Higher education refers typically to university education. This is what occurs once you have finished compulsory education, and university applicants must be 18 years old or over in order to be part of higher education in the UK. Qualification for higher education usually occurs via A-Levels, and, to a lesser extent, GCSEs. The rule of thumb to consider here is that typically further education will be necessary before you make the step into higher education.
Higher education culminates with the awarding of professional certificates to indicate success in a particular subject or discipline. The courses at higher education level typically last a minimum of 3-4 years, and involve plenty of research assignments, and exams. In the UK, there are a few distinctive qualifications, such as a Bachelor’s degree, Masters, PhD, and a PGCE, and these indicate different aspects of the educational system, as well as the kind of qualifications that have been attained.
The UK educational system
Understanding the UK educational system is important for helping you make decisions about your future in education, or for parents trying to decide the best route for their children to take. This is something that you need to consider when it comes to looking at the best ways of being able to factor this in as much as possible. Getting a good education is essential for opening up more doors for the future, and it’s important for looking at the right way of being able to achieve this.
The best thing you can do is to think about some of the best ways the educational system works, and the options that are open to those looking to learn once they have finished school. There are two main options that you need to think about, and those are further education and higher education. So we are going to look at these two, what they mean, the differences between them, and what you can do to access higher education online as well.
Differences Between Higher and Further Education
The main difference between higher and further education is that further education refers to tertiary learning offered at non-degree level. For instance, things like college and Sixth Form would be classed as further education. Now, typically it is the case that people will take further education options in order to help set them up to study at higher education level. Further education provides learners with the skills necessary for industry, whilst higher education learning tends to be more theoretical.
Another key difference is the fact that higher education involves fees, whilst further education tends to be free. Indeed, the cost of higher education is getting very expensive these days, with some of the UK’s top universities charging up to £11,000 per year! The entry requirements for higher education tend to be more rigorous, and they often involve sitting exams and getting the highest possible grades. Generally further education acts as an entry or preparation process for higher education, and this is the most common way in which you will find it utilised in the UK education system these days.
Access to Online Higher Education
Now, it is not always necessary to go to university in order to benefit from higher education in the UK.
Indeed, there are a lot of options you can consider in our Higher Education area.
Online higher education courses are vital in a post-COVID world, and they offer so many options for people looking to improve their education options and enhance their future as much as possible. You have so many things that play a role in helping you to achieve the best possible options that can help you improve this.
Mature students can also benefit from the online access to higher education, allowing them to improve their education even though they may not be able to attend university.
Understanding these differences is important when it comes to improving the way in which you are able to secure more education for yourself, or your kids.
There is a lot to consider here, and this is something that you need to keep in mind as much as possible.
