Health
What can you do with an Adult Nursing degree?
Quick answer
An Adult Nursing degree commonly leads to roles such as newly qualified adult nurse, community staff nurse and discharge coordinator (entry). Five years after graduating, Adult Nursing graduates had median earnings of £35,900 (middle half: £27,800–£42,800), and 94.2% were in sustained work or further study (DfE LEO, 2023–24 tax year). The largest employer sector for Nursing and midwifery graduates is health and social work (87.4% of those in work).
Adult nursing is a professional course leading toward NMC registration when the programme is approved. First jobs are usually in NHS or care settings. Official figures appear when an extract is loaded.
- Median pay after 1 year
- £32,900
- Median pay after 5 years
- £35,900
- In work or study after 5 years
- 94.2%
- Earnings rank at 5 years
- 58 of 146 subjects
- Top employer sector
- Health and social work
- Graduates in latest cohort
- 9,000
On this page
What jobs can you get with an Adult Nursing degree?
Graduates commonly start as newly qualified adult nurse, community staff nurse, discharge coordinator (entry) or clinical research nurse (entry). Adult Nursing also builds skills that employers outside the obvious routes ask for, so many graduates move into roles that do not name the subject at all.
Newly qualified adult nurse
Delivers planned care on a ward or community caseload after preceptorship, under local policy.
Skills these adverts often ask for
- medicines administration
- NEWS2
- handover
Community staff nurse
Skills these adverts often ask for
- home visits
- wound care
- multidisciplinary notes
Discharge coordinator (entry)
Skills these adverts often ask for
- bed flow
- family liaison
- referrals
Clinical research nurse (entry)
Skills these adverts often ask for
- protocol adherence
- consent support
- data capture
Role examples and skills are CourseToJob editorial guidance, not a guarantee of a job. Pay for individual roles varies by employer and location; we do not attach a salary to a role unless an official source publishes one.
Where do Adult Nursing graduates work?
Five years after graduating, the largest employer sectors for Nursing and midwifery graduates in UK employment were health and social work (87.4%), administrative and support services (3.8%) and public administration and defence (2.8%). One year after graduating, the most common sector was health and social work (92.4%).
| Industry sector | Share of graduates in work | Median earnings in that sector |
|---|---|---|
| Health and social work | 87.4% | £37,700 |
| Administrative and support services | 3.8% | £32,600 |
| Public administration and defence | 2.8% | £37,100 |
| Education | 1.6% | £32,200 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 1% | £28,500 |
| Information and communication | 0.9% | £35,100 |
| Wholesale and retail | 0.7% | £34,200 |
| Construction | 0.2% | £25,300 |
Most common specific industries
- Hospital activities — 66.9% of graduates in work, median £38,100
- Other human health activities — 12.4% of graduates in work, median £37,300
- Medical and dental practice activities — 3.9% of graduates in work, median £31,800
- Temporary employment agency activities — 2.6% of graduates in work, median £32,900
- Administration of the State and the economic and social policy of the community — 2.2% of graduates in work, median £35,900
- Residential nursing care activities — 1.2% of graduates in work, median £39,200
How much do Adult Nursing graduates earn?
Official dataAdult Nursing graduates had median earnings of £32,900 one year after graduating and £35,900 five years after graduating in the 2023–24 tax year. The median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at five years.
| Years after graduating | Median earnings | Middle half earned | In work or further study | All-subject median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year after graduatingGraduated 2021/2022 | £32,900DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £29,300–£38,100 | 95.8% | £26,400 |
| 3 years after graduatingGraduated 2019/2020 | £34,800DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £28,200–£41,000 | 95% | £30,000 |
| 5 years after graduatingGraduated 2017/2018 | £35,900DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £27,800–£42,800 | 94.2% | £33,700 |
| 10 years after graduatingGraduated 2012/2013 | £36,600DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £26,400–£45,800 | 91.2% | — |
How one-year earnings have changed
Which universities have the highest-earning Nursing and midwifery graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 Nursing and midwifery graduates measured, Middlesex University had the highest median earnings five years after graduating (£43,900), followed by London South Bank University (£42,800) and King's College London (£42,300).
| University | Median earnings | Graduates measured |
|---|---|---|
| Middlesex University | £43,900 | 350 |
| London South Bank University | £42,800 | 630 |
| King's College London | £42,300 | 405 |
| University of Essex | £41,700 | 120 |
| Kingston University | £41,700 | 320 |
| City St George's, University of London | £40,600 | 205 |
| University of Greenwich | £40,600 | 390 |
| University of Hertfordshire | £40,600 | 415 |
| Buckinghamshire New University | £39,900 | 400 |
| University of Glasgow | £39,900 | 55 |
Is Adult Nursing the right degree for you?
EditorialYou may enjoy it if
- You can stay calm with acutely unwell adults and their families.
- You accept shift work, including nights and weekends.
- You want clinical placements to be a core part of the course.
It may not suit you if
- You dislike bodily care, documentation, or handover discipline.
- You want a purely campus-based degree with no wards.
- You are looking for a generic social-science degree.
Interview questions for Adult Nursing graduate roles
EditorialNewly qualified nursing interviews (and many course interviews) test safety, handover, and how you work in a team under pressure. The job prompts below are editorial illustrations, not a trust’s actual bank.
A patient’s NEWS score has risen and they look unwell. What do you do first?
What it tests. Escalation, ABCDE thinking, and that you do not leave the person to finish a task list.
You are about to give a medicine and the dose on the chart looks unusual. What next?
What it tests. You stop, check, and ask — not push a drug through to stay on time.
How would you hand over a confused patient at the end of a shift?
What it tests. SBAR-style structure: situation, background, what you did, what still needs doing.
A relative is angry that a discharge is delayed. How do you respond?
What it tests. Calm communication without promising a medical decision you cannot make.
You notice a colleague skipping a check. What do you do?
What it tests. Professional courage and using the right reporting route, not gossip.
Course interviews. Most UK adult nursing degrees interview applicants. Format is set by the university, not by CourseToJob. That admissions interview is separate from a newly qualified job interview after registration.
Illustrative question types for the roles above, not questions from a named employer.
Find Adult Nursing graduate jobs
Searched by the entry-level roles aboveSearch UK vacancies connected to adult nursing. These are role matches, not guaranteed graduate-level jobs: read the experience, qualifications and work-permission requirements in each full advert.
Salary filters and ordering use the provider’s data, which can include estimates. Cards below show employer-listed pay only. Cached searches can be up to 30 minutes old; the employer’s advert confirms availability.
Checking vacancies for Newly qualified adult nurse…
Prepare your application with nurse cv examples, healthcare assistant cv examples, the free CV builder and the application tracker.
Is there an apprenticeship alternative to Adult Nursing?
EditorialRegistered nurse degree apprenticeships are offered by some NHS employers. They are a workplace route to the same professional register when approved. This note is editorial.
Research exact university programmes
We have not added verified programme records for this subject yet. Use the official university catalogue for current courses, fees and entry requirements.
Explore the programme finder · Compare programme details · Research international scholarships
Make your next move
Planning to study Adult Nursing in the UK?
Check the exact programme, entry requirements and total cost before applying. International applicants should also confirm qualification equivalence, English-language evidence and visa requirements.
Find UK study guidance for your country · Compare international course-fee examples
Explore the international student guide · Build your study budget and checklist
Universities for Adult Nursing in our index
122 universitiesAn editorial provision index, not a live UCAS catalogue: confirm current courses on UCAS. CourseToJob is not UCAS.Open Adult Nursing in the full university explorer.
Show all 122 universities
Name, city, or a CourseToJob subject. Nothing is stored.
Nation
No university matches that search.
Undergraduate applications are made on UCAS, not here.
Adult Nursing degree: frequently asked questions
What jobs can you do with an Adult Nursing degree?
Common starting roles include newly qualified adult nurse, community staff nurse, discharge coordinator (entry) and clinical research nurse (entry). Five years after graduating, the most common sectors for Nursing and midwifery graduates in work were health and social work (87.4%), administrative and support services (3.8%) and public administration and defence (2.8%). These are examples, not guaranteed jobs: your experience, location and further training matter.
How much do Adult Nursing graduates earn in the UK?
DfE Longitudinal Education Outcomes data for the 2023–24 tax year shows median earnings for UK-domiciled Adult Nursing graduates of £32,900 one year after graduating, £34,800 three years after graduating, £35,900 five years after graduating and £36,600 ten years after graduating. Each figure describes a different graduating cohort, not one person's pay rise, and it is gross pay for those in sustained employment, not a starting salary offer.
Is an Adult Nursing degree worth it?
It depends on what you want to do. On the official data, 94.2% of Adult Nursing graduates were in sustained employment or further study five years after graduating, with median earnings of £35,900. For comparison, the median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at the same point. That places Adult Nursing 58 of 146 subject groups by five-year median earnings. Earnings are only one factor: enjoyment of the subject, accreditation and the route into your target job matter too.
Which universities have the highest-earning Nursing and midwifery graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 graduates measured, the highest five-year median earnings for Nursing and midwifery were at Middlesex University (£43,900), London South Bank University (£42,800) and King's College London (£42,300). These figures reflect entry grades, subject mix and where graduates work, so they are not a measure of teaching quality.
Can international students study Adult Nursing in the UK?
Yes, most UK universities accept international applicants, but entry requirements, recognised qualifications, English-language evidence and overseas tuition fees depend on the university and programme. Check the university course page and international admissions team, then check visa requirements on GOV.UK.
Skilled Worker visas
Sponsorship depends on the job's occupation code and the current Skilled Worker rules, not on a subject's median pay. A Skilled Worker decision uses the higher of the general threshold and the SOC going rate. Subject LEO medians are not sufficient. Read the Skilled Worker job rules on GOV.UK.