As the range of responsibilities held by veterinary nurses increases, practices are looking for veterinary nurses qualified at degree level to fulfil this requirement. If you have the motivation and commitment to build a career within the veterinary nursing profession, this degree is for you.
Accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), this course enables you to develop a range of professional skills, knowledge and competencies needed in the veterinary nursing profession. You will enjoy a unique combination of academic study and practical learning, utilising our animal centre and dedicated clinical training facility to advance your skills and knowledge. This will be reinforced through the completion of a clinical placement* in an approved veterinary training practice.
*Travel arrangements at your own cost.
Programme Modification - Approved
In response to student and stakeholder feedback, the course has been reviewed and changes made for September 2025 entry to the course structure and modules of study.
Course Features
Learn in our medical and clinical skills suite, diagnostic imaging suite, dedicated OSCE practice suite and modern laboratories
Practical handling session with live animals at our onsite zoo
Work with our industry-standard anaesthetic, radiography and theatre equipment
Use ultrasound imaging, endoscopy and prep facilities
Accredited by RCVS
Clinical placement for 52 weeks
Career Options
Veterinary nurse
Lecturer
Clinical coach
Practice manager
Drug representative
Head nurse
Referral and specialist nurse
Training practice liaison
Workplace assessor
Year 1 (Level 4) – all modules are compulsory
Year 2 (Level 5) – all modules are compulsory
Year 3 (Level 5) – module is compulsory
Year 4 (Level 6) – compulsory modules
Year 4 (Level 6) – optional modules
Students must also complete the OSCEs for Veterinary Nursing at the beginning of Year 4.
Assessment will take a variety of forms including reports, essays, academic posters, presentations, clinical role play and examinations. Assessment components will be identified in line with the University of Chester modular framework guidance.
An additional requirement of the assessment strategy will be the demonstration of clinical skills competence through observation during clinical placement This programme is accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as conveying a license to practise. This means that successful graduates are eligible to apply for entry to the register of veterinary nurses and use the post-nominal RVN.
Students are expected to complete and pass all the identified modules at the required level of study in order to progress to the following year. To successfully progress to the next level of study, students are required to achieve the minimum weighted module mark of 40% for each module. In addition, for specified modules at Levels 4 and 5, each item of assessment in the module must achieve the minimum threshold attainment of 40%.
If an item of assessment within a module is failed (i.e. it does not achieve the minimum mark of 40%), a reassessment opportunity may be offered. Whilst the format of a reassessment is likely to be the same as the original assessment, the specific details will be different. Failure to complete outstanding components of assessment may result in the student not being eligible for progression.
Students must complete and achieve the requirements of the clinical placement before they are eligible to take the OSCEs.
A variety of assessment forms are included in this programme. These include written reports, presentations, case studies, research proposals, workbooks, academic posters and written and practical exams.
Typically, students will complete 2 to 3 items of assessment for each module which will include a combination of the assessment types identified above. A number of modules in years 1 to 3 include written and practical exams in line with RCVS requirements.
In addition, students undertake a formative assessment at the start of the programme. This is designed to help identify any additional support needs the student may have but also to establish expectations in terms of the requirements of higher education level work. Formative assessment opportunities are built into all modules through the use of in-class activities such as question and answer, debates and seminar discussions and through the completion of activities using the virtual learning environment, Moodle.
Details of all assessments are made available to students at the start of the academic year, typically via their course handbook. This includes details of the modules, assessment components, learning outcomes assessed and launch, submission and return dates. Each coursework assessment is accompanied by a specific brief that provides details of the assessment task along with the assessment and grading criteria that will be used for marking purposes.
Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.
This course is available in Clearing. If you have submitted an application, you can add this course. If you haven’t sent us an application yet, you can do this until 24th September 2026.
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
University Centre Reaseheath has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?
The following entry points are available for this course:
Mature students (aged 21+) will be considered on an individual basis on their prior knowledge and experience. This may be assessed by interview, completion of coursework/essay or other methods. There may be a requirement for a formal qualification to be completed first e.g. Access to HE course.
Find out more about qualification requirements for this course.
UCR is dedicated to building a diverse student body, as outlined in our Access and Participation Plan. We believe diversity fosters a rich learning environment where all students can reach their potential. Recognizing that personal circumstances can impact educational attainment, we support contextual admissions, considering challenges that may affect students' achievements. This approach allows us to make holistic decisions that give applicants a fair chance based on individual circumstances.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
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Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
This programme includes significant periods of compulsory clinical placement. Students should consider the costs associated with accommodation, travel, subsistence etc that are likely to arise from this when selecting their clinical placement provider.
Students may also wish to purchase their own personal copies of recommended set-texts to assist them in their studies and to support them whilst on clinical placement. A full list of recommended set-texts is available prior to enrolment. It is not essential to purchase key texts as the campus library is well stocked and has multiple copies of the main texts.
Equipment Costs
Pens
Pencils
Notepad
A laptop that is windows compatible
Scientific calculator – can use mobile phones
Leaver arch files or equivalent
USB memory stick/hard drive or cloud based digital storage space
Closed toe shoes (£20 min)
Sensible clothing
Fob watch for practice placement – about £3-£5
Lab coat
Prices of equipment are subject to change dependent on retailer.
Email:ucradmissions@reaseheath.ac.uk
Phone:01270 613284
Office hours: 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday
Email:UCR@reaseheath.ac.uk
Phone:01270 613284
Email:ucradmissions@reaseheath.ac.uk
Phone:01270 613284
Reaseheath
Nantwich
CW5 6DF
At University Centre Reaseheath
