What are the different types of university degrees? (2024)

Degree Apprenticeship – Level 6

An undergraduate degree apprenticeship is a Bachelor's degree course, designed to give you skills that will be in high demand in the near future. It's a part-time course that you study alongside your current job, paid for by your employer and the government, so there's no financial cost to you.

You'll study 360 credits, exactly the same as the standard Bachelor's degree, and do a major work-related project as part of your course. Entry requirements and the length of your study vary, depending on the course you choose, but you will need a current, relevant job and can expect to spend 1 to 5 years on your degree.

Search our degree apprenticeship opportunities. Degree apprenticeships are also available at Master's level.

Graduate Certificate (GradCert) – Level 6

A GradCert is the same level as a Bachelor’s degree, but is more limited in scope, so takes less time to complete.

They're usually available in specific subjects that are work-related, such as psychology, management, counselling or law. A GradCert helps you develop skills and knowledge in a single subject to prepare you for your career.

A GradCert typically takes 1 year to complete, part-time.

Integrated Master's degree – Level 7

If you want to become a specialist in your subject, and know you want to study to Master's level, doing an Integrated Master's degree helps you achieve your ambition.

It takes 4 years to complete, or 5 with an optional placement year, and combines an undergraduate degree with a postgraduate year. You graduate with a Master's qualification, such as MSc, MEng, MOpthom or MMath.

Top-up degree– Level 6

If you have a level 5 qualification such an HND, a foundation degree, or successful completion of 2 years of degree study you can take a top-up degree course to build on this study and get a full honours degree (level 6).

Top-up degrees are shorter; they're normally completed in just 1 year, but can take anything between 1 and 2 years depending on your starting point and whether you're studying full or part-time.

Some of our top-up degrees (those in business communications) are specifically for students whose first language isn't English.

If you have a lower qualification but you have extensive work experience in a relevant sector we may sometimes consider this for a top-up degree.

Foundation degree – Level 5

If you're already working and want to boost your skills to take on more ambitious roles, a Foundation degree, or FdA, is a great way to earn while you learn. Foundation degrees were created to help bridge the gap between college and university, and bring more people from vocational routes into higher education.

FdAs are Level 5, so sit just below a Bachelor's degree, but once you complete a Foundation degree, you'll be able to ‘top-up’ to a full Honours degree with extra study when you're ready.

Entry requirements vary depending on the subject. You might need qualifications such as A levels, or industry experience. Admission is usually assessed on an individual basis, to make sure you've got the required background knowledge and skills you need to complete the course.

Higher National Certificate (HNC) and Higher National Diploma (HND) – Level 4 and 5

Studying an HNC or HND can give you the theory and skills you need to succeed in your current or future job. A Higher National Certificate or Diploma is ideal whether you want to launch straight into your dream career, or jump-start further study by joining a degree programme mid-way through.

HNCs generally take a year to complete, and are equivalent to the first year of study of an Honours degree. HNDs take 2 years and are equivalent to the first 2 years of an Honours degree.

Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) and Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) – Level 4 and 5

A CertHE or DipHE is a stand-alone qualification that's usually awarded if you don't want to commit to a full degree. You get a CertHE for 1 year of full-time study, worth 120 credits, and a DipHE for 2 years of full-time study, worth 240 credits.

A CertHE or DipHE might be useful for getting a job, depending on the profession, as they're equivalent to other qualifications. For example, a DipHE in Business and Management is comparable to an NVQ 4 Diploma in Business and Administration.

You can use a CertHE or DipHE as a stepping stone to a full degree, and you might be able to skip 1 or 2 years of a degree course. You still need to make sure you meet the entry requirements of the course you're interested in, and find out whether your previous studies are transferable.

Certificate of Education (CertEd) – Level 4

If you want to pursue a career as a teacher in further education or training, then you need a CertEd. It opens the door to teaching roles in colleges, sixth-forms, private training providers, public services and voluntary organisations. You can also top up your certificate to a BA (Hons) Education and Training degree with further study.

You need a level 3 qualification in your subject, such as A-Levels to get onto a CertEd course. It generally takes 1 year of full-time study, or 2 years part-time through our partner colleges.

What are the different types of university degrees? (2024)

FAQs

What are the 4 types of degrees? ›

The four types of college degrees are associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees. Colleges classify associate and bachelor's degrees as undergraduate degrees and master's and doctoral degrees as graduate degrees.

What is a 8 year degree called? ›

An “eight-year degree” typically refers to a doctorate degree or PhD.

What is the lowest degree in college? ›

Academic degree levels in order are associate degree, bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctoral degree.

What is a 4 year degree called? ›

Designed to be completed in 4 years, bachelor's degree programs provide in-depth knowledge and skills across a wide variety of career paths to help you stand out in today's competitive job market. Bachelor's degrees are in high demand.

What is a 6 year degree called? ›

Bachelor's or Baccalaureate Degree

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

What's a 2 year degree called? ›

An associate degree is a two-year college degree that you can obtain from a community college, junior college, online university, or some four-year institutions in the US. In terms of education, an associate degree falls between a high school diploma and a bachelor's degree.

What is a 3 year degree called? ›

Associate's Degree - an award that normally requires at least 2 but less than 4 years of full-time equivalent college-level work. Bachelor's Degree - An award (baccalaureate) that normally requires at least 4 but not more than 5 years of full-time equivalent college-level work.

What is the longest degree to get? ›

Doctoral degrees, such as a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D.) or a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), typically take the longest to earn. These degrees can require anywhere from 4 to 10 or more years of postgraduate education, depending on the field of study and the individual's progress.

What is higher than a PhD? ›

In many countries, the D.Sc, a higher doctoral degree, is earned a few years (about 6-8 years) after the Ph. D. Once their graduate has higher academic titles with published innovative research, they can easily compete for top-ranked positions at global levels.

What is the most unpopular degree? ›

Among the least common majors in the US between 2020 and 2021 was Architecture and Related Services with only about 9,296 students earning their degree in the major. The area of study focuses on engineering, art, drawing, designing, the theory of design, layouts, and the history of architecture.

What is the hardest degree to get? ›

What are the most difficult university degrees in the world?
  • Chartered Accountancy.
  • Astrophysics.
  • Quantum Mechanics.
  • Law.
  • Aerospace/ Aeronautical Studies, Engineering.
  • Biomedical Studies, Neurosciences, Biochemistry.
  • Nursing.
  • Dentistry, Medicine.
Nov 17, 2023

What is the easiest college degree? ›

10 Easiest Bachelor's Degrees of 2024
  1. Business. Interested in an easy major with many career options? ...
  2. Communications. As a communications major, you'll study mass media, public relations, and journalism. ...
  3. Criminal Justice. ...
  4. Education. ...
  5. English. ...
  6. General Studies. ...
  7. Health Science. ...
  8. Liberal Arts.

What are the degrees in order? ›

In order of level of education, they rank as associate degree, bachelor's degree, master's or graduate degrees, and doctorate or professional degrees.

What is a masters degree called? ›

Postgraduate/graduate master's degrees (MA/M.A./A.M., MPhil/M. Phil., MSc/M.S./SM, MBA/M.B.A., LLM/LL. M., MAsc, etc.) are the traditional formal form of master's degree, where the student already holds an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree on entry. Courses normally last one year in the UK and two years in the US.

How long does a Masters take? ›

On average, students take about 18 to 24 months to complete a master's degree. Some programs are geared so that a full-time student can finish in a little over a year. On the other hand, some students prefer to go at a slower pace and choose to take several years to complete their studies. What's normal?

What are the degrees highest to lowest? ›

In order of level of education, they rank as associate degree, bachelor's degree, master's or graduate degrees, and doctorate or professional degrees.

Which degree is the highest? ›

A doctoral degree (Ph. D.) is the highest level of degree, often requiring several years of research and study beyond a master's degree. The length of time and course hours needed vary depending on the focus of the study.

What are the 4 types of degrees and years? ›

Types of academic degrees
Academic degreeTypical completion time
Associate degreeTwo years
Bachelor's degreeFour years
Master's degreeTwo years
Doctoral degreeFour years
1 more row
Oct 17, 2023

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