Access to HE Diploma (Evening)

About this course

Have you ever thought about changing career or working towards a better career? Obtaining a Higher Education qualification can be the key to this but there are many people who for whatever reason do not possess the entry qualifications to enter Higher Education immediately.

This course is designed specifically for you. Access to HE Diplomas provide you with the academic knowledge and skills to be successful in a Higher Education environment.

In the last few years students who passed this course have gone onto a variety of university courses to pursue their dreams of a better career and life.

Under the overall banner of Access to HE Diplomas we offer 2 options. The options you take will depend on the subjects you wish to study on the Access course and also what your intended HE destination is. These matters as well as any requirements for entry to vocationally related courses such as Nurse, Midwifery or Teacher Training will also be discussed at Interview. The options we will be offering from 2009 are as follows:

Access to HE Diploma (Health Studies)
This is intended for those who wish to progress into Nursing and Midwifery but also potentially for those who wish to progress to courses related to Health professions such as Dietetics and other related courses.

Access to HE Diploma (Combined Studies)
This is intended for those who do not fall into any of the categories above and who are therefore taking a combination of modules which will qualify them for study at Higher Education level but with no clear specified vocational or Higher Education route identified.

Entry requirements

We welcome applications from all those who wish to move into Higher Education. The actual age of students on the course in recent years varies from 19 to 55; however we welcome applications from people of all ages.

Since this course is designed to help those who lack the necessary qualifications to get into Higher Education, there are no formal entry requirements. However we do need to ensure that you have the potential ability at this stage to have a reasonable expectation of passing the course. We will therefore ask you to complete some tests to assess your ability. This will not apply to those who already hold GCSEs in English Language and Maths at Grade C or above. These tests will be online and will take about 2 hours to complete. These sessions will be scheduled from April onwards and will take place in the early evening. Following these tests, on a separate occasion, we will interview you to discuss the best possible route for you to take and whether this course is right for you or whether an alternative option would be best for you.

Assessment

For each subject you study on the course you will be expected to work towards credits in between 4 and 6 units. Most of the units are worth 3 credits towards the overall requirement that you obtain 60 credits with at least 45 being at Level 3. Level 2 is work broadly at GCSE standard. Level 3 is work broadly at A level standard. If you obtain credits at Level 3 you will be told if these are at Pass, Merit or Distinction Level.

Most assessment takes place continuously throughout the course and typical assignments might require you to submit a 2500 word written assignment, compile and present a 20 minute presentation or produce an appropriate artefact or performance.

You will also have the opportunity to experience assessment in a formal examination setting to ensure you are prepared for this form of assessment which is an important form of assessment used in Higher Education institutions.

What next?

Access to HE Diploma courses enable you to gain entry to universities to study for Degrees and vocationally related qualifications enabling you to gain entry to a variety of professions. Quite a lot of our past students have used to course to move onto train as Teachers, Midwives, Nurses and other Health-related Professions. If this is your intended aim, you need to ensure you will be able to meet the requirements for entry to the various professions.

Successful completion of the course can afford entry to degree courses at universities and HE colleges throughout the country. It can also lead to further full or part-time courses within the college and you will also qualify for consideration for admission to one of the extensive range of our BTEC Higher National Diploma (HND) courses and the LLB Law degree.

Access to HE Diploma students can apply to any university and this involves registration with UCAS on www.ucas.com . You can also use this site to search for relevant university courses by subject title or region. We strongly recommend you use this facility to investigate potential HE courses and their entry requirements so we can discuss these with you at interview to ensure we provide you with the right advice to maximise your chances of gaining entry to the HE institution and course of your choice.

Among those students who successfully complete the course over 90% achieve places at their first choice of university.

We feel sure this is a high quality rigorous academic course and our External Moderators also have a very positive view of the course. One comment from the overall college Moderator from January 2011 sums this up:

"One moderator states this centre has 'one of the best provisions I have had the pleasure of moderating'. In terms of processes, procedures and course leadership I concur with this judgement"

Furthermore, students from an Access to HE Diploma background tend to obtain better degrees than the average A Level entrant.

Access to HE Diploma students come from a wide range of backgrounds: some are changing careers, others have been unemployed, but the biggest single group are mothers wanting to develop a career. Past Access to HE Students have gone on to be successful in many occupations including Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Midwifery and most especially Teaching.

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For help applying call 01905 743456