Advice and information that can help you to find the right course

Choosing a subject and course to study can seem a daunting task. There are so many choices to make that you may feel overwhelmed by it all.

Deciding upon a course which will suit you requires plenty of research. You may be lucky enough to know which subject you would like to study, but there are thousands of students who ask the same question: what should I study? Below are some points to consider before making that all-important decision.

Find a course which matches your interests, career aspirations and talents

There is no one course which suits everyone, so we know how important it is to find the right one for you. The best way to decide what you would like to study is to ask yourself the following questions.lecturer in class


  • Which subjects interest me?
  • What are my talents?
  • What job would I like to do after attending university or college?
  • Which academic skills would I like to improve?

Having an answer to any of these questions is a good starting point, but do not worry if you cannot answer them all. The Stamford Test is a short questionnaire which can help to match your interests and abilities to possible higher education subjects. Many students find this extremely helpful when trying to make up their minds.

Some professions require specific subjects to be studied at higher education level. If you know what career you would like to do in the future, research the job in detail to see if any qualifications are essential.

Choose the type of qualification that suits you

When people consider higher education, they tend to think of degree courses. There are, however, several other qualifications that can be gained at university or college. The main courses offered are:

  • Certificate of higher education: the first year of a degree course;
  • Diploma in health: a three-year course specialising in health-related courses, for example, midwifery and nursing;
  • Higher National Diploma (HND): a two-year course, which, if completed with high grades, can lead to the third year of a degree;
  • Foundation degree: a two-year course for vocational subjects, starting at 'year 0', which prepares a student for a degree;
  • Degree: a three- or four-year course where graduates obtain a bachelor's degree. There are different titles and levels of degree, such as:
    BA - Bachelor of Arts
    BSc - Bachelor of Science
    BEd - Bachelor of Education
    BEng - Bachelor of Engineering
    Ordinary/Honours - this can vary between universities and colleges, although generally an 'Ordinary' or 'unclassified' degree may be awarded if a student has completed a full degree course but hasn't obtained the total required passes sufficient to merit a third-class Honours degree. In Scotland, an 'Ordinary' degree is usually a three-year full-time course, whereas an 'Honours' degree is usually a four-year full-time course.
  • Postgraduate: courses for graduates, which involve one or two years' additional work after a degree and lead to a master's degree. A longer period of postgraduate study is required for specialist degrees, for example, graduate entry to medicine.

Consider combination courses if you would like to study more than one subject

If you are interested in more than one subject, you may be able to study a combination as part of your course, e.g. English literature and psychology. You can use the Course Search section of this website to find out which combinations are available.

You can often decide for yourself how much time you would like to spend on each subject.

Joint: the two subjects are studied equally, ie 50/50

Major/Minor: the time spent is usually 75%/25%

Explore the subjects that you are interested in to discover a wide range of courses

Once you have chosen one or more subjects that you would consider studying, the next step is to choose a course that includes these subjects. At this point, choosing a course becomes more exciting, because at the higher education level, you can study more than just core subjects, such as mathematics, English, chemistry. These subjects branch out into more creative and varied courses.

For example, if you enjoy chemistry at A level, you may want to look into studying chemical engineering, environmental chemistry or forensic science. If you prefer English, you could study English literature, journalism, creative writing or primary school teaching.

There is much more to choose from: find out how much using Course Search.


Combine work in industry with study on a sandwich course

Certain vocational courses include a year of working within the industry as part of the course. This will usually be for the third year of a degree course or the second year of an HND and, depending on the employer, may be full-time paid employment. The purpose of this is to introduce you to the world of work, whilst gaining valuable experience in a profession you might consider after completing your higher education course.


Learn a language and build your confidence while studying abroad

With some four-year language courses, you get the opportunity to study abroad in your third year. This allows you to learn the language of another country while living in that country, which will improve your understanding and is a great experience.

Whilst studying abroad, you would probably work within a school, teaching English. You would be assigned to a teacher who would help you throughout the year. Not only does this strengthen your language skills, it can also improve your confidence and independence. If you study two languages, you may be able to spend time in each of the two countries.

Specialist admissions services you may choose to use

Some higher education courses are recruited through different specialist admissions services.

CUKAS - Conservatoires UK Admissions Service

If you are interested in studying a music course, you may wish to consider applying through CUKAS. CUKAS is an admissions service which provides practice-based music courses which are run at UK conservatoires.

GTTR - Graduate Teacher Training Registry

If you are considering becoming a teacher, you are eligible to apply for a postgraduate teaching course if you are a degree graduate, or will complete a degree before the postgraduate course starts.

UKPASS - UK Postgraduate Application and Statistical Service

This service is open to anyone wanting to apply to postgraduate courses at the universities and colleges listed on the UKPASS website.