Are you thinking of enrolling in the university system in pursuit of knowledge? Are you aware of the various certificates that are awarded through the university system? We shall be taking you through the various categories of certificates that you are going to come across in the university system without leaving out any of them. This will throw more light into what you are going to come across when you get into the university system.
The foundational degrees
This can be completed in two years of full-time study. They are short degree courses and are equivalent to two-thirds of an honors degree. They are vocational and are designed to assist students to gain professional skills which are of help in furthering the career of the students.
HNDs and HNCs
They are regarded as undergraduate degree programs but take less time to conclude. They attract less credit when compared to full undergraduate degrees. HND is equivalent to the first two years of a degree program while the HNC is equivalent to the first year of the degree program.
Undergraduate bachelor’s degree
This is the qualification that you are going to get if you chose not to pursue your study to the level of obtaining a second degree. The majority of the undergraduate degrees are known as bachelor’s degrees. The classifications are based on ‘BA’; ‘BSc’ and ‘LLB’. They are all equal in value. The abbreviations that you see above are just a mark to differentiate the degrees according to the subject that you studied.
Undergraduate Bachelor’s Honors Degree
This is a standard three years degree that is worth 360 credits. It is different from a BA or BSc which is comprised of 300 credits. The classification of degrees that around include the following:
- Fail
- Pass without honors
- Third class honors
- Second class honors
- First-class honors
Single Honors Undergraduate Bachelor’s Degrees
If you want to dedicate yourself to the study of a single subject; then you will go for the degree mentioned above. There are some slight exceptions to this rule which can be seen through courses such as PPE. It involves the study of three subjects at a go – Politics, Philosophy, and Economics.
Combined Honors Undergraduate Bachelor’s Degrees
If you desire to take two or even three subjects at a go; then you will get your desires met through this certification. Separate modules are required here and each of the subjects will be taught by different departments in the university system.
The above represents all the degrees at the undergraduate level of study. You can choose any among the list above in furtherance of your pursuit of academic excellence.
Postgraduate Degrees
This is a course of study that you are going to choose after the completion of your undergraduate degree if you chose to build on what you have gained through the undergraduate years. The most common here are master’s degrees. It involves one to two years of study in the university in other to gain 180 credit qualifications.
It must be noted that some undergraduate degree programs have a master’s program fixed into the module. It is also possible to study for PG Certificate or PG Diploma courses. They attract a short time frame of between 6-12 months and they attract 60 or 120 credits of Masters.
The Ph.D. comes next after the master’s degree has been achieved.
Final thoughts
The totality of what makes up the award of degrees in the university system has been described above.