Further Education is for people aged 16+ and leads to nationally-recognised qualifications, both academic and vocational. Many qualifications are linked closely to the needs of employers and professional bodies, but many also provide a route to university courses.
Further education colleges usually offer a range of full-time and part-time vocational courses as well as more academic and higher education courses. Many of the courses provide qualifications that are accepted for entry into UK universities.
Undergraduate courses at British universities usually last three years, leading to Bachelor or ‘first’ degrees. The academic year begins in September or October and ends in June. The year is traditionally divided into three terms, although in recent years many institutions have moved to semesters. All institutions accept overseas students on a competitive basis. Most accept applicants with Greek qualifications.
There are two main types of taught postgraduate course: Masters programmes, which normally consist of classes and seminars plus a dissertation; and diploma or certificate courses, which consist of classes and seminars (sometimes the same taught elements as a Master's course), but with no dissertation. Some diploma courses enable you to transfer to a Master's when you have successfully completed them.
A research degree is the ultimate opportunity if you want to pursue your own specialist interests. You'll be expected to initiate and develop your topic under the supervision of one or possibly two academics. To be successful, you'll need to demonstrate intellectual independence.
You can also choose to study for many UK qualifications through distance and supported open learning programmes, where you work through the course at home in your own time with the help of printed study materials and videos, CD-ROMs, audio tapes and web-based resources. You communicate with your tutor and sometimes with other students by mail, e-mail, web chat room and/or fax. On some courses, you may also need to attend some classes at a local educational institution in your own country or come to the UK for a brief period. Download our Part-time and Distance Learning information sheet (PDF) for a list of participating institutions.
Please note: The information sheet can be viewed using Adobe Acrobat. If you do not have this already installed on your computer, a free copy can be downloaded from the Adobe website.
Over 700,000 people a year travel to the UK to study English. It's easy to choose a course, easy to register and easy to enrich your life with the culture, friends and welcome you'll find in the UK. Find out more.
Download our Education Information Sheets or visit our comprehensive Education UK website for detailed information on institutions, courses and other areas of interest.
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