation, was that the midwife involved the student in the process of identifying and resolving the problem.

Providing constructive affirmation

Students reported the importance of receiving positive feedback on clinical performance, which they appreciated, as this was not a common occurrence. Daffodil described positive feedback from a midwife who reassured her that she was where she should be in terms of skills.

You’re doing really well. I didn’t have to do much in there. You’re probably where you should be or a bit further on for where you are in your course. She just gave me good feedback and it just made me feel happy about what I’d done and where I’m going. (Daffodil, p.10)

Students were realistic and accepted that not all feedback on performance would be positive, however as long as it was constructive, receiving feedback was always appreciated.

She’s very good at constructive criticism, she’ll put it in a way where she’s like I’ll help you work on this and we’ll do that. So next time I see you we’ll do this okay… so a really great person to learn off definitely. (Bluebell, p.10)

When there was an educational and developmental approach, students welcomed constructive affirmation.

This study used an AI methodology to discover positive strategies used by midwives to support the development of knowledge and skills of midwifery students on midwifery practice experience. Findings from this study identified that midwives who were invested in student learning used a variety of strategies to support the development of knowledge in midwifery students. Although previous research has found that an effective teacher provides learning opportunities such as demonstration-observation-feedback [ 11 ] questioning and reflection [ 18 , 19 , 20 ], this study provides an understanding of how these strategies are effectively implemented by midwives and the impact on students. This study also identified strategies not previously identified such as Learning through problematisation and Teaching through the woman and Providing constructive affirmation.

Midwives’ willingness to share knowledge and skills, and the use of evidence to support practice, engendered student trust and confidence in the transference of knowledge and that what they were being told was correct. This is important as knowledge development during midwifery practice experience contributes to program completion and confidence and competence as a new graduate midwife [ 13 , 14 ]. The development from a novice student to a beginning practitioner is identified by Benner [ 25 ] as requiring the support of knowledgeable clinicians. Midwives need to be confident in their own practice to be able to support student development, Bäck, Sharma [ 14 ] identify the importance for a midwife to be able to practice with confidence to preserve the ability to provide safe woman-centred care.

Midwives in Australia are expected to contribute to the teaching and knowledge development of midwifery students [ 15 ] yet literature has indicated that midwives do not know how to fulfill this expectation [ 13 , 15 ]. In order to effectively support students, midwives recognised the need to keep up to date with practice knowledge to match students’ theoretical knowledge and did this by reading contemporary literature and undertaking further study [ 17 ]. Although midwives were allocated to support students on a shift by shift basis, students sought additional support from midwives who had a desire and capacity to share their knowledge based on evidence, which is similar to findings from other studies [ 6 , 7 , 18 , 26 ]. The clinical support role of the midwife in relation to supporting the development of midwifery students should be more clearly defined and the knowledge and skills to successfully fulfill this responsibility provided to midwives [ 8 , 27 ].

Students from the current study described a variety of strategies employed by midwives to support skill development. This study builds on previous research by Chamberlain; Hughes and Fraser; Currie [ 11 , 17 , 28 ] on the merit of strategies such as role modelling and questioning, though these studies were unsupported with a detailed understanding of how these strategies are used by midwives. In this study student data has enhanced the understanding of these strategies by detailing the processes employed by midwives and the student impact when sharing knowledge and skills and the positive use of questioning. The benefit of positive role modelling is that this is likely to be modelled by students [ 28 ]. Felstead [ 29 ] contradicts Bandura suggesting that because students need to fit in, they may copy behaviour that contradicts the philosophy of midwifery care. Students in this current study chose to align themselves with midwives whose practice they wanted to emulate. Although questioning is a commonly used strategy there is an art to the construction of questions and when to apply various types of questions in the clinical learning environment, this topic has had minimal discussion in relation to midwifery education. This study expanded the understanding of the types of questioning used by midwives and student response to being encouraged to question and being questioned. Although developed as a model for facilitating nursing student learning on midwifery practice experience a narrative approach to questioning has the potential to be applied to midwifery students to develop more personalised responses and subsequent knowledge development [ 30 ].

The strategy identified as Moderating Support in this study is comparable to a strategy identified by Zwedberg, Barimani [ 17 ] called Fading, a purposeful decrease in the level of support provide to a student, with the goal of independence in practice. Midwives in this study incorporated fading as a strategy in their practice where they withdrew support over time to encourage student independence and initiative. Initially by gaining an understanding of students’ abilities and providing timely and salient learning opportunities, midwives transitioned from providing high to low support. As student competence developed the exposure to complex experiences increased, termed by Spouse [ 31 ] as Scaffolding.

It has been argued that traditional strategies of teaching, may not suit the complex scenarios and patterns presented to students in the clinical learning environment [ 31 ]. Midwives can act as a conduit to enable an understanding of the complexity of midwifery craft knowledge [ 31 , 32 , 33 ]. Participants in this study identified problematisation as an effective teaching strategy used by midwives, in more complex situations. The benefits of problematisation were identified by Titchen [ 33 ] however for successful implementation this complex strategy requires confidence in application [ 32 , 33 ]. This study demonstrated the student benefits of increased confidence to practice knowing that a midwife would solve or identify issues if they occurred.

Teaching through the woman as a creative learning strategy has not been described previously and is a unique finding of this study. In this study, students recognised that for time-poor midwives, this strategy fulfilled the competing requirements of caring for the woman but also supported student learning. What was an effective strategy that enabled midwives to support student learning without compromising care. It could also be hypothesized that the woman also benefitted by becoming more aware of her own care. Incorporation of this strategy by midwives could reduce the burden of the conflicting responsibilities of care provider and educator, it would also reduce the incidence of lost learning opportunities [ 12 ].

In this study students reported appreciating feedback from midwives that provided opportunity to reflect on their development. As found in previous studies students were aware that feedback and subsequent reflection assisted with skill development and linking theory to practice [ 34 , 35 ]. It has been previously reported that the educational relevance of feedback and reflection on practice, needs to be understood to ensure protected reflection time is built into each clinical day [ 6 , 36 ]. Although students in this current study were appreciative of feedback it was not commonly provided. Midwives have previously identified the need to be educated on how to provide feedback to students however they also expressed the desire for student reciprocity in the process [ 16 , 17 ]. In this study midwives used positive language when giving feedback, the midwives use of positive affirmation correlates with a previous study that found that feedback is rewarding to students and encourages repeat behaviour [ 28 ].

Limitations of this study include the small number of participants from one university. Due to the small number of participants transferability of findings could also be limited, as all participants were postgraduate students of midwifery. Another limitation is that all students were postgraduate students and were already registered nurses with previous knowledge of working within a health setting. Students participating in the study are in a paid employment model which adds the complexities of balancing employment and learning demands. These demands are not experienced by undergraduate students in an unpaid model, therefore may have an impact on transferability. The study’s strengths were that participants were placed in several hospitals with a range of acuity from local district to referral hospitals, providing data contributing to further understanding of the effective strategies used by midwives to support students in the clinical leaning environment across a variety of settings.

The use of AI was able to identify positive learning strategies used by midwives in the clinical practice setting. This study offers knowledge about supportive learning strategies identified by students on midwifery practice experience. Ideally, all midwives should be able to impart knowledge and skills to better support students’ professional development in the clinical learning environment. To ensure students experience exposure to consistent support from midwives, midwives need support to ensure they have the capacity and confidence to provide salient and timely learning opportunities.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

Appreciative Inquiry

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council

Bachelor of Midwifery

Graduate Diploma in Midwifery

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Arundell, F., Sheehan, A. & Peters, K. Strategies used by midwives to enhance knowledge and skill development in midwifery students: an appreciative inquiry study. BMC Nurs 23 , 137 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01784-5

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In a nutshell

International applicants: please check the  international intakes page  for the latest information and application dates. 

This postgraduate masters programme is for qualified midwives only. If you aren't a midwife and you want to qualify as a midwife please look at the below alternative web pages:

• BSc (Hons) Midwifery
• MSc Midwifery (pre-registration) - if you already have a degree in health or a related area. 
• MSc Midwifery Post-RN (pre-registration) - if you are a Registered Adult Nurse. 

On the  MSc/PgDip/PgCert Midwifery course , you will develop a mastery of contemporary midwifery and practice, enhance your professional credibility and develop your personal confidence for career advancement. 

The MSc Midwifery will empower you to take forward your practice in any environment such as clinical, management, leadership and research roles. There is also a dedicated pathway for those with, or planning to have, educational responsibilities.

• Examine your practice and develop an evidence based approach to care and service provision.
• Be taught by a dynamic multidisciplinary team of academics and clinicians who are recognised experts in their disciplines and who have strong practice links across the North West.
• Be encouraged and supported to present and publish your work.

students accepted

This is for you if...

You want to enhance your professional credibility and develop personal confidence for career advancement.

You want to develop a mastery of contemporary midwifery and practice.

You have the ability to act on your own initiative.

All about the course

You will be taught by a dynamic multidisciplinary team of academics and clinicians who are recognised experts in their disciplines and who have strong practice links across the north-west. The teaching environments are equipped with state-of-the-art classroom facilities and dedicated midwifery and neonatal clinical skills simulation suites. Creative learning and participation are encouraged through reflection and critical discussion.

Please note that some modules require a clinical placement which must be in place prior to application. In some circumstances, assessment and practice can be undertaken via simulation.

One to one support and preparation is provided for assessments which emulate the real-life environment and allow practitioners to develop their skills and confidence. Although this might seem daunting you have the opportunity to learn at an achievable pace with a group of like-minded peers which students find friendly and supportive.

MSc: 180 credits PgDip: 120 credits PgCert: 60 credits

Please be aware that if you are an international student you are welcome to apply for the MSc Midwifery but you will not be able to undertake any modules that require assessment of clinical skills. You will not be able to gain any clinical experience in the UK, unless you are registered as a midwife by the UK Nursing & Midwifery Council.

Year one, trimester one: 

Two 30 credit modules 

Year one, trimester two: 

Year one, trimester three: 

Dissertation  (60 credits)

Part-time (two years):

Three 30 credit modules (one 30 credit module per trimester)

One 30 credit module (trimester 1) and a dissertation (60 credits) in trimester 2 and 3

Part-time (three years):

Two 30 credit modules. On completion, this equates to a PgCert. 

Two 30 credit modules. On completion, this equates to a PgDip. 

Year three: 

Dissertation (60 credits). On completion, this equates to the full MSc. 

Critically Exploring Professional Practice

This module focuses on your professional development as a midwife nurse and is designed to support your critical analysis of yourself and professional practice.

Research Methods (Online)

This online module allows you to critically evaluate a range of research techniques and prepares you for the dissertation module. It includes an overview of the research theories, guidance on critically reviewing research, developing a research proposal and the fundamentals of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.

Perinatal Mental Health

This module provides you with a systematic, in-depth understanding of knowledge, evidence and skills in relation to perinatal mental health, identifying, assessing and supporting pregnant and new mothers, their infants and families.

Professional Advocacy Modules

Two single 15 credit modules or taken concurrently for full 30 credits

Professional Midwifery Advocacy and Leadership (15 credits)

This module provides midwives with the knowledge and skills to become a Professional Midwifery Advocate (PMA). It introduces the concepts of the A-EQUIP model focusing on coaching, clinical supervision and restorative practices. Taught by experts in the field and PMAs; leadership, advocacy and the midwifery profession are critically explored. Students will have the opportunity to be taught in the state of the art simulation facilities and examine real-life case studies.

Contemporary Leadership in Midwifery (15 credits)

This module can be studied concurrently with Professional Midwifery Advocacy and Leadership to provide the student with 30 credits at level 7 and learning focused on wider leadership issues. Students will have an opportunity to explore self and others in the context of contemporary leadership and develop their own leadership styles. Social media and the use of technology will be introduced as a learning tool and to improve students’ use of these in their field of practice. This is a self-directed online module.

Newborn and Infant Examination (NIPE)

This module encourages a holistic approach to the care of the neonate by addressing the relevant physiology, pathophysiology, psychological, professional, social and behavioural issues underpinning the routine newborn and infant examinations.

Newborn and Infant Examination (NIPE): Theory only

This module explores theory of examination of newborns using simulated practical workshops. This module is designed for international students who cannot gain experience in a clinical environment in the UK. 

Independent Learning Midwifery

This online module allows you to undertake a comprehensive literature search on a topic of your choice (agreed with your academic supervisor) and to critically evaluate a range of evidence. This will provide you with the opportunity to formulate, negotiate and undertake a project that will enhance or develop skills and knowledge of a midwifery topic of choice.

Third Trimester Ultrasound

The aim of this module is to equip the practitioner with scientific and clinical knowledge, and critical understanding in order to demonstrate skills, competence and safe effective practice in performing Third Trimester Obstetric Ultrasound imaging. 

Students on this module will normally already be employed by a clinical department. 

In order to apply for this module, students must submit a Clinical Verification Form to demonstrate they have support from their manager and a clinical mentor to access the required caseload. 

Non-Medical Prescribing

This module allows midwives to study with other health care professionals to prescribe safely, appropriately and cost-effectively as an independent prescriber. It also allows you to critically evaluate and challenge prescribing practice with reference to evidence-based practice, equality, diversity and clinical governance.

Project Management

Develop project management skills for an individually defined project.

Dissertation

This gives you the opportunity to undertake a research project aligned with your own practice and area of interest. 

Evidence-based Care for Normal Birth

This module aims to support and promote normal birth, challenge the medicalisation of birth and increase your confidence to practice autonomously.

Emergency and Intensive Care of the Newborn

This module will enable you to advance your academic knowledge and clinical skills expertise to meet the needs of the newborn who require intensive/emergency care. You will also develop the skills necessary for decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations. Students will ultimately foster a deeper understanding of the needs of the family within the context of changing health care provision.

Care of the Compromised Baby

This module will enable you to advance your academic knowledge and develop your clinical expertise to meet the needs of the compromised newborn. It will also enable you to develop the skills necessary for decision making in complex and unpredictable circumstance.

This module explores theory of newborn examination using simulated practical workshops. The module is for international students who cannot access clinical experience in the UK. 

Maternal Critical Care

Develop specialist knowledge, skills and expertise to meet the needs of women requiring critical care during the childbirth continuum, and to facilitate a multi-disciplinary team approach.

Please note that it may not be possible to deliver the full list of options every year as this will depend on factors such as how many students choose a particular option. Exact modules may also vary in order to keep content current. When accepting your offer of a place to study on this programme, you should be aware that not all optional modules will be running each year. Your tutor will be able to advise you as to the available options on or before the start of the programme. Whilst the University tries to ensure that you are able to undertake your preferred options, it cannot guarantee this.

What will I be doing?

The MSc Midwifery is underpinned by a student centred teaching and learning philosophy. A range of teaching strategies is used, including seminars, lectures, action learning, online learning, directed study, practice-based assessments and peer-supported learning.

You will have access to tutorial support via email, phone, facetime, Skype or any other appropriate methods that can be supported dependent on student and lecturer preference.

Contemporary midwifery requires a diverse range of skills and the programme is designed to nurture and develop these in you. The MSc Midwifery allows for a variety of assessments related to the real world, depending on the module undertaken, and includes:

• Practical assessments
• Written assignments
• Seminar presentations

“The MSc Midwifery course team at Salford have an openness to recognising and valuing prior learning and clinical experience in the mature student. Salford gave me the encouragement and vision to drive me to achieve my full potential. Completing my dissertation (MSc in Midwifery) was quite a journey, given the extra demands and challenges of maintaining a fulltime job and a busy family life. However, the encouragement, support and facilitation that my supervisor provided was second to none. I would recommend others to grasp the opportunity of studying for their MSc at this excellent and dynamic academic institution”.

Chris Navin

Specialist Midwife Bereavement Support, University Hospital South Manchester

“The choice of modules available on the MSc Midwifery enabled me to develop and integrate knowledge and skills in clinical practice, leadership, management, and research. The support from the lecturers was excellent, with both face to face tutorials and online support, which enabled me to maintain a workable balance between study, work and home life. The modules are well designed and allow students to access areas of study that are relevant to their professional development, interests and aspirations. The MSc Midwifery has provided me with the necessary skills and knowledge, particularly in critical analysis, with which to continue to lead and support ongoing developments in midwifery care, and thereby continue to support the women and their families during the childbirth continuum.”

Anne McGlone

St Mary's Hospital, Manchester

The School of Health and Society

The School of Health and Society is a forward-thinking, dynamic school with a commitment to lifelong learning and real world impact.

We live in a rapidly changing world, and we’re keen to leave a productive legacy of helping people at all stages of their lives, improving their physical, psychological and social wellbeing.

Simulation Suite and Immersive Suite

The University has state-of-the-art simulation facilities for clinical skills and simulation scenarios in a variety of high and low risk environments. The immersive suite, one of only a handful of its kind in UK universities – will enable students to practice dealing with any kind of incident in a virtual setting. A series of cameras project realistic images onto three walls of the room as well as onto the floor, while sounds can be piped into the room by specialist technicians working from a separate control room.

The room can be transformed into anything from the back of an ambulance transporting women between hospitals or from home to hospital or to a challenging environment such as a house boat where a woman has chosen to give birth.

The dedicated counselling suite with therapy and psychotherapy rooms can also be utilised for learning such as debriefing and coaching sessions.

Birth Simulators

We use a maternal and fetal simulation system called Sim Mom which allows you to appreciate the birthing experience from the onset of labour, through delivery, to treatment of the mother after the birth.

Take a 360 tour of the facilities here . 

What about after uni?

Past students have gone on to take up posts as midwifery managers, educationalists and consultant midwives. Others have continued their studies at PhD level, for example undertaking the Professional Doctorate offered at this University.

A taste of what you could become

A Midwifery Manager

A Consultant Midwife

PhD Candidate

Career Links

This course is mapped against the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework, which was introduced to provide greater flexibility and benefits for individuals and employers. It provides a single, consistent, comprehensive and explicit framework on which to base the review and development of all staff. By undertaking this programme, you can therefore demonstrate you have the knowledge and skills to deliver a high quality service for childbearing women.

This course has close links with the maternity and neonatal services and module teaching teams are multidisciplinary. This means your learning will be current and relevant to contemporary midwifery practice.

The MSc Midwifery: Education confers NMC accredited teacher status for those wishing to move into midwifery education.

What you need to know

You will be a practising midwife, normally with at least a year’s clinical experience. You will be keen to explore and analyse the latest developments in midwifery knowledge and practice and develop a leading role in clinical practice.

English language requirements 

If you are an international student and not from a majority English speaking country, you will need IELTS 6.5 with no element below 5.5. We also accept a range of other English language qualifications . If you do not have the English language requirements, you could take our Pre-Sessional English course . 

International Students - Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)

International Students are required by the Home Office and/or the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) to apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) Certificate before they begin studying their course. You may need to obtain an ATAS Certificate before you come to the UK in order for you to comply with Home Office regulations. Please refer to your offer conditions. You can find out if your programme requires an ATAS by checking the FCO website  with your JACS code which will be on your offer letter should you choose to make an application. If you cannot find it please contact our Application Services team. If you have any queries relating directly to ATAS please contact the ATAS team.

Apply for your ATAS Certificate here.

All students on a Student Visa must attend a minimum of eight hours timetabled face to face sessions over three days per week. This would only be available to those students taking a full-time route.

NB: Certain elements of the PG Dip Midwifery: Education and MSc Midwifery: Education is subject to accreditation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council and not available to international students.

Undergraduate degree

You need an undergraduate degree in BSc (Hons) Midwifery or related degree at 2.2 or above, equivalent or have evidence of recent Level 6 study. 

International Students

We accept qualifications from all around the world. Find your country to see a full list of entry requirements.

Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)

We welcome applications from students who may not have formal/traditional entry criteria but who have relevant experience or the ability to pursue the course successfully.

The Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) process could help you to make your work and life experience count. The APL process can be used for entry onto courses or to give you exemptions from parts of your course.

Two forms of APL may be used for entry: the Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) or the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).

Additional costs

You should consider additional costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits.

Scholarships for international students

If you are a high-achieving international student, you may be eligible for one of our scholarships.

Explore our International Scholarships.

All Set? Let's Apply

Enrolment dates.

September 2025

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