Higher Education at Fareham College

You don’t have to go to university to achieve a Higher Education (HE) qualification. At Fareham College, we provide a variety of HE programmes which offer an affordable, skills-based route to achieve nationally recognised qualifications at Level 4 or above.

Whether you are already in employment and want to progress your career, or would like to study a completely new subject, our flexible programmes are available via a range of delivery methods and in collaboration with leading universities to help you achieve your goals.

Higher Education programmes delivered in UK colleges tend to be more practical, technical courses such as Higher National Certificates and Diplomas (HNCs and HNDs) and foundation degrees, most of which are run in partnership with a university, and often allow students to continue to a full degree through a ‘top-up’ course.

Most of our HE courses only take two years or less to complete and can cut the cost of attending university significantly. This mode of study offers you valuable real work experience, up-to-date skills and specialist knowledge, all within a highly supportive learning environment.

Why choose to study Higher Education at Fareham College?

Around 10% of all undergraduate Higher Education is delivered in Further Education (FE) colleges, with around 187,000 students studying HE at a college in the UK. Providing a friendly and supportive learning environment, Fareham College’s HE provision offers you a range of benefits:

  • Lower tuition fees than university
  • Smaller class sizes
  • Location and convenience – you can choose to remain closer to home, thus reducing further living expenses
  • Flexible study options including part-time and distance learning
  • Progression programmes through to full degree qualifications
  • Increased focussed teaching and contact house with individual dedication study support also available.

Who are Higher Education Courses for?

Our HE courses are suitable for people from many walks of life and various stages in their education or career. Students aged 18 who are leaving college having completed a Level 3 course may choose to continue their studies with us at Level 4 or above. (Note – we do not provide student accommodation, so students continue to live at home while they study.)

Almost 30% of students studying at Fareham College are over 25 years old and are already employed or looking for a career change. A high proportion of these students study an HE qualification with us part-time, alongside other responsibilities, such as their current job and family commitments.

We provide a very high level of teaching and learning support for students on HE programmes and do our best to accommodate individual needs wherever possible.

Please note: We will accept a student transfer from a Higher Education course provided by a UK Higher Education provider to the same/different Higher Education course provided by Fareham College with the appropriate prior attainment. This will be reviewed in line with our Recognised Prior Learning Policy.

Fareham College will provide evidence of any Higher Education study undertaken, or a level of achievement on a course prior to leaving, to any student transferring from a Fareham College Higher Education course to another UK Higher Education provider.

Higher Education Levels Explained

To help you choose the right course for you, below is a breakdown of the course levels and corresponding qualifications available at Fareham College.

Access courses are designed for those wishing to enter degree level study, but who lack the relevant qualifications and work/voluntary experience. Our Access courses will enable you to develop the knowledge and skills needed to progress to university-level study.

Foundation Degrees are degree-level qualifications which combine academic study with work-place learning. They are designed in conjunction with employers to ensure you are equipped with the relevant practical skills and knowledge alongside theoretical understanding. There is the option to progress to a BA (Level 6) Top-Up on completion.

National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) are ‘competence-based’ qualifications where you learn practical, work-related tasks designed to help you develop the skills and knowledge to do a specific job effectively. Undertaking an NVQ could be suitable if you already have skills and want to improve them, or if you are starting from scratch in a particular field of work.

Professional Diplomas enable you to develop existing professional skills at a higher level in order to enable career progression. Some courses require membership of an institute or awarding body.

Higher National Certificates (HNC) are one- or two-year programmes for those working in technical jobs and for those whose role is to train or develop others. These enable progression to study at Higher National Diploma level.

Higher National Diploma (HND) courses focus on advanced practical learning and theoretical knowledge. They equip you with the necessary advanced skills to start or develop your chosen career or facilitate competence in managing and training others. Mainly assessed through assignments and practical tasks, they offer an alternative to degree-level study, are competitively priced and highly valued by employers. On successful completion, you may have the option to progress onto the final year of study at a university to achieve a degree-level qualification.

Access to Higher Education

If you are considering undertaking an HE course, either at college or university, but do not already have the relevant entry requirements, we also offer Access courses in the following areas to help you achieve the qualifications that you need:

  • Access to HE
  • Access to HE – Health Professionals (available both in college and online)
  • Access to HE – Science (available both in college and online).

We have an excellent success rate, with almost all our Access students progressing onto Higher Education on completion of their course.

Online Courses & Distance Learning

For some of our Access courses there is the option to study online via a distance learning format, allowing increased study flexibility and reducing the need to come into the College. In order to study in this way, you will be required to have a personal email address and reliable, up-to-date IT equipment to access the learning and assessment materials. You will also need to be committed and motivated to set time aside for personal study.

You will learn and be assessed using an online platform which provides you with all the teaching materials required to study at your own pace to suit your lifestyle. Throughout the course you submit assessments onto the platform which are then marked by your tutor. You will also have regular contact with your tutor and receive support to help you throughout your distance learning journey.

Whilst much of the course can be undertaken remotely, there are also a number of set group tutorials throughout the year allowing you to visit the College, meet others studying the same subject and gain additional support from your tutor.

Assessment Process

HE courses are assessed in a variety of ways depending on the course, level and specific subject area you are studying. You will generally be assessed using some or a combination of all the following assessment methods:

  • Coursework, written assignments, essays or research projects
  • Written reports, case studies and reflections
  • Presentations
  • Portfolios of work/ professional skills record
  • Work-based observations
  • Timed exams, skills tests or controlled assessments.

Please check individual course details for further information as to the specific modes of assessment used for a particular course.

Student Facilities

All students have the use of the College’s range of impressive facilities, including the Learning Resource Centre and on-site Gym 141. You will also have access to a variety of software applications to support your studies as required, including free access to Microsoft Office 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud.

Tutorial Support & Learning Environment

Teaching will generally take the form of lectures, discussions and group work, and you should also be prepared to undertake a significant amount of self-directed learning. You will be assigned a personal tutor who will agree performance targets with you and support you to achieve these targets. Your tutor is also the first port of call for any study or pastoral issues, and there is a wide range of support available at the College for HE students.

Our Higher Education learning community is a close-knit group of learners who benefit from socialising in an educational environment, working collaboratively on projects and supporting each other throughout the duration of their course.

University Partnerships

We are proud to have strong affiliations with the University of Chichester, University of Portsmouth and Solent University which accredit many of our HE courses. This means that, although much of your study will be delivered at Fareham College, you will officially graduate and receive your qualification from the partner university. You will benefit from access to some of the course-specific facilities at the university and have lectures, tutorials and workshops with university lecturers as part of your qualification.

*University partnerships are in place for the delivery of certain Early Years, Engineering and Media courses – please check individual courses details for further information.