Get degree ideas using our A level explorer tool

Interdisciplinary Studies with Preparation for Higher Education

Entry requirements


GCSE/National 4/National 5

Maths and English at grade C/4 or above

About this course


Course option

1year

Part-time | 2024

Subjects

Social sciences

Study skills

This is an extended degree course for mature students looking to return to study and wishing to progress to a range of degrees (both full and part-time) in the social sciences, arts, or healthcare.

Preparation for Higher Education (PHE) is a one-year part-time foundation year that provides a supportive environment to help you prepare for the transition to Level 1 university study and gain the academic knowledge and study skills you’ll need to succeed.

Designed with mature students in mind, the foundation year usually runs on two evenings a week with some Saturday teaching, so you can study whilst balancing your other commitments. You will be taught by friendly and supportive staff from the Lifelong Learning Centre, with experience in working with adult learners.

On successful completion of the foundation year, and subject to meeting the requirements of your progression, you’ll continue to year one of your chosen degree course. Recent cohorts have progressed to a variety of full-time and part-time degrees in the Lifelong Learning Centre, social sciences, humanities, and healthcare.

Lifelong Learning Centre Support
We know that many mature and part-time students face unique challenges including balancing academic study with family and employment commitments. For that reason, the Lifelong Learning Centre provides specialised guidance, advice, and support to mature and part-time students, from pre-application right through to graduation and beyond.

The Uni


Course location:

University of Leeds

Department:

Lifelong Learning Centre

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

100%
Social sciences
88%
Study skills

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Social sciences (non-specific)

Teaching and learning

96%
Staff make the subject interesting
100%
Staff are good at explaining things
96%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
96%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

92%
Library resources
100%
IT resources
76%
Course specific equipment and facilities
92%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

100%
UK students
0%
International students
21%
Male students
79%
Female students
90%
2:1 or above
9%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
A
B

Personal development

Teaching and learning

65%
Staff make the subject interesting
90%
Staff are good at explaining things
96%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
60%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

93%
Library resources
89%
IT resources
95%
Course specific equipment and facilities
71%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

20%
UK students
80%
International students
46%
Male students
54%
Female students
19%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
C
E

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Social sciences (non-specific)

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
97%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

9%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
9%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
8%
Public services and other associate professionals

This section covers a range of subjects that are often very different, so if you have a particular course in mind, the data here might not fully reflect the possible outcomes from your particular choice. Graduates from these subjects tend to do similar sorts of things to graduates from other social studies courses, so welfare and community roles are common, as are education, whilst graduates also often go into management, marketing and HR jobs and jobs in the police, and employment rates are good in general — but talk to course tutors and attend open days and try to get stats for the course you’re interested in.

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Social sciences (non-specific)

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£20k

£20k

£24k

£24k

£29k

£29k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.

Explore these similar courses...

Share this page

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here