Access to Higher Education (Health and Human Sciences Diploma)

If you are a mature student who missed the opportunity to go to university, our Access to Higher Education course is designed specifically for you.

Gloucestershire College is the first stop on your journey to university, with excellent tutoring to give you the qualifications you need to progress, and personalised support throughout your university application.

You will need GCSE English at Grade 4 plus GCSE Maths at Grade 4 OR Functional Skills Level 2 English and Maths to start the course (depending on your university course requirement).

To start the Science Diploma, you will need GCSE Maths at a minimum of grade 6.

In the previous two years, Access to Higher Education students achieved university places at Bristol, Exeter, Cardiff, Warwick, SOAS, Goldsmiths College London, Birmingham City, Nottingham, York and Reading. They also progressed to a variety of local universities including University of Gloucestershire, University of the West of England and University of Worcester.

We have three Diplomas:

Health and Human Sciences: for all allied healthcare including nursing, midwifery, paramedic science, occupational therapy.  You will study Biology and Study Skills plus two other subjects chosen from Psychology, Sociology or Chemistry.  

Humanities and Social Science: for Social Work and any humanities subjects, for example: Psychology; Law; Criminology; English; Creative Writing; B.Ed. Primary teaching; Sociology; etc.  You will study Psychology, Sociology, English Literature and Study Skills.

Science Diploma:  for all science-based subjects including Engineering; Vet Science; Medicine; Dentistry; Physiotherapy; Diagnostic Radiography (some universities accept Health and Human Sciences for Physiotherapy and Diagnostic Radiography but some do not).  You will study Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Study Skills.  

Within every diploma, you will complete 60 credits consisting of 45 graded credits (15 each in each of your main subjects) plus 15 ungraded credits in Study Skills.

An important element of the course is tutorial support and help and guidance with the UCAS process for university applications.  This will take place during Study Skills assessments.  

Assessment is continuous over the year and usually occurs at the end of each unit (about six weeks of study).  Biology, Chemistry and Maths are assessed by tests.  Every other subject is assessed by a mixture of tests and coursework.

In order to complete this course in the one academic year allocated, in addition to attending college for classes, you will be required to set aside 16 – 20 hours each week for study, research and completing homework and assignments.  You will need good IT skills to create word documents and upload them to the College intranet for AI and plagiarism checking .  A home computer/laptop will be required together with a reliable broadband connection.

The named diplomas on Level 3 Access to Higher Education meet course eligibility requirements for a 19+ Advanced Learning Loan. See college website or ask at Student Services for more details.