A row of six university gradates holding their mortar boards in the air
Student from University of Sunderland wearing mortar board and gown

Higher Education

Why Choose EDC?

Our diverse range of higher education courses attracts students from all walks of life. Although we are smaller in size, we offer greater opportunities. Our smaller class sizes ensure that students receive more attention and interaction from our industry-connected lecturers, along with excellent support from our dedicated team.

The teaching style at EDC differs from that at university. It's less about lectures and more about fostering two-way interaction, which is crucial to enhancing our student experience.

Our vocational-based programmes focus on teaching the practical skills and abilities needed, in addition to providing key knowledge, so you can start and succeed in your chosen career pathway.

At EDC, we offer an exciting selection of higher education course programmes, a number in partnership with the University of Sunderland. Sunderland was recently shortlisted for University of the Year 2024 at the 20th Times Higher Education (THE) Annual Awards - dubbed the “Oscars of higher education”.

Funding Your Course

Don't let the higher fees of these courses put you off! They can be entirely funded by Advanced Learner Loans, which work very similarly to university loans.

You'll only start to pay back your loan once you earn over the current threshold set by the government, which is currently £25,000. Once you go over that threshold, you'll pay back an instalment on your monthly pay (the amount fluctuates depending on how much you earn).

HE Courses Offered in Partnership with the University of Sunderland

The following programmes are offered by East Durham College working in partnership with the University of Sunderland. The award that you will receive will be from the University of Sunderland. Sport, Health & Social and Counselling courses are taught at the College's Peterlee Campus and Animal Management at our Houghall Campus in Durham.

Our Foundation Degrees are university-level qualifications in their own right, equivalent to the first two years of an Honours degree. The qualification award you'll receive will be from the University of Sunderland.

And the great news is that once you’ve got a Foundation Degree, it’s possible to ‘top up’ your qualification to a full Honours degree. This usually involves an extra year studying full-time (or the part-time equivalent) at the University of Sunderland.

If you have any queries about the FdSc/BSc Animal Management course, please contact Rebecca Sweet, HE Animal Care Manager on rebecca.sweet@eastdurham.ac.uk With this degree you will continue your studies at Houghall to top up to the full BSc (Hons).

For more information on the University of Sunderland, please click here to visit the University of Sunderland website >>

Higher Education Courses in Engineering

East Durham College also offers a Level 4 HNC qualification in Engineering, taught at our Peterlee Campus. Please click the below links for more details:

Higher Education in Arboriculture

EDC offers a Level 4 Diploma in Arboriculture at the Houghall campus, in Durham, which is designed for people working in the arboriculture industry, in both the public and private sectors, to complement their training and experience, and to provide evidence of their knowledge of arboriculture.

Leadership & Management Programme

Develop your skills and experience, improve your performance and prepare for senior management responsibilities. This qualification is designed for project managers, department heads, and other practising middle managers.

Teaching

East Durham College offers one teaching-related HE programme at the Peterlee campus:

Access to HE (Higher Education)

Our Level 3 Access to HE programmes are not Higher Education courses but they can be the perfect option for adults (aged 19 or over) to get a qualification which is specifically designed to get you into university if you currently don't have the qualifications needed, such as A Levels or a Level 3 Diploma.

So, whether you're looking to gain a degree to boost your career prospects or change your career completely, our range of Access courses offer a wide range of options:

Any Questions?

Can we help with anything relating to East Durham College's Higher Education programmes? No problem - simply get in touch with us using one of the following methods:

Use our online LiveChat system on the website for a quick and easy response.

Call Student Services on 0191 518 8222

Email Us: enquiries@eastdurham.ac.uk

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