What is Higher Education?
The third, post-secondary stage of education is divided into two parts: A refers to Higher Education and B refers to Further Education. Post-secondary education is the stage where the students receive education in the college, university, or vocational/tech schools. It’s the qualification that is available at the degree level in colleges and universities.
Higher education is also referred to as third level education. To pursue it, the student should have completed the school level education. Almost all the higher education qualifications take around three to four years to complete. The successful completion of higher education qualification, i.e., undergraduate, postgraduate degree is later followed by further education. Here, you can move on with a doctorate degree.
Higher education qualifications give you a chance to proceed with your desired career. It provides you with complete freedom to choose a subject of your interest and pursue your studies.
Higher Education Qualification
The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) contains all the main higher education qualifications, which are mainly range from Level 4 up to Level 8 of the FHEQ. Below are the main qualifications under higher education:
- Undergraduate qualification
- Postgraduate qualification
- Higher National Certificates (HNC)
- Higher National Diplomas (HND)
- Foundation degrees
- Certificate courses and other academic awards that are granted by universities or higher education college excluding doctorate degree
- Other qualification with levels ranging from 4 to 8
Let’s have a look at the most frequently used terms when it comes to higher education,
Bachelor’s Degree: It is an undergraduate academic degree that comes after completion of a three to four years course. Bachelor Degree can be obtained in areas such as art, science, business administration, accounting and finance, international hospitality management, etc.
Master’s Degrees: It is an academic degree that can also be referred to as a postgraduate degree. It requires around one to three years to complete the course. In the UK, postgraduate courses consist of higher-level courses and a major research project. This level of education mainly focuses on the research project.
According to recently standardised European system of higher education, a usual graduate programme should take two years to complete, providing that the applicant has already completed their undergraduate studies. Further completion a postgraduate degree can help the student to continue their education further.
Doctorate Degree: It is an academic degree of the utmost-highest level.
Doctorate Degrees can be obtained in two ways: as a Research or Honorary degree. Research doctorate is awarded in recognition to the academic research. The work is of a publishable standard and its outcome contributes significantly towards academic field. It is assessed by the submission and defence of a doctoral thesis.
Honorary doctorates are awarded for a substantial contribution towards a specific area, which is not necessarily academic or education related.
Higher Education as a Choice
The completion of high school education pushes every one of us towards the key decision of the career we need to pursue for a better future. We have to decide whether to continue into higher education or not. In such a dilemma, it is better to approach the department of education, available in almost all the colleges and universities, which provide guidance depending upon your passion.
Apart from this, other professions such as law or speech therapy require you to have an additional postgraduate qualification. It is always better to select the subject that drives your interest to gain knowledge in a certain area. Moreover, studying for higher education qualification can also help you develop skills and qualities that employers value, as they mainly focus on problem-solving and communication skills. Thus, it is always better to go with the career of your choice for the best future.
Does Higher Education Provide Life and Work Experience?
Well, it is not always preferred to have academic qualifications as the gateway to higher education. Some universities do accept life and work experience as an alternative to a formal qualification. In case you apply for an Access course, a foundation course or foundation year, work experience may be taken into consideration.
A higher education qualification can improve the earning potential by giving a wide range of openings and a rewarding career. So, if you are still in doubts whether to pursue your higher education, or not – the answer is definite Yes! It is the best choice to move forward.
I hope this article would has shed some light on the topic of higher education. It is vast topic, but we tried to cover it in the best possible way to give you a better insight.
