Aberystwyth University to offer nursing degrees for first time

Aberystwyth University is to start running a nursing degree for the first time in its history.

The training course will begin in September 2022 and will offer students the chance to study half of the programme in Welsh.

Health Education and Improvement Wales awarded the contract to the university to educate adult and mental health nurses until the end of the decade.

The course will open for applications from the autumn.

At present five universities in Wales offer nursing courses - Cardiff, South Wales, Swansea, Bangor and Glyndwr in Wrexham.

Aberystwyth's two courses will be BSc Adult Nursing and BSc Mental Health Nursing.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Elizabeth Treasure called the move excellent and exiting news and said support from local health boards and Ceredigion council had made it possible.

"It will benefit the local recruitment and retention of nurses, as well as the potential to inspire new models of healthcare delivery which will be of benefit to everyone," she said.

"Our plans will also make an important contribution to enhancing mental health and Welsh-medium provision locally and beyond."

She said the university had ambitions to expand its role in educating healthcare professions in the coming years, adding: "Given everyone's experiences during the pandemic, there is perhaps no more important time to prioritise investing in the next generation of talented young people who will be responsible for the welfare of us all."

Health Education and Improvement Wales chairman Dr Chris Jones said: "The approaches to widening access and grounding training in our communities will equip our students to serve well the needs of the population going forward."