Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE)
Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
A CertHE is a stand-alone qualification and programme of study that will help you familiarise yourself with a range of subject areas before committing to a specific degree programme, not only will it develop your academic skills without committing to a full degree, but it will gain you a University award which can help with career prospects or progression.
CertHE’s can be used as a steppingstone to a full degree, and you might be able to skip 1 or 2 years of a degree course. You still need to make sure you meet the entry requirements of the course you’re interested in and find out whether your previous studies are transferable.
Foundation Degree (FdA) - Level 5
Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
If you’re already working and want to boost your skills to progress in your chosen career path, a Foundation degree, or FdA, is a great option to earn while you learn. Foundation degrees were created to help bridge the gap between college and university and attract more people from vocational routes into higher education.
FdAs are Level 5, so sit just below a bachelor’s degree (BA), but once you complete a Foundation degree, you will be able to ‘top-up’ to a full Honours degree with extra study when you are ready.
Entry requirements vary depending on the subject. You might need qualifications such as A levels, or industry experience. We’ll asses you on an individual basis and as part of this you may be asked to provide a portfolio of work-related evidence to make sure you’ve got the required background knowledge and skills you need to complete the course.
Bachelor's degree (BA Hons) – Level 6
Duration: 3 year full-time
Bachelors or BA (Hons) degrees are the most common type of undergraduate degree. It’s what most employers mean when they’re looking for an ‘undergraduate’ in job advertisements.
You know you are looking at a bachelor’s degree when you see titles such as Bachelor of Arts – BA (Hons) or Bachelor of Science – BSc (Hons)
The (Hons) bit stands for Honours. This generally means you study for 3 years and includes a major project or dissertation in your final year.
Entry requirements vary depending on the course, but you usually need relevant A levels, or equivalent qualifications, or work experience in the subject you want to study.
Master’s (MA or MSc) – Level 7
Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
A Master’s is the most popular postgraduate qualification and includes titles such as Master of Arts – MA and Master of Science – MSc.
If you already have a bachelor’s degree (BA) and want to continue your studies, a master’s degree is the logical next step. It can enhance your skills and employability helping you become an expert in your chosen subject.
UCAS Points
In order to measure scores and grades across qualifications, like most universities and higher education providers we use the standardised UCAS Tariff system to translate these into UCAS points used in the application process.
The higher the points, the higher the grade achieved in that qualification. Points can be gained through many different types of qualifications and give you a guide to prioritise possible your course choices to research in more detail.
Calculate your UCAS Tariff points
Don’t have enough UCAS points?
Don’t worry! If you have substantial work-related experience in your chosen area of study, we will take that into consideration during the application process. To us, you are an individual not just a name and applicant number on a piece of paper and we welcome applications from people of any age who might not meet the standard entry criteria. As part of the application process, applicants will be asked to submit evidence to demonstrate ability and suitability for the course.