Professional Studies (Distance Learning)
University of Portsmouth
UCAS Code: Not applicable | Certificate of Higher Education - CertHE
Entry requirements
GCSE/National 4/National 5
3 GCSEs at grade C or above to include English and Mathematics/3 GCSEs at grade 4 or above to include English and Mathematics.
A typical applicant would usually have post-school higher education such as an HNC, or equivalent, or part of a degree course, together with appropriate work experience.
A typical applicant would usually have post-school higher education such as an HNC, or equivalent, or part of a degree course, together with appropriate work experience.
About this course
If you want to gain a University-level qualification alongside your job without committing to a full Bachelor's degree, this Professional Studies Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) distance learning course is ideal.
You'll develop transferable skills in your choice of subject, boosting your career prospects while you improve your performance at work. You can tailor the course to match your professional and personal aspirations and your employer's objectives. You'll get to put the skills you learn to work instantly in your job, contributing to the success of your company.
The course is work based, so you'll need to be in a full-time, part-time or voluntary role to do it. You can study online wherever is most convenient for you and schedule your studies around your existing commitments.
A CertHE is equivalent to the first year of a full-time BA or BSc Bachelor’s degree. When you complete the course, you'll improve your career prospects and have the skills and knowledge to perform more effectively in your job. You could also put the credits you gain towards a BA or BSc Bachelor's degree.
**What you'll experience**
On this course you'll:
- Choose either technical skills or business skills pathway
- Study modules 120 credits over 2 years (60 credits a year)
- Study flexible modules and topics that match your personal and professional goals, as well as your employer's objectives
- Develop your ability to analyse problems, research and propose solutions, and make important decisions
- Improve your communication and research skills
- Complete a work-based learning (WBL) project that forms part of your daily workload, which ensure that the knowledge you develop is relevant to your employer's business
- Get an optional 1-day induction in Portsmouth or an online induction
- Develop your learning plan with the University and your employer, so you can make an effective contribution to your workplace as you learn
- Have full access to our student support services and community including study support, sports and recreation facilities, and the Students' Union
- Tap in to our Library's electronic resources, which you can access from anywhere with a Web connection
- Choose a workplace mentor to support your learning – someone at work who can offer advice, guidance, and moral support
- Have support from an academic tutor specialising in your area of study and a University learning manager who oversees your programme
- Use online tutorials and lectures to help you with study skills, including your analytical and writing skills
**Careers and opportunities**
When you finish the course, you'll have the skills and knowledge to advance your career with your current employer and boost your long-term career prospects.
You could also use your qualification to enter further study, by applying for one of the Learning at Work degree courses where you can study 240 credits to achieve a Bachelors degree in your chosen subject.
You can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.
Modules
Year 1
- Effective Communication – 20 credits
- Foundations of Business – 20 credits
- Learning Management and Study Skills – 20 credits
- Technical Foundation or Business Foundation – 20 credits
Year 2
- Work based project Level 4 – 40 credits
- Reflective professional – 20 credits
Assessment methods
The way you're assessed will depend on which modules you take and the work-based learning projects you do.
The Uni
University of Portsmouth
Faculty of Technology
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.
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.
Business and management (non-specific)
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.
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Engineering (non-specific)
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Business and management (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.
Top job areas of graduates
As only a small number of students take courses in this subject area, there isn't much information on what graduates do when they finish, so bear that in mind when you review any stats. Management, finance and business roles are common, but it's a good idea to ask tutors what previous graduates taking specific courses went on to do when you're at an open day.
Engineering (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.
Top job areas of graduates
As a mixed subject within engineering where students get a chance to learn from a range of disciplines, this course isn't taken by as many people as some of the more specialist disciplines. Demand for engineering skills is high, though, and so unemployment rates are low and the average starting salary was a very healthy £26,400 for 2015 graduates. Graduates are able to specialise enough to be working in jobs in engineering — especially in design and development - as well as engineering project management. IT and management consultancy were some of the more common jobs outside engineering. Bear in mind that a lot of courses are four years long, and lead to a MEng qualification — this is necessary if you want to become a Chartered Engineer.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Business and management (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.
£22k
£27k
£34k
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.
Engineering (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.
£27k
£31k
£38k
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.
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Higher entry requirements
Lower entry requirementsThis is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
