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Bachelor of Health Sciences in the field of Nursing Systems Science
This fully online qualification has been specifically designed for practising nurses who want to grow their academic qualification who want to obtain a degree as a pathway to further academic achievement and specialisation.
Admission Requirements
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You may qualify for this programme if you have a:
South African applicants
- Senior Certificate (SC) with Endorsement, or National Senior Certificate (NSC) with a Bachelor’s degree pass.
AND
- A diploma or higher certificate in nursing, and registration with the regulatory body in one of the following categories: General Nurse, Staff Nurse, or Auxiliary Nurse.
International applicants
- Certificate from the Nursing Education Institution indicating the qualification obtained.
- Relevant Matriculation Exemption from the SA Matriculation Board (USAf).
The Health Sciences Rules and Syllabuses document is available here for download.
Does the SA Nursing Council (SANC) recognise the qualification?
No, this is a degree for nurses, not a nursing degree. Typically, nursing qualifications have a practical component. This programme does not have a practical component and is designed to deepen your academic knowledge and skills.
Once I am qualified, can I register for a Post Graduate Diploma in the field of Nursing?
Although you will have a level 7 qualification, the SA Nursing Council currently requires all applicants for PG Dip to have a midwifery qualification. You can, however, apply for a PG Diploma or an honours degree in any field other than nursing.
What qualifications do I need to apply for this programme?
You must hold a certificate or diploma from an accredited nursing education institution.
If I am registered as an enrolled nurse, can I apply for this programme?
Yes, you will be required to complete all three years of the programme and will not be entitled to credits.
If I am not a South African and/or not a resident of South Africa, may I apply to do this programme?
Yes, you can follow this programme from anywhere worldwide if you can access the internet.
How much does the programme cost?
For specific information, you need to contact the Registrar’s office. Still, this programme is made more affordable as you pay for the module you register for when the specific module is offered. In addition, unlike other programmes at the University, there is no registration fee.
How many modules are there in the programme?
There are 35 modules for the full programme.
Can I apply for credit/recognition of prior learning for any module?
If you have a Diploma in Nursing (either from the D4 programme or the Bridging programme), you may be granted credit for the first year of the programme. In this case, you will need to complete 23 modules.
How long will it take me to complete the programme?
This depends on how many modules you take at a time. We advise working students not to attempt more than two modules simultaneously. This is because you are expected to spend 10 to 14 hours per week studying the material for the module.
Do I have to be physically present in classes?
No, the entire programme is online, including the assessments and examinations. You are not obliged to attend the few synchronous live learning sessions as we record them so you can access them when available.
Do I have to be employed as a nurse to do the programme?
You need to be registered with the nursing council and be a practising nurse to apply for this programme.
Do I need to be IT savvy to do the programme?
You must know your way around a computer and be familiar with basic computer programs. We support those students who need additional help to gain confidence and competence in this regard.
Do I need to own a laptop or computer?
You are strongly advised to have access to a laptop or computer, as it makes submitting assignments much easier.
What areas will I learn about in level 5 of the programme?
The first-year themes are sociological and psychological foundations of health, biological foundations of health, and health and wellness. All modules in the first year assist enrolled nurses in building on their prior learning and help diploma nurses consolidate their learning.
What areas will I learn about in level 6 of the programme?
The second-year themes are patients and problems, applied microbiology, clinical therapeutics for health, and build on your prior knowledge from the science-based modules in the Diploma programme you followed at college.
What areas will I learn about in level 7 of the programme?
The third-year themes build on professional practice subjects you studied in your Diploma Programme at college. They are health care infrastructure, quality in health care, and a Capstone module where you will be supported to pull together all the programme strands. This capstone module includes clinical judgement, professional practice and development, and evidence-based practice. It is pitched at an exit level of 7 to award your degree.
Is there financial sponsorship available to assist me with the fees?
No, not through the University or from NSFAS but some employers grant a scholarship for further study. You should enquire through your institution's human resources department.
Can I take a break from my studies without losing credit?
Yes, the programme is designed around a carousel, and you can pick up on the next module available when you resume your studies.
How long will it take me to complete my degree?
It will take at least two years if you have been granted credit for your first year, provided you do not take a break (except over the December period) and do not have to repeat any modules.
How will having this qualification help me in my career?
As a graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences, you have opened opportunities beyond nursing. You may choose to go into management within the wider healthcare sector, or you may wish to work for the Office of Health Standards Compliance within the public health field or quality assurance.
How do I apply?
Complete the Request Information form on this page to see if you qualify to apply, and we will be in touch.
MODULES AND CREDITS
* Module pricing is subject to change in January of each year.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course provides an overview of aspects of culture and identity relevant to learners and patients, with a view to deepening understanding of other people’s points of view. It underlines the importance of culture and identity in healthcare. The topics include self-concept, spirituality, culture and diversity, norms, family dynamics and cultural competence.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
In this course, you will gain awareness of the social and structural factors which influence health, healing, and illness. Emphasis is given to perspectives on the medicalisation of society, the influence of the social environment on health and illness and health and illness behaviour. The topics include utilisation of complementary services, Healthcare practitioners and their relationships with patients and the influence of health technology.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course sensitizes you to the impact of stratification and differentiation in healthcare on patient outcomes. Topics include stratification/differentiation according to self-concept, spirituality, culture and diversity, norms, family dynamics and cultural competence as well as the link between these concepts and patient outcomes.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
The success of a healthcare system depends on communication and cooperation. Every member of the system needs to play a part in ensuring that all forms of communication are collaborative and constructive. This course covers the use of written verbal, online social media and mass media in health care.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course explores the various levels of organisation in the body, from the simplest to the most complex. It covers the functional relationships between each level needed for human health and survival. Topics include cells and tissues, cellular regulation, anatomical structures and interrelationships of human body systems. This knowledge provides a background for later more in-depth courses relating to human body systems.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course explores the integration and control of the body systems. Topics include regulatory and coordinating activities responsible for maintaining homeostasis and preventing imbalances and disease; and methods of regulation and control used by the divisions of the CNS. This knowledge provides a background to later more in-depth courses relating to human body systems.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course covers the physiological mechanisms that play a part in regulating and maintaining a stable internal environment despite changes in the external environment. This knowledge will provide a background to later more in-depth courses relating to human body systems.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course explores the physiological compensatory mechanism of the human body in an attempt to maintain homeostasis by referring to immunity, inflammation, infection, tissue integrity and development. This knowledge will provide a background to later more in-depth courses.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course explores the factors influencing patient’s physical health. It addresses aspects of how sleep (fatigue) and pain influence the patient’s physical health, including how pain may affect the patient’s ability to move. The course includes the role of exercise and recreation in improving the patient’s physical health and well-being; and the importance of oral health on a patient’s general well-being.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course is designed to enhance your ability to understand factors that influence emotions. It will equip you with the skills to identify signs of clients experiencing challenges with emotions, mood and cognition, coping, and interpersonal violence.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course covers social health, and how to actively manage and relate to oneself and others. You will be required to apply this knowledge in various contexts, and understand how perception and adaptation influence the daily activities of a professional health worker. The course also includes financial management, resilience and maladaptive behaviour such as substance abuse and its consequences.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course considers the health of both healthcare providers and healthcare users within the healthcare environment. The broader environmental issues that affect both groupings, and all people, are covered in the first two topics, namely sustainable development goals and climate change. The factors that impact physical access to healthcare services are included, as is the working environment of healthcare providers.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course explores the regulation and action of hormones of the endocrine system, and the response of this action to physiological and pathophysiological processes in an attempt to understand, manage and maintain homeostasis. Common disorders of the endocrine system, assessment and diagnosis of endocrine disorders, and collaborative management of patients with endocrine disorders are included.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course explores the pathophysiological response to diseases of the nervous system in an attempt to understand, and restore homeostasis. Topics include neurological disorders and their treatment, and their impact on the patient’s family or caregivers.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course explores the response of the body to a shift in acid-base homeostasis, either caused by or resulting from disease. Attempts to restore this balance, based on diagnostic tests as well as the interpretation thereof, are included.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course covers the spectrum and processes of cellular regulation, and the consequences of altered cellular regulation. Physiological and pathophysiological cellular growth and the management thereof within a multi-disciplinary context are included.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course explores the human body as a multicellular, biochemical life form. It covers the impact of disease and the environment on a microscopic level in an attempt to understand physiological and pathophysiological processes and the management thereof.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course explores synergetic contributors to the health of communities, including the relationship between human and veterinary health, the environment, and the consequences of humans manipulating the environment and disrupting biodiversity.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course sensitizes you to the impact of stratification and differentiation in healthcare on patient outcomes. Topics include stratification/differentiation according to self-concept, spirituality, culture and diversity, norms, family dynamics and cultural competence as well as the link between these concepts and patient outcomes.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course explores specific community and disease characteristics related to disease (acute and chronic) outbreaks. The calculation and interpretation of basic statistics relevant to epidemiology are also included.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course explores the preparation of and development of disease outbreak events; as well as the management, and containment of outbreaks at all healthcare levels. The role and responsibilities of the multi-disciplinary team and the coordination thereof are also included.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course covers the mechanisms of drug reaction, and the relationship between dose and response or its effect on the human body. Course content includes factors that need to be considered to ensure safe medication management, as well as a multidisciplinary response to adverse reactions to medication.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course focuses on the movement of drugs, from ingestion by a person, through and out of the body. This includes absorption, bioavailability, distribution, metabolism, and excretion as pharmacokinetic processes. Patient-related factors and the chemical properties of the drug contributing to the pharmacokinetic effect are included.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
The purpose of this module is to review the role of the professional nurse in the cycle of medicine management in clinical practice within the legislative framework. It comprises the functions of ordering, transcribing and storage of medication in a clinical unit as well as preparing, dispensing and administration of medication to the patient. Documenting all these functions is the final task of the professional nurse with an ongoing responsibility to monitor the response of the patient to the treatment administered.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course considers the role of the health professional in shared decision making, case management, coordination, supervision, and the provision of comprehensive patient care as a member of the interdisciplinary healthcare team.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course emphasises that all processes within health care organisations are interdependent, and that the role of each health worker is important in the system. Systems thinking provides methods for ‘seeing the whole’, and a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than objects or individuals. It helps people see healthcare in terms of patterns of change rather than snapshots of events.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course covers the concept of governance, which is a structured process used in organisations to make decisions about policy, plans, and rules of collective action to improve the quality of health services and ensure the maintenance of principled leadership and functioning. The course covers international and national healthcare governance; governance and the law; stewardship in healthcare organisations; technology and informatics in health; leadership styles, characteristics and attributes and clinical and executive leadership.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course discusses the concept of healthcare economics, which is the study of how scarce healthcare resources are allocated among competing interventions and groups in society. The course introduces concepts and practical issues faced by decision-makers at all levels in the health system in allocating scarce resources so that the choices they make maximise health benefits to the population.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course discusses community care an essential component of the health system which supports patient flow to and from healthcare facilities. Community care demands an individual consumer-centered approach to care within a multidisciplinary framework.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course will equip you to apply the theory of quality management to improve the quality of care in health-care environment. You will learn the skills to measure, manage and improve quality in healthcare, and to conduct a clinical audit.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
Health care policy guides all those who work within a very complex health care system. It helps care to be standardised and optimised. It provides for the foundation of cost-effective safe care to patients and the broader community. This module deals not only with health care law as set out by the central and provincial government but also with policies that are developed at various levels of health care. The module provides insights into the agendas that underpin laws and policies and an understanding of how law and policy guide us in the right direction.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course locates both patients and staff members as customers of the healthcare organisation. The roles and responsibilities of both internal and external customers are discussed. Structures to manage customer satisfaction information are also included.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course covers patient safety and the importance of safety in health care. You will expand your knowledge on how to improve patient safety in the clinical setting, thereby preventing or minimising incidences of adverse events, and the reduction of negative patient outcomes.
Total Fees: R6,000
Credit: 15
This course encourages an integrated perspective on the knowledge gained in previous courses related to healthcare practice. It provides an opportunity for in-depth exploration of clinical decision making to improve patient outcomes.
Total Fees: R6,000
Credit: 15
This course encourages an integrated perspective on the knowledge gained in previous courses related to healthcare practice. It provides an opportunity for in-depth exploration of issues relating to the use of evidence in improving patient outcomes.
Total Fees: R4,010
Credit: 10
This course encourages an integrated perspective on the knowledge gained in previous courses related to healthcare practice. It provides an opportunity for in-depth exploration of issues affecting the profession and professionals in health services.
FEES FOR 2025
An academic year runs from January to December and fees are subject to annual increases each January. It is recommended that sponsored candidates obtain two quotations for each year of enrolment due to the annual increments and inform their employers or sponsors thereof. Self-funded students are required to pay their course fees upfront per intake.
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Number of modules: 35
Programme credits: 360
SAQA ID: 119382