Choosing a Higher Education Course

There are four stages to choosing the right HE course: deciding the type of course, the subject, the mode of study and the institution.

1. Choosing the Type of Course

When choosing which course to study at college and university, you'll need to decide what type of course you wish to take. The courses open to you will generally depend on your existing qualifications or previous work experience, but you'll also need to consider which qualifications suit your need the best.

Many people take Honours degrees, such as a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) qualification, but there are many other options, such as Foundation Degrees, Higher National Certificates or Diplomas (HNC or HND) or Certificates or Diplomas of Higher Education (CertHE or DipHE). Find out more details about each of these awards in Level 4-6 Qualifications .

You may need to think about the length of each course option; Bachelor degrees generally take three years to complete, whilst a Master's could take an additional year or even two. In comparison, HNCs and CertHEs usually take just one year of full-time study.

It's also important to consider your long-term career aspirations - think about which type of course will give you the best chance of entering your chosen career.

Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. Malcolm Forbes (1917-1990)

2. Choosing the Subject

You will need to choose which subject (or subjects) you are going to study. Given that you could be studying this subject over a number of years, you should ensure that it really interests you so that you will stay focussed and motivated. You will also need to make sure that the subject supports the kind of career you hope to follow afterwards.

There is a vast range of subjects available in HE, some of these, such as Medicine, Accountancy and Law, can lead straight into a career (vocational), whilst others are academic, for example, Maths, English, History or Philosophy.

Students usually study one academic subject (single honours) or two (joint honours), although combined honours degrees are becoming increasing common, which allows students to follow a range of subjects.

If you're interested in finding out more imformation about a whole range of subjects that may be studied in Higher Education, why not browse through this handy subject guide to find out what's right for you?

3. Choosing the Mode of Study

Courses can be delivered via various modes of study, and it's important to think carefully about the style of learning that best suits your needs and commitments. Options include learning full-time, part-time or through flexible learning routes such as distance learning or e-learning courses.

4. Choosing the Institution

Finally, you need to choose the college or university at which you are going to study your subject. This will involve not only thinking about the institu...