Do you want to pursue a bachelor’s degree but are struggling to decide what you want to study?
The United Kingdom’s educational institutions are globally recognized for academic excellence and contribute to the UK ranking as the second most popular study destination for international students. Today we’re exploring some of the major factors it’s smart to consider when you’re choosing a bachelor’s degree.
If you’re searching for a master’s degree in the UK instead, check out our other blog in this series for tailored advice!
Work Opportunities
When choosing a bachelor’s degree, it’s essential to consider what work opportunities will be available to you. These opportunities allow students to gain invaluable industry experience in their field of study. As a result, many students opt for a bachelor’s degree with the option of a sandwich year or work placement.
A sandwich year allows you to gain one year of work experience in between your study terms. These are beneficial as they help develop your soft skills, ability to solve complex problems, and equip you with a year of industry experience. If you’re interested in a Business Management and Leadership bachelor’s degree, you might consider applying to CU Coventry. In this program, students can take an optional sandwich year, where they’ll gain paid, hands-on experience in the world of leadership and business management.
Many academic institutions in the UK offer students the opportunity to take advantage of short-term work placements. These are usually completed during term time and are typically between one year and three months. However, some placements require students to work one day per week over a longer duration. Students aren’t typically paid for short-term work placements, but they will receive valuable work experience. The University of South Wales offers students a work placement through its Graphic Communication bachelor’s degree.
Whether through a sandwich year or a work placement, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the UK will provide you with the practical experience required to excel in your studies and future career.
Area of Interest
Since most academic institutions in the UK require its students to pick a major at the start of their studies, it’s key that incoming students do some reflection beforehand so they can make a good choice. Selecting a bachelor’s degree requires you to understand where your interests lie.
When working through this decision, it can be helpful to consider:
- Your passions
- What alumni say about the course, and more broadly, the degree
- Your strengths, weaknesses, and goals
- What classes you’ve excelled at in the past
- Future employability for people in this field
If you’re passionate about fashion and have strong visual communication skills, consider a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Communication and Promotion like the course Nottingham Trent University offers. This is an excellent example of how your choice of bachelor’s degree can reflect your interests and skill set.
However, remember that some institutions have specific academic requirements. For example, if a student is applying for an engineering bachelor’s degree, they will typically need to have completed specific mathematics courses before applying.
If you’re concerned that your area of interest may change throughout your undergrad, don’t be. Many students change their majors. What’s imperative is that you choose a bachelor’s degree that reflects your interests.
Course Duration
When selecting a bachelor’s degree it’s crucial to take the course duration into account. In the UK, bachelor’s degrees are typically awarded after three years of full-time study. It’ll take four years if you add a year of work experience in between your study terms, or if you’re an international student and need to take a foundation year before starting your degree. Meanwhile, professional degrees, such as medicine, veterinary science, and architecture degrees require five years of study.
If you plan to study in Scotland, remember that Scottish bachelor’s degrees, like the University of Strathclyde’s Biomedical Engineering degree, are four years in length. This differs from other parts of the UK, where undergrad degrees are generally three years long, like London South Bank University’s Tourism and Hospitality Management bachelor’s degree. (But in Scotland, international students generally won’t have to take a pathway program like a foundation year.)
After graduation, eligible international students can apply to the UK’s Graduate Immigration Route for a work visa. If approved, graduates will be able to remain in the UK for a couple of years while earning valuable work experience.
Explore more exciting bachelor’s degrees in the UK on the ApplyBoard platform!
