Smash your career goals with these 13 higher education courses
From the latest online-only degrees to on-campus studying in spectacular locations, we’ve rounded up a selection of cutting-edge institutions to get you on the path to success
Whether you’re looking to enrol in a course that you can do alongside your day job or an elite summer school to help take your skillset to the next level, these contemporary universities prove that fit-for-purpose learning is the way forward.
Get an award-winning education in London’s historic Docklands
Having recently been crowned the winner of The Herald’s 2022 Higher Education Institution of the Year Award, the University of West Scotland (UWS) is no stranger to accolades, with the school also featuring in The Times’s Top 600 Universities Worldwide (2022). Now, students south of the border can enjoy the perks of UWS’s award-winning education at the university’s newly expanded London Campus.
Located in the heart of the capital’s storied Docklands area, and just a one-minute walk from East India DLR station, the modern campus features a stunning atrium, with light and airy teaching spaces and great views across the city. There’s also a wealth of breakout and study areas, perfect for interaction and collaboration with UWS’s international cohort of students.
Find out more about the revamped UWS campus
Soak up campus life in leafy London
With its enviable location in a pretty corner of south-west London, the University of Roehampton offers the benefits of a communal campus experience while giving students access to some of central London’s world-class learning and employment opportunities.
Invaluable placement options across all degrees give students the chance to build real-life career skills, and with affordable on-campus accommodation, buzzing social areas and free bus services for commuting students, the University of Roehampton ensures everyone has what they need for an outstanding education.
Book an open day at the University of Roehampton
Learn beyond the classroom
Historically, most people base their decision on what university they’d like to go to on the quality of learning that’s provided on campus. These days, however, it’s the opportunities available to students beyond the four walls of a classroom that can really make a university stand out.
The University of Kent understands this better than most, which is why a number of their undergraduate degrees offer a year of studying abroad or a year in industry. With campuses in Canterbury and Medway, the institution – which has recently been named a top 50 university in the Complete University Guide 2023 – offers an inclusive, supportive and diverse student experience. Students enrolled here can spend their downtime visiting Kent’s painterly beach towns, with central London less than an hour away by train.
Find out more about the University of Kent
Get a degree that’s tailor-made for today’s world of work
The London Interdisciplinary School (LIS) is challenging traditional Higher Education with a revolutionary, problem-centric bachelor’s degree. The course is designed to give students a wide-reaching, purpose-led undergraduate education that readies them for the ever-changing world of modern industry.
How? Course subjects will be taught with an increased focus on today’s hottest issues, including sustainability and inequality. What’s more, students will be given the chance to work with organisations that are tackling these challenges in their workplaces through annual internships brokered through LIS to build their CVs and networking abilities prior to graduation. If you want to learn a range of subjects and gain industry experience that could help you stand out from the crowd, apply now at and be part of a new institution.
Find out more about the London Interdisciplinary School
Learn the Oxford and Cambridge way
Want to follow in the footsteps of Darwin, Newton and CS Lewis? Then why not enrol in a summer course hosted at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge? Oxford Summer Courses was founded by two Oxford alumni who wanted to share their experience with the world by offering enriching learning experiences in more than 50 subjects.
Courses take place in historic teaching buildings across each city in June, July, and August, and are tailored for students aged between 13-24, with the vast majority taught by former Oxford and Cambridge students.
Find out more about Oxford Summer Courses
Set sail for success at this Thames-side university
With courses in everything from psychology and creative writing to data science and artificial intelligence, New College of the Humanities (NCH London) is perfectly placed to equip students with the skills and knowledge desired by organisations and employers.
A vibrant, state-of-the-art campus is located in London’s spectacular St Katherine Docks, placing the very best of the capital on the university’s doorstep. NCH London has ranked highly for overall student satisfaction in the UK’s National Student Survey for the last three consecutive years. Contact the university now to see if it can make you an immediate offer to start your degree this September.
Find out more about NCH London
Get ready for a career in property investment
If you’ve ever considered packing in the rat race to be a professional in the property game, Touchstone Education could help you on your way. A UK leading property investment education company, its “Wealth Through Property” online course offers guidance on key investment strategies, as well as teaching students how to build a flourishing business in the sector.
Furthermore, it also offers the chance to network with like-minded people you may choose to invest with further down the line. They say there are 10 income streams investors can use to build a property portfolio, and Touchstone Education could be the key to accessing each one.
Find out more about Touchstone Education
Get your master’s from your laptop with a 100% online degree
Whether your career interests lie in business, law, education, public administration or health care, the University of Birmingham offers the strength and variety of 100 per cent online postgraduate programmes to suit your individual ambitions.
Ranked within the world’s top 100 universities (QS 2023), recognised as one of the top universities in the UK for social policy, biology and computer sciences (QS 2022), and boasting the first online MBA and online MSc programmes to receive AMBA-accreditation, the University of Birmingham is working to set a new standard for progressive and cutting-edge distance learning. Currently accepting applications for the October 2022 intake, discover the range of online postgraduate degrees the world-class institution has to offer today.
Discover the range of online postgraduate degrees the University of Birmingham has to offer today
Build a successful career in the music industry
With an impressive alumnus including pop singer George Ezra and Irish band Fontaines D.C., BIMM Institute (formerly British and Irish Modern Music Institute) is a leading music college with campuses in the UK, Ireland and Germany. One of Europe’s largest and most connected music institutes, students can choose from an array of courses such as songwriting, electronic music production and music business, as well as joint honours degrees such as music performance with music production.
Every course is designed with the help of industry partners and advisors to reflect the ever-changing needs of employers. For 40 years, experienced music lecturers have equipped students with the knowledge, skills and unrivalled industry connections to build a successful career in the music business.
Find out more at BIMM Institute
Reap the rewards of an online master’s degree
There are plenty of benefits to enrolling in an online degree. One of which is the fact that you can change career without needing to quit your day job as you can work the courses around your schedule. The University of Bath’s flexible online master’s courses offer teaching in six cutting-edge industry topics, including applied economics, artificial intelligence, business analytics, computer science, engineering management and entrepreneurship management.
Once enrolled, students get to enjoy the benefits of the university’s teaching expertise while getting in-depth insight into the latest industry innovations and methods. The University of Bath is ranked sixth for graduate prospects by the Complete University Guide 2023 and seventh in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.
Find out more about the University of Bath’s online master’s courses
Learn from finance industry experts
Banks and financial institutions have become an integral driver of technological and digital innovation, helping society tackle critical issues such as sustainability, all while becoming an increasingly diverse, innovative and welcoming sector to work in.
If this sounds appealing, why not study with the industry experts at the London Institute of Banking & Finance? The institute has been educating bankers and finance specialists for more than 140 years, with students today receiving the latest knowledge and skills from academics who’ve all had successful careers in the industry.
Learn more about kick-starting your career at the London Institute of Banking & Finance
Learn a skill for the future
With a number of world-leading infrastructure projects like HS2 currently underway across the UK, experts predict that roughly 120,000 engineers, project managers and digital designers are needed to help see these developments through to completion. The National College for Advanced Transport & Infrastructure (NCATI), part of the University of Birmingham group, is offering the specialist skills and qualifications to help the country meet this target.
Accessible to all, NCATI offers everything from school leaver courses for 16+ to apprenticeships and Higher Education qualifications for 18+, all with flexible entry requirements, from its two state-of-the-art campuses in Birmingham and Doncaster. This also includes new engineering degrees awarded by the University of Birmingham.
Make tedious book-bashing a thing of the past
No matter what degree or qualification you’re studying for, spending long sessions in the library while surrounded by piles of textbooks is a painstaking ritual all students must endure. But what if there was a more efficient way of doing things? This is where BibliU comes in. The digital-first learning platform is aiming to transform how you study, with its interactive online textbooks.
Available for a wide range of subjects, you can enjoy features such as note-taking, in-book quizzes, highlighting and sharing across devices, while being able to access content wherever you are. BibliU is present in more than 150 higher education institutions, from Coventry University to Imperial College London, and provides digital access to textbooks from publishers across the globe.
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