We offer many different types of qualifications to suit a broad range of entry requirements. If you have been out of education for a while, or don’t feel you meet the entry requirements of a particular degree, we have a range of flexible pathways available, with different levels of study.
Qualification levels
Qualification levels are determined by the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), based on the knowledge and skills that you learn when you complete them.
Levels start at ‘entry-level’ and are numbered from 1 to 8. Level 7 is the highest level qualification we currently offer.
| Level | Higher Education qualifications |
|---|---|
| Level 4 | Higher Apprenticeships, Higher National Certificates (HNCs) |
| Level 5 | Higher Apprenticeships, Higher National Diplomas (HNDs), Foundation Degrees |
| Level 6 | Bachelor's degrees with Honours (e.g. BA, BSc, BEng or LLB) |
| Level 7 | Master's degrees, PGCEs |
| Level 8 | Specialist qualifications such as PhDs |
Type of qualification
Bachelor's degrees with Honours
- BA (Hons), BEng (Hons), BSc (Hons), LLB (Hons)
- Traditional three-year degree programmes. Also known as an undergraduate degree.
- Duration: 3 years
Foundation degrees
- FdA, FdSc
- Foundation degrees focus on developing in-demand technical skills for a particular job or profession.
- Duration: 2 years
Higher National Certificates and Diplomas
- HNC, HND
- Both HNC and HNDs are skills-based practical qualifications that are perfect routes straight into work.
- Duration: 1 year (HNC) / 2 years (HND)
Certificates of Higher Education
- CertHE
- CertHEs are a great choice if you have professional or personal goals that mean you don’t need a full degree but some higher
education in a particular field would be useful. - Duration: 1 year
Access to Higher Education
- If you only have GCSEs, an Access course could be the starting point for you to get on to a degree-level course.
- Duration: 1 year
We also offer the following postgraduate qualifications.
Masters degrees
- LLM Master of Laws (General)
- The LLM is a postgraduate degree designed for both law and non-law graduates to enhance academic knowledge.
- Duration: Full-time 1 year / Part-time 2 years
PGCE
- Postgraduate Certificate of Education is a teacher training programme taken once you have an undergraduate bachelors degree.
- Duration: Full-time 1 year / Part-time 2 years
Full-time or part-time courses
Full-time courses are studied as your main activity, usually attending classes throughout the week. Whilst this can be equivalent to a full working week, the balance of Guided Learning and Independent Study may vary.
Part-time courses are usually the preferred option if you need to fit studying around your work or other commitments. You will have fewer study hours per week, but the overall duration of the course will be longer.
Study hours for our UCBC courses are defined overall and for each module. More information may be found on the course pages of our website.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements are different across the different levels of qualifications we offer. You can generally ‘move up’ levels by completing lower level qualifications.
To understand specific entry requirements for courses you are interested in, make sure you read the entry requirements on our course webpages.
For some courses, we will take life and work experience into account when considering applications so if this applies to you, make sure you get in touch to discuss your options.
You can also compare our general entry requirements for different qualifications.
