About our qualifications

Find out about the types of qualifications we offer and how long they may take. 

What types of qualifications we offer

We work hard to ensure our qualifications will help you reach your career goals.

When we develop our programmes we get input from industry and professional bodies. This helps us to ensure we teach the skills needed in today’s workforce. They are also accredited and recognised by relevant professional bodies. 

We offer the following types of qualifications:

• Certificates – which may be Levels 3, 4 or 5 and can range from 40 to 80 credits
• Diplomas – Level 5 and 6, and are usually 120 credits
• Degrees – Level 7 and are usually 360 credits
• Graduate Certificates and Diplomas – Level 7 and range from 60 to 120 credits.

We also offer certificates of proficiency, which consist of one course. These can prepare you for further study or be part of your professional development. 

What our learners say

• 85% believe their employers would consider their qualification valuable.
• 85% say their study is valuable for a future job.
• 81% say their study is valuable for their current job
• 86% say our courses are good value for money.

How long will it take?

How long it will take to complete a qualification will depend on the level you aim for and how many courses you do at a time. The flexibility of online distance learning means you decide. You’re free to do one course at a time or more. 

How many courses you will need to do depends on the qualification’s level and credit value.  For example:

• A 60-credit Certificate made up of 15 credit courses = four courses. 
• A 120-credit Diploma made up of 15 credit courses = eight courses.
• A 360-credit Degree made up of 15 credit courses = 24 courses.

About courses

• Courses are assigned credits depending on how much time and effort is needed to complete their learning outcomes.
• In general, each credit represents approximately 10 hours of study time.
• All courses have set start and end dates that you need to complete the course work and assessments within. 

If you study part time

As a guide, depending on how many courses you study at a time, if you study part- time a:

• Certificate – may take around one year
• Diploma – may take around two years
• Degree – may take six or seven years.

If you study full-time

If you study full-time (around 40 hours study a week) a:

• Certificate – may take around five months
• Diploma – may take around one year
• Degree – may take around three years.

To help you think about how much study you can fit in to your life, try our time tool:

How much time will you need