HE Courses

Foundation Degrees (FdA/FdSc)

In response to changing skill levels and career patterns for the jobs of tomorrow, flexible lifelong learning opportunities are needed to meet employers' and learners' demands in certain vocational areas. In conjunction with employers, Bournemouth University has developed a range of new Foundation Degrees. These Foundation Degrees are HE qualifications (some of them replacing HNCs and HNDs) to attract people from different starting points and groups currently under represented in Higher Education. They will provide progression opportunities to Honours degrees and to further professional qualifications.

Foundation Degrees offer a combination of higher technical skills, applied academic knowledge and work-based learning alongside the development of transferable skills which prepare learners for employment in specific areas (such as financial services, health and social care, tourism and leisure, IT, and culture, media and sport).

This full-time course is vocationally based and involves two years of study and relevant work experience. This degree can also link into the final stage of a University Honours programme. Foundation degrees have flexible entry requirements and many offer a part-time study option.

Diploma in Higher Education

This forms the first two years of a three year Honours Degree. The College has a special arrangement with the University of Winchester for Students studying for a Dip HE in English with the opportunity to progress to their final year at Winchester.

Top Up Courses

A top up is usually a 1 year course, which enables you to convert your existing HND or Foundation degree into a Bachelors degree by completing one final year of study at University.

Honours Degrees (BA/BSc/BEng/LLB)

These usually involve a full-time course of study for three or four years (some degrees include a year for work experience and/or study abroad; teaching degrees with qualified teacher status are four years). Degrees in Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry and Architecture take five to seven years.

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

An HNC is a 1 or 2 year course of study with part-time options available in many subject areas. The HND is a full-time two year course, which can link into the second or third year of an Honours degree, or lead to employment in the chosen area of study. Work experience is usually an essential part of the course.

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