Course may be subject to change.
This course is aimed for people aged 19 years or over.
The Access to Higher Education Diploma is widely recognised by universities and colleges, throughout the country, as an entry qualification for degrees and many professional courses. If you do not have the formal qualifications required for degree level study then this course can help you reach your goals.
The Humanities and Social Science pathway is for progression to degrees in history, social sciences, education, law, social work and criminology, amongst others.
Entry Criteria
Ideally, you will hold GCSE qualifications, or Level 2 equivalent, in English and maths. You must hold one of these qualifications before starting the Access to HE diploma.
There is the option to study English or maths alongside the Access Diploma throughout the week – this requires a separate application.
What are the next steps?
You will be invited to meet the tutor. Please bring evidence of your relevant qualifications, including GCSE Maths, Science and English.
Study Aims
This course aims to provide you with the skills and entry qualifications needed to confidently, competently and successfully progress to study Higher Education.
Modules Studied
The course consists of graded and ungraded Diploma units. These include ungraded study skills units to ease you back into education and graded units including history, English, sociology and psychology.
Times of Delivery
2 days a week/10 hours. Any times indicated are based on current courses and may be subject to change in future years. Full timetables will be confirmed prior to the start of the course. If maths or English qualifications are needed, these will be timetabled separately.
Any times indicated are based on current courses and may be subject to change in future years. Full timetables will be confirmed at the start of each course.
Teaching and Assessment
You will study a total of 60 credits on the programme, taught in class and assessed across the year using a variety of assessment types, including essays, reports and exams.
Maths and English
See entry requirements.
What else?
We always receive excellent external moderation reports praising the quality of our Access to HE programme. Additionally national statistics show that students who study with us are twice as likely to receive distinction grades in Access to HE which puts them in an excellent position to gain a place on a higher education degree.
Recent graduates of our Access course have progressed to over 40 different degree programmes at 15 different universities. 92% of our students gain their first choice degree programme. You could progress to a social work degree at New College Durham or a variety of honours degrees at university including creative writing, history, psychology and teaching.
