Degrees You Can Do at the University

Have you recently completed high school/college and want to pursue further education at the university? That’s a plausible idea because obtaining a degree broadens your horizon, perspectives and provides lots of employment opportunities. But have you also thought of the degree you want to get?

There are several options to look at, being it a foundation degree or an honors degree. So, how do you know the right one for you? Well, this article will guide you through the different kinds of university degrees, their eligibility, and which one to choose.

Foundation Degrees

These are short academic courses, mostly vocational, which takes two years of full-time duration to complete. The awarded qualification after the course is equivalent to two-thirds of an honors degree. The degree was introduced to help persons seeking to gain a professional skill to enhance their vocational careers. It also allows students to gain theoretical knowledge of their work.

Foundation degrees are also best for a student who wants to learn a new skill or switch professions. It is also much easier to pursue a full honors degree after acquiring a foundation degree. Hence, it an excellent leaping ground if you currently don’t meet the grade requirement for an honors degree. That aside, if you are not sure of the course to undertake, you can use it as a preparatory ground.

HNDs and HNCs

The HND and HNC have lower credits than a full undergraduate degree and take a shorter duration to complete. Receiving an HND is equal to the first two years you spend for a degree, while HNC is equivalent to the first year. These degrees are career-oriented and prepare students for a specific profession.

Undergraduate Bachelor’s Degrees

Undergraduate degrees are mostly referred to as bachelor’s degrees. This is the degree universities award after pursuing a full course. Certifications include Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc), and Bachelor of Law (LLB), among others. It is worth 300 credits.

Undergraduate Bachelor’s Honours Degrees

An undergraduate bachelor’s degree with honor is received when you undertake a particular project or write a dissertation during your undergraduate course. This degree is worth 360-credit unlike the 300-credits for a general BSC or BA. After the course, a student is given BA (Hons) or BSc (Hons). Currently, most universities offer degrees with honors.

Single Honours Undergraduate Bachelor’s Degrees

Some students wish to major in a singular subject, e.g., Math or English, and that’s a single purpose honors undergraduate bachelor’s degrees serve.

Combined Honours Undergraduate Bachelor’s Degrees

If you wish to major in more than one subject, pursuing a combined honor degree is the best option. With this, you have the chance to pick separate sections for each subject, which would be taught in different schools of your university. If you decide to do a BA in English and History, you will have both your English lessons at the School of English and History lectures at the School of History within the same university.

Postgraduate Degrees

As the name suggests, a postgraduate degree is a further qualification taken after receiving an undergraduate degree. It is more of a specialized course for a subject area. Postgraduate degrees include:

Master’s degree: To receive this degree, a student must undertake a further one or two years of studies in a specialized field after his/her bachelor’s degree. You need to gain up to 180-credit to have this qualification. That said, some undergraduate degrees and masters are linked; hence, you can pursue them together. Qualifications obtained after a master’s program include an ‘MSc’ (Master of Sciences) and ‘MA’ (Master of Arts), etc.

A PhD: this is the highest qualification you can gain in education. It is done after a successful master’s degree.