The Awarding Bodies - Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland

Awarding Bodies are organisations that are authorised to make awards, certification, or award qualifications

Listing Awarding Bodies

WhichCollege.ie provides an overview of awarding bodies operating in Ireland, the UK, and internationally. While many postgraduate qualifications are issued by organisations with statutory authority, a wide range of professional bodies also grant their own awards linked to advanced study. Although most Irish courses lead to qualifications from domestic awarding bodies, some programmes result in international or non‑Irish awards, depending on the institution or field of study.

A number of Irish institutions act both as education providers and as awarding bodies in their own right. This includes the Irish universities and the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), which have the authority to confer postgraduate qualifications.

An academic award (whether a degree, diploma, or certificate) is granted when a learner successfully completes a recognised programme of higher education at undergraduate or postgraduate level. These awards are issued by designated awarding bodies and are aligned with the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). The NFQ distinguishes between major and non‑major awards, with the latter covering minor, special‑purpose, and supplemental awards.

Major awards represent the primary qualification type at each NFQ level and correspond to substantial learning achievements. Examples include an Honours Bachelor Degree at Level 8, a Master’s Degree at Level 9, and a Doctoral Degree at Level 10.

Recent legislative changes have streamlined Ireland’s qualifications system, reducing the number of statutory awarding bodies. The responsibilities previously held by organisations such as the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA), the National Council for Vocational Awards (NCVA), Solas, Teagasc, CERT, and Bord Iascaigh Mhara have been consolidated under the awards councils FETAC and HETAC.

Below, WhichCollege.ie outlines the awarding bodies responsible for certification across Ireland and the UK.

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The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) approves education programmes for nurses and midwives. The NMBI plays a pivotal role in the education of nurses and midwives in Ireland.

Education courses

Undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in nursing and midwifery in Ireland’s 14 Higher Level Institutions (HEIs) must comply with the standards and requirements set down by NMBI.

Continuing Professional Development

NMBI approves shorter courses. These include Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses. These are run in a variety of hospitals, health care settings and other settings. In addition, these are increasingly run online. Nurses and midwives who complete such courses can enhance their learning across a wide range of specialities. This allows them to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

NMBI works in collaboration with stakeholder bodies. As a result, they ensure that nurse and midwife education programmes achieve a high standard. One such collaboration is with HSELand, the Health Services Executive online portal. HSELand offers online learning programmes, resources, assessment and planning tools that support health care professionals. NMBI have had a role in developing some of the course materials for nurses and midwives.

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