A guide to the two-year degree

e d i u Ag TO THE

T WO - Y E A R D E GR EE

I chose the two-year degree as I liked the fact that I would get into work a year before my friends.

Although accelerated, I’ve found the workload completely manageable and enjoyable. Unlike some friends who have complained about having extensive and counterproductive free-time and holiday elsewhere, I prefer the structure of the two-year degree which gives you more than enough holiday, without the stress of exams looming for when you return”.

Georgina

Business and Management

Two-year degrees

Buckingham first introduced two-year degrees to the UK in the 1980s and we have been perfecting them ever since.

As the ‘home of the two-year degree’, we offer the widest range of courses in the two-year format, available via two intakes a year in September and January.

Our two-year degree is a fast-track version of the traditional threeyear degree, meaning you will gain a full honours degree (like your friends at other universities), but qualify a whole year earlier. Even better – you can save money as well as time. Although our annual fee is higher than that of other universities, you will save on tuition fees, a year’s living costs and enter the workforce quicker.

HOW DOES A TWO -YEAR DEGREE WORK? Our teaching year is broken down into four bite-sized terms, with the same amount of teaching weeks as a typical three-year degree, so you’ll have plenty of time to get to grips with each module.

You could even choose to continue onto a master’s programme, finishing both degrees in a total of three years.

TWO-YEAR DEGREES VS. THREE-YEAR DEGREES Get ahead and fast-track your studies.

Our two-year degrees are offered across most subject areas and with intakes in both September and January.

buckingham.ac.uk/find-a-course

OUR TWO-YEAR DEGREE IS A FAST-TRACK VERSION OF THE TRADITIONAL THREE-YEAR DEGREE

Typical cours Two-year degree

YEAR 1

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Term 4

9 weeks 5 week break

11 weeks 2 week break

9 weeks 3 week break

11 weeks 2 week break

YEAR 2

Term 5

Term 6

Term 7

Term 8

9 weeks 5 week break

11 weeks 2 week break

9 weeks 3 week break

11 weeks End of degree

Two-year degree breakdown based upon our 8-term degree.

9-term degrees are also available.

se breakdown Three-year degree

YEAR 1

Semester 1

Semester 2

YEAR 2

YEAR 3

13 weeks

13 weeks

13 weeks

4 week break

4 week break

4 week break

13 weeks

13 weeks

13 weeks

22 week break

22 week break

End of degree

Fees

Two-year degrees at Buckingham are a great cost effective option.

When living costs are included, our students pay about 20% less than they would on a three-year course at a university charging £9,250 per annum for tuition.

UNIVERSITY OF BUCKINGHAM TWO-YEAR DEGREE

THREE-YEAR DEGREE AT ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSITY

(Living on campus)

(Living on campus)

Total tuition

£25,344

£27,7502

Living expenses1

£22,000 (£11,000 x 2 years)

£33,000 (£11,000 x 3 years)

Total

Excluding Medicine

£47,344

Excluding Medicine=

£60,750

Typical salary earned by graduating 12 months earlier

-£29,5503

-£0

Net Investment

£17,7944

£60,750

This means that our students can save at least £13,000 by studying with us.

1 2 3

4

Living costs based on moneysavingexpert.com estimated cost of living £11,000 per year.

Based on Universities UK’s annual survey of tuition fees.

Based on the average salary earned after receiving an undergraduate degree at the University of Buckingham 2018.

Cost of degree and living expenses minus the typical income for a first-year graduate.

YOU COULD EVEN CHOOSE TO CONTINUE ONTO A MASTER’S PROGRAMME, FINISHING IN A TOTAL OF THREE YEARS

The two-year degree is great because it allows me to learn a lot in a short time span and therefore gives me a head start in my career. The degree is organised in a way that you can work part-time if you need or want to and also get to have moments of relaxing with friends and family.”

Vanessa

International studies with French

FAQs Have a question? Keep reading to find out a bit more about our two-year degrees.

Or, if you’d like to speak to someone directly, you can reach out to our Admissions team below. admissions@buckingham.ac.uk

ARE TWO-YEAR DEGREES MORE STRESSFUL? No, we have the same number of teaching weeks as a typical threeyear degree. Our teaching year is broken down into four bite-sized terms, giving you plenty of time to get to grips with each module.

IS IT VALUED THE SAME AS A THREE-YEAR DEGREE? Absolutely! All our degrees are full honours degrees, exactly the same as a traditional three-year degree, you’ll just get to finish faster. Lots of our courses also have great industry links, so you have the opportunity to gain work experience in your downtime from studying.

WHEN WILL MY ASSESSMENTS BE? You’ll find that most assessments take place during the Spring and Autumn terms before holidays, meaning you’ll have plenty of time to relax, including over the summer and Christmas holidays!

WHAT LOANS ARE AVAILABLE? Undergraduate UK students are eligible for the same support from Student Finance England as those at other universities, including: 1. An annual repayable Tuition Fee Loan of £6,165 paid directly to the University. If you are eligible for this loan, it will be paid termly.

2. An annual repayable Maintenance Loan to help with your living costs of up to £8,700 (up to £9,916 for students entitled to benefits), paid in instalments directly to you after registration.

We advise EU students to check the government website for the most up-to-date information: gov.uk/student-finance/eu-students.

We have also partnered with Future Finance who offer top-up loans to bridge the gap between Student Finance loans and tuition fees.

The loans don’t require a parental guarantee and repayments are kept small while you study.

To be eligible for a Future Finance loan you must be 18 or over, at an eligible UK university, a UK, EU or international student and a resident in the UK. To find out more about student fees and which loans you could be entitled to, visit buckingham.ac.uk/admissions/fees.

WHAT TWO-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES CAN I STUDY? The University of Buckingham offers courses in the following areas: • • • • • • • • • •

Accounting and Finance Business Computing Criminology Digital News and Media Economics English Literature Enterprise and Entrepreneurship History and History of Art International Studies

• •

• • • • •

Law Medicine and Health (Medicine is available as a 4.5-year degree with an intake in January) Modern Languages Philosophy Politics Psychology Security and Intelligence

We also offer a range of postgraduate programmes across these areas, as well as Banking, Communication, Diplomacy, Education, Finance, Marketing, Military History, and Sport.

buckingham.ac.uk/find-a-course

It’s a lovely place and I’ve been really enjoying it, there are great people here. Buckingham has fantastic teaching quality that is second to none. The amount of access hours with people is so far beyond what I was expecting.

You really do feel looked after.”

Henry

English Literature with Journalism

l l ’ u o y Why g n i k c u love B

TWO-YEAR DEGREES We’re different from other universities. We complete most of our degrees in two years instead of three. Students learn through our unique tutorials, which are in addition to lectures and seminars. These sessions ensure that you are not just a face in the crowd; your tutors will get to know who you are and encourage you to engage in debates and discussions.

LEARN FROM THE BEST Students are at the heart of everything we do. Our University was created by academics who were determined to offer a high quality student-focussed experience. When you speak, we listen.

ham

BE PART OF A DIVERSE CAMPUS You’ll be part of a diverse community with a student body of more than 80 nationalities, from as close as Europe to as far afield as New Zealand. We value diversity of thought and opinion, and we’ve continually ranked in the top five UK universities for free speech.

NEVER A DULL MOMENT There are lots of chances to socialise, with events and activities happening on campus such as grand balls, chilled out BBQs and cultural days, all organised by our Students’ Union. We also offer a wide variety of sports to get stuck into including badminton, basketball, football and yoga.

WE TAKE WELLBEING SERIOUSLY At the University of Buckingham we want to make sure that when you’re here you feel happy and engaged with your learning.

Through our personal tutor programme, you will have a mentor to support you through life at university to help not only build knowledge, but also character. Our Wellbeing, Skills and Diversity team can provide you with further support and our welfare dogs are on hand for a walk or cuddle at any time.

ACCLAIMED

by students

Our dedication to teaching quality and student life has resulted in us being ranked highly by our students and in national surveys.

1. 6th for Student Satisfaction in England National Student Survey, 2020.

2. Top 10 in England for Student Satisfaction Good University Guide, 2022.

3. Number 1 for Upholding Free Speech Spiked, 2018.

After A-levels I went to a Russell Group University. I stayed there for one term and decided it wasn’t for me. I can’t stress enough how valuable smaller class sizes have been to me. In my first month at Buckingham I learnt more than I did in three months at my previous university just because I was a lot more motivated by the fact people knew my name and they knew what I was good at and what I was bad at. I’m definitely happy that I made the decision to move to Buckingham.

Kezia

Journalism with French transfer student

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