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Level 3
Access Diploma in Engineering
COURSE OVERVIEW
The Access Diploma in Engineering is a one-year intensive course designed to give you the knowledge and skills to move into Higher Education.
The Engineering qualification has been designed in order to let you pursue your goals at degree level.
This course will seek to develop you as an independent, confident individual and will look to give you skills that cover all of academic university life, as well as determining where you can go, supporting your progression to Higher Education.
You will also be developing a wide range of academic study skills on the course, from essay writing to using ICT, leading you towards the Independent Academic Study unit, where you will have the chance to experience what producing a dissertation will be like, once you move onto university.
FURTHER INFORMATION
You must be over 19 on the 1st September and must have a minimum GCSE grade C (Grade 4 or above) in Maths, English Language. You will also be invited to an interview with a course teacher, to discuss your individual needs and progression routes.
Universities prefer Access applicants to have gained a reasonable amount of relevant work experience and/or life experience, when they apply for a degree level course. It would be advantageous to your application if you have work experience within the Engineering Industry.
It is important to ensure you will realistically be able to manage the course workload alongside any other commitments in your life. Being a mature student is extremely challenging but also highly rewarding if taken up at the right time and with the right plans and support in place. You will need approximately 30 hours per week (term time) to manage the course workload.
The Access Diploma is intended to provide progression for those who have been out of education for some time on a variety of degree courses. Full support will be given in completing your UCAS application.
Successful completion of this course will allow you to enter most institutes of Higher Education, including HNC, HND & Degree pathways. The progression routes from this Diploma could include, but are not limited to, degrees in:
- engineering
- physics
- chemical engineering
- civil engineering
- mechanical engineering
- electrical engineering
- electronics
- mathematical sciences
You will be fully supported with your university applications by your course leader and the College’s Progression Plus team. This will include an introductory and personal statement focussed workshop, drop-ins available with the Progression Plus team, personalised feedback on your personal statement, and a unique academic reference provided by your course leader.
Your course will be assessed through a combination of exams, practicals, workbooks, presentations and assignments, giving you an opportunity to develop in a range of assessment skills that are commonly found in HE. There is no end of year exam. The course is credit based and each unit has a number of credits attached to it; 45 of the 60 credits will be attached to graded units on a Pass, Merit, Distinction basis.
Every assignment issued will have a set deadline that needs to be met and there will be one to one or sometimes small group tutorial opportunity before submission. These tutorials should be prepared for by producing a plan for the assignment, noting any questions you need answering and where appropriate bringing some draft work that can be reviewed by the subject lecturer.
The College has some funding each year for 19+ students to access, where eligible, that can help pay for things like books and travel expenses. An application to this funding can be made once you join the course in September.
There is a course fee, which most students cover with the Advanced Learner Loan. This can be applied for online from June onwards and is not awarded based on income; eligibility criteria include being over 19 years of age and having lived in the UK for 3 or more years directly before applying.
For some applicants, this will be their first level 3 course and , if they are aged between 19 and 23 years of age, this will mean a level 3 entitlement offer, where no fee is charged.