Course Types

Higher Education courses usually lead to a level 5 qualification or higher. A HND is equivalent to Level 5 and a degree is equivalent to Level 6. Higher Education courses are usually studied at University, Specialist College (for example an agricultural college) or Higher Education College. It is even possible to study a degree at Further Education Colleges, normally in partnership with a university.

You have the choice of studying a Higher Education course full time or part time. There is even the option to study via distance learning, for example via the Open University, in this situation you work from home and work is sent electronically or via the post.

Once you obtain a degree you will then be considered a graduate, and there are often graduate opportunities open to you within specific sectors e.g. engineering.

If you are interested in learning more about Higher Education the following websites can help you:

There are many types of course that you can choose from within Higher Education, here we will summarise the most popular types of courses that are available, but if you go to the UCAS website you can find out more information.

Degree

As mentioned previously a degree is equivalent to level 6 and it will take you between 3 and 4 years to complete. There are some universities that are offering 2 year courses, these are condensed courses with less breaks, they are normally much more intense, but it can be a cheaper option for students worried about their finances.

If you want to do a course in medicine, dentistry, veterinary science or architecture you are looking to be studying for between 5 and 6 years full time, it can be double if you want to study part time and work at the same time.

Your first degree will normally be known as a Bachelors or Honours degree. Your degree will either be a Bachelor of Arts (BA), or a Bachelor of Science (BSc). If you take a vocational degree it will normally take the qualification from the subject area for example Bachelor of Education (BEd) which is a degree that you may take if you decide you want to go into teaching, or Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) if going into engineering.

With some university courses it will take 4 years to complete and can lead to a Level 7 qualification, this is normally known as a masters degree. These include degrees such as MEng (Masters in Engineering).

If you do decide the teaching is the career you would like to go into then you are looking at a course that will last between 3 and 4 years. You can either get a BA or BSc degree and then obtain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) via a PGCE or one of the many alternative routes that are currently available. If you know from the start you want to teach then you may do a BEd qualification as mentioned above.

Below is a list of ways in which a degree course may be offered:

  • Single Honours - where you study just one main subject i.e. Business
  • Joint Honours - where you study two main subjects ie Business and Law.
  • Combines Honours - where you study two or three subjects.
  • Modular Course - students can build up their degree through the completion of a number of units, which can lead to the completion of a specialised course or a wide ranging one, depending on the subjects the student decides to take.
  • Sandwich Course - normally a 4 year course where students are given a year of practical training, for example if you are studying a language you may have the chance to go to the country the language is spoken to study.
  • Foundation - this gives students the opportunity to change to another subject when entering Higher Education. This means if you want to become a doctor but you have A Levels in Performing Arts, and History, you may be able to take a foundation year in medicine which will give you the scientific background you need to go onto to complete a degree in medicine.

Foundation Degree

These are degrees that are based around work, and help you to develop the skills and knowledge needed for a specific job.

A Foundation Degree is equivalent to taking the first 2 years of a Bachelors degree. Once complete you can either go straight into work or you may choose to go on to complete the full degree. You can find out more about foundation degrees from the UCAS Website and look at the Foundation Degree Course Search.

A foundation degree may be a good option for students that are not confident enough initially to move onto a full degree, and are looking to go into work as quickly as possible.

Certificate of Higher Education (Cert HE)

This is a one year course and is equivalent to completing the first year of a Bachelors degree. If you do well and feel that you want to learn more it is possible upon completion to move onto the second year of your degree course.

Diploma of Higher Education (Dip HE)

This is a two year course that is equivalent to completing the first two years of a Bachelors degree. Like a Cert HE you can continue onto the third year of a degree course upon completion of the Dip HE.

Professional Diploma

This is a course that will teach you the specific skills and knowledge in order for you to go into a certain career, such as accountancy, journalism or music. Depending on the subject you will find that it lasts anything from one to three years.

Higher National Diploma (HND) or Higher National Certificate (HNC)

These are vocational courses and during the courses you will be taught the skills and knowledge needed for a particular area of work. A HNC will normally take a year to complete, while a HND will take two years to complete. Completion of a HNC can lead to you starting the second year of a degree, while a HND will be able to let you start on the second or even third year of a degree.

Vocational and Non Vocational Courses

Not only do you need to consider what type of qualification you want to study after post 16, you also need to consider whether you want to study a vocational or a non vocational course.

What’s the difference?

  • Vocational - this is a course that will prepare you for a specific job or career. For example a course that teaches you to become a Vet, or even a more general course such as business.
  • Non Vocational - this is a subject that will be useful for a variety of career choices, an example would be English Literature or Mathematics. These are sometimes known as academic subjects. These may be a good choice if you are not quite sure what career you are looking to move into and want to leave your options open.

What you decide really depends on your career plans. For some you have to go down the vocational route, but for others more general degrees will be perfectly acceptable to employers.

You also need to ensure you research the career you are interested in, some will require you to study further after you first HE course, and is known as Post Graduate study, and example of this is a PGCE which is a Post Graduate Certificate of Education which is needed if you want to go onto become a teacher, or if you want to be a solicitor you will need to complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC).

You can visit the Prospects website - www.prospects.ac.uk/careers.htm This website will explain what opportunities are available to graduates, and what career options are available based on the Higher Education qualification you have obtained.

Entry Requirements for Higher Education

Depending on the course you choose to apply for, there will be different entry requirements. For most the minimum requirement is a level 3 qualification, this could include A Levels, International Baccalaureate Diploma or BTEC National Diploma. Some organisations may also accept NVQ level 3 or 4.

Normally courses will expect you to obtain particular grades in order to be accepted onto their course, they may even go as far as to expect you to complete specific subjects. This is something you need to research to ensure that you are heading towards the requirements needed. Not all institutions will expect the same, so make sure you check out all the universities or Higher Education Colleges you are interested in attending.

A foundation degree doesn’t have a set entry level, that said it is normally expected that you have a level 3 qualification or relevant work experience related to the course.

You may also consider distance learning colleges such as the Open University, they often have different requirements - check out their website for more information if this way of learning interests you. It is also advisable that you visit the Entry Requirement page on the UCA website.

UCAS Points

There is a UCAS points system that helps you gain entry onto Higher Education Courses. There are points given to different qualifications which allows universities and colleges to compare students with different type and levels of qualifications.

The benefits of the points system include:

  • Different types of qualifications can be compared in a fair way.
  • Points can be added together from the different qualifications.
  • It is constantly updated as new qualifications are added and updated.

You need to know that the achievement of particular UCAS Points will not necessarily mean automatic acceptance onto a Higher Education Course.