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How courses are structured

You can choose from a wide range of study routes leading to University of Hertfordshire degrees.

Types of study

  • Student getting advice in the Student Center.Full-time study – As a full-time student, you’ll attend lectures, seminars, practicals and tutorials at regular times. You will also work on independent and group assignments and spend time studying on your own.
  • Part-time study – You’ll need to be able to attend university during the day, perhaps through a day-release programme or as an individual student. You’ll also need to set aside time for private study.
  • Online distance learning – Online study gives you the flexibility to study at your own pace. You can still interact with other students and tutors online during scheduled sessions. Assessments are also scheduled at specific times. View a list of online distance learning courses
  • At a partner institution – You can study your full degree at one of our overseas partner institutions, gaining a University of Hertfordshire qualification in your home country. View a full list of our partner locations.

Types of degree

Foundation degrees/HNDs

  • Two years of full-time study.
  • Taught at local colleges in the Hertfordshire Higher Education Consortium.
  • Potential to progress onto a degree course at the University of Hertfordshire.

Find a Foundation degree.

Extended degrees

  • Three students walking past the College Lane LRC.A preliminary year at college for people who don’t have the qualifications normally needed for degree study.
  • Potential to progress onto a degree course at the University of Hertfordshire.
  • Available in Engineering and Science.

More about extended degrees.

Honours degrees

  • Usually three years of full-time study, but some two year accelerated courses are available.
  • Also called an undergraduate degree.
  • BA, BEd, BSc, BEng or LLB Honors degrees are available.

Find an Honours degree.

Sandwich degrees

  • Spend a year in employment, gaining valuable work experience between your second and final years, making your course length 4 years in total.
  • Tuition fees is not charged during the placement year.

Please view the course pages for the degree you are interested in to see if work placement is available.

Joint Honours degree

  • Student on the stairs in the de Havilland LRC.Study two undergraduate subjects allowing you to specialise in more than one area.
  • Each subject is studied equally in the first year with an option to specialise in one subject area in years two and three, this is called your major and the subject you choose to study less of is your minor.
  • Studying a Joint Honours degree takes the same time to complete, and involves the same number of modules as a standard Honours degree.

Find a Joint Honours degree.

Combined Honours degree

  • Study two, three or four undergraduate subjects in a combination that suits your interests.
  • Choose to specialise in a particular area or study subjects equally.
  • Studying a Combined Honours degree takes the same time to complete, and involves the same number of modules as a standard Honours degree.

More about Combined Honours degrees.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Programme (CATS)

  • Students build an individual study programme of modules taken from undergraduate or postgraduate degrees in the University.
  • These can include employer-based courses and other courses such as short professional updating and training.
  • You can transfer your credit points to other institutions that offer the CATS scheme if you move away from the University.

More about CATS degrees.

Masters degree (taught)

  • Research student in science lab.Taught Masters degrees are different to research degrees and involve students attending lectures, seminars, lab work or distance learning. They are also called a postgraduate or graduate degree.
  • Usually completed in one year when studied full time or two years part time. MA, Msc and MEng are available.
  • Other exit awards include Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) and Postgraduate Diploma(PgDip) which are awarded if only part of the full Masters programme is studied and passed.

Find a masters degree.

Research degrees

  • The University of Hertfordshire offers eleven named research degree awards, spanning three levels – Master’s, MPhil and Doctoral.
  • We offer one of the most diverse range of Research degree programmes in the UK and beyond.

Find a research degree.

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