Ways to study towards a degree

We offer a number of different options to allow you to study for your higher education qualifications and onwards towards a degree, including: 

Start your degree journey at school 

Did you know you can study a college course as part of your timetable while you are still at school? 

All of our courses are designed to help you develop skills needed for both Higher Education and 

employment, and allow you to be an independent, self-motivated and creative critical thinker. 

You don’t have to wait until you finish school to start thinking about what you want to do afterwards. You can start your pathway to a degree at school through Higher National Certificate (HNC) courses which are offered through our School College Partnership and are the equivalent of year 1 of a university degree. 

In many cases, it means you can study on campus where you’ll experience college life, learn new skills in our state-of-the-art facilities, and study a range of Higher National subjects such as Accounting, Applied Science and Business. 

All our courses are chosen to allow you to move on to a degree course either at Fife College or with one of our university partners so you get the skills you really need for your future career. 

To find out which courses are available at your school visit our school partnership pages

Studying your HNC/HND with us 

We offer a wide range of HNCs and HNDs across all subject areas. Successful completion of these courses gives you a valuable qualification which could lead you into a new job or advancement in your existing job. 

Progressing from college to university  

Fife College offers over 550 routes to degree programmes in partnership with a wide range of universities across Scotland and the UK.

You will usually see these referred to as an Articulation Route. This is a pathway between a full-time higher national course, such as an HNC or HND, and a degree course, which has been formally agreed between the College and a university.

If an articulation route is in place, it means that you could get direct entry onto a degree course - with an HNC you could get direct entry to year 2 at university, and with an HND you could move straight to year 3.

Studying for your full university degree at Fife College 

Once you have successfully achieved your HND, in some subjects we offer the option to complete your full degree with us here at Fife College.

This is called a Franchise or Validated Degree, and they allow you to study for your full university-awarded degree at a Fife College campus. This means you can keep all your costs down, but also benefit from using partner university facilities like libraries, open days and even some lectures, and you’ll get a fully accredited Ordinary or Honours degree awarded by the university at the end of your studies.

The following franchise degree opportunities are currently available at Fife College:  

 

In partnership with Abertay University: 
  • BA Accounting with Finance 

  • BA (Hons) Accounting with Finance 

  • BA Business Management 

  • BA (Hons) Business Management 

  • BA Learning Difficulties/Disabilities 

We also offer degrees which are validated by Queen Margaret University: 
  • BA Creative Enterprise (this degree allows progression from 12 different creative HNDs)

  • BA Childhood Studies

  • BA (Hons) Childhood Studies

  • BA Childhood Practice (part-time study degree for SSSC-registered practitioners with at least two years’ experience of working within an Early Learning and Childcare setting) 

 

Plus if you have successfully completed HND Social Sciences at Fife College you also have the option to study your third year on campus for the following Open University degree: 
  • BA (Hons) Social Sciences* 

* This degree follows the English model and allows an Honours degree to be completed in one year following successful completion of your HND.