Higher Education Courses

The number of people entering higher education has risen dramatically in recent years. One in three 18 year olds now starts a higher education course and people with Higher Education qualifications are likely to earn more and are less likely to be unemployed than people without this level of qualification.

Students often decide to take a break from education before starting a Higher Education course. This is often referred to as a Gap Year.

Finding the Right Course

There is a far wider range of courses to choose from at Higher Education level than there are at school - which can make deciding the right course difficult. The main types of undergraduate Higher Education courses that are available are:

2 year Higher National Diploma (HND), Foundation degree or Diploma in Higher Education (Dip HE) courses
3 year Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree courses
4 year sandwich degree courses, which may include a year abroad, a year in industry

You will need to ask yourself many questions before you start applying to university. These may include:

Why do I want to go to university?
What do I want to study?
Where do I want to study?
How do I want to study?
Do I need to have studied particular subjects at A level?
What grades do I expect to get at A level?
Will my course help me enter the career that I want?

Many people need to take additional training or studying following their first degree, so that they have acquired the vocational skills to enable them to enter a particular career.

You can find out which universities offer which courses by going on-line and using the UCAS website.

Additional websites which will help you research your Higher Education choices include: