When you hear “degree”, do you automatically think “university”? Many people assume that you have to go to university if you want to continue your studies up to degree level, but in reality, that’s not the case.
In fact, last year more than 150 students completed their degree studies closer to home, by studying with Fife College.
An impressive 110 Fife College students overcame the disruption caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, and successfully achieved an Ordinary Degree, with a further 41 students achieving an Honours Degree during academic year 2019-20.
This was possible due to franchise partnerships that the College has with Abertay University and The Open University, allowing students to study for several degrees entirely at a Fife College campus.
These partnerships give students living in Fife local access to degree studies, cutting down on travel or accommodation costs that may be applicable if they studied elsewhere.
Iain Hawker, the Assistant Principal for Quality and Academic Partnerships at Fife College said: “It’s great news that so many students were able to achieve their degree at Fife College in the last academic year.
“The disruption caused by the pandemic wouldn’t have made things easy for them, but we’re delighted to have helped over 150 people achieve their goal of completing a degree or honours degree.
“Each year the College helps hundreds of students work towards a degree closer to home.
“It allows each of them the chance to study in a more familiar setting, while also cutting down on potential travel or accommodation costs.
“With our courses also offering more flexibility in how students complete their studies, it’s proving to be a popular route for many people in the region.
“If anyone in Fife wants to start studying for a degree but is unsure of the best way to do so, they should contact the College now and we can talk them through the options available to them.”
The number of degrees that can be studied at Fife College is growing every year. This academic year saw the introduction of a brand new BA (Hons): Creative Enterprise degree course, which is awarded by Queen Margaret University and is only available in Fife.
The Creative Enterprise degree allows HND students from 12 different Creative disciplines including photography, furniture design and jewellery to continue their studies at the College’s Glenrothes campus for a further two years to achieve their BA Honours degree.
In addition to degrees that can be studied in full at a Fife College campus, the College also offers defined routes to degree courses in partnership with 15 higher education institutions across Scotland and beyond, with HNC and HND courses allowing students to progress directly to second or third year of a university course.
Taking this route to a degree offers more flexibility, with College students able to take their studies a year at a time, gaining recognised qualifications for every year of study, rather than make a four-year commitment from the outset.
You can find out more about the wide range of degree opportunities on offer across all subject areas, by visiting the Degrees pages of the Fife College website.
