UCAS higher education conventions Exeter Westpoint Arena 15- 16 March 2010 Cornwall Tremough Campus Falmouth 17 March 2010 Bristol University of the West of England Frenchay Campus 18- 19 March 2010 Dorset Bournemouth University 22 April 2010 These events are organised by UCAS and HELOA ( the Higher Education Liaison Officers' Association) in conjunction with Connexions Services. They are attended by the majority of universities and colleges within UCAS, as well as by organisations that support the student experience. For further details of these and other careers fairs contact your local Connexions Service - see back cover for addresses. " I wish I'd taken the opportunity to learn more about HE, talking to uni students, and getting their perspective before applying" - 1st year student, Manchester Metropolitan University. For Your Diary 7

8 Degree courses Qualifications in Higher Education The minimum entry requirement for an honours degree course is typically two A Level passes, or other appropriate level three qualifications including a BTEC National Diploma/ Certificate, an OCR National Diploma, an Advanced Diploma or a Baccalaureate, although exceptions are made for mature students. It is also possible to progress onto a degree course from a Foundation degree, HND or Diploma of Higher Education. For degrees in art and design a foundation diploma or certificate may be asked for. For some courses, passes and grades in specific subjects at both GCSE and advanced level may be required. Appropriate additional studies may be required to support vocational courses. Note that key skill qualifications are accepted by all higher education institutions but are not a requirement for entry to higher education courses. Most degrees normally take a minimum of three years ( four years in Scotland) to complete on a full- time basis. There are, however, some degree courses which take four or five years, normally involving some form of industrial placement. Degrees in dentistry, medicine and veterinary science last for five or six years. A course with a full year spent in industry between years two and four is known as a thick sandwich. A course involving termly blocks of industrial placements is known as a thin sandwich. There are many different types of degree: Single - the in- depth study of one chosen subject, although one or more subsidiary subject( s) may be taken. Joint- two subjects are studied with the time split fairly equally between them. The subjects may or may not be closely related. Combined - where more than one subject is studied. Time may be spent equally between subjects, or one may be a major with the other as minor( s). Modular - a programme based on individual units of study ( modules) which are accumulated and contribute towards the final award of a degree. Interdisciplinary - a combination of courses across a variety of disciplines to build up a degree programme, e. g. human sciences BSc, natural sciences BSc, and biomedical sciences BSc. Studying for a degree can lead to a variety of qualifications, including: BABachelor of Arts BScBachelor of Science BSocSciBachelor of Social Science BEdBachelor of Education BEngBachelor of Engineering BA/ BScBachelor of Arts or Science with with QTSQualified Teacher Status BNBachelor of Nursing LLBBachelor of Law MEngMaster of Engineering - a higher degree usually lasting 4/ 5 years FdAFoundation Degree ( Arts) FdScFoundation Degree ( Science)