Key information
For:
starting January 2026
Typical offer:
A typical applicant would usually have a level 3 qualification such as A level, or equivalent (BTEC, City and Guilds, Apprenticeship), together with appropriate work experience.
Showing content for section Overview
Overview
Information for international students
At ºÚÁÏÈë¿Ú, we welcome students from more than 150 countries across the globe. However, please note that this learning at work course is not eligible for a student visa.
Learn more about our student visas.
If you want to gain a University-level qualification alongside your job without committing to a full Bachelor's degree, this Professional Studies Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) distance learning course is ideal.
You'll develop transferable skills in your choice of subject, boosting your career prospects while you improve your performance at work. You can tailor the course to match your professional and personal aspirations and your employer's objectives. You'll get to put the skills you learn to work instantly in your job, contributing to the success of your company.
The course is work based, so you'll need to be in a full-time, part-time or voluntary role to do it. You can study online wherever is most convenient for you and schedule your studies around your existing commitments.
A CertHE is equivalent to the first year of a full-time BA or BSc Bachelor’s degree. When you complete the course, you'll improve your career prospects and have the skills and knowledge to perform more effectively in your job. You could also put the credits you gain towards a BA or BSc Bachelor's degree.
On this course you'll:
- Study 120 credits at level 4 over 2 years
- Choose either a technical or business pathway through your course
- Taught modules develop knowledge, skills and behaviour to enhance performance at work
- Work-based project enables learning to be undertaken to match both your personal and professional goals
- Optional induction day on campus
- A full online induction programme
- Online course material, tutorials and lectures.
- Online seminars and networking opportunities
- Support from a learning manager, academic tutors and a mentor
- Full access to our student support services and community, including study support, sports and recreation facilities, and the Students' Union
- Tap in to our Library's electronic resources, which you can access from anywhere with a Web connection
Course duration
The duration of this course is two years. You can complete the course more quickly if you have relevant work experience, training or qualifications that you can put towards your degree. This is known as Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). You can use RPL for up to a maximum 60 credits.
Contact us
Entry requirements
CertHE Professional Studies
Qualifications or experience
- A typical applicant would usually have a level 3 qualification such as A level, or equivalent (BTEC, City and Guilds, Apprenticeship), together with appropriate work experience.
Please contact Learning at Work to discuss this course and entry requirements in more detail.
Applicants may be asked to attend an online interview.
English language requirements
- English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.
If you don't meet the English language requirements yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.
We look at more than just your grades
While we consider your grades when making an offer, we also carefully look at your circumstances and other factors to assess your potential. These include whether you live and work in the region and your personal and family circumstances which we assess using established data.
How you'll study
On this course, you’ll work with our Learning at Work team and your employer to under a programme of study that reflects your existing experience, your personal and professional goals, and your current employment situation.
Through a sequence of modules, you’ll develop your ability to analyse a problem and deliver a professional solution, with support from a workplace mentor, academic tutors, online lectures and a suite of virtual learning tools hosted by the university. You don’t need to attend the campus if you don’t want to, but you will have an invitation to an induction day and to make use of student facilities here in ºÚÁÏÈë¿Ú.
Your study will include up to four elements:
- The Credible Professional module
- The Reflective Professional module
- The Active Professional module
- A choice between Foundations of Business Management or Technical Foundation module
Changes to course content
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, course content is revised and regularly reviewed. This may result in changes being made in order to reflect developments in research, learning from practice and changes in policy at both national and local levels.
Course duration
The course is a 2 year part time, distance learning course
Term times
Each academic year is divided into 2 teaching blocks:
- September/October to December/January – teaching block 1
- January/February to May – teaching block 2
Teaching
How you're taught will depend on which modules you take
Most of the course is delivered via our interactive virtual learning environment. With access to all the study material you’ll need, discussion forums and the chance to connect with peers and lecturers via chat sessions, you’ll have plenty of academic support and heaps of resources.
Depending on the modules you study and your location, you may also be able to study on campus, experiencing face-to-face teaching methods.
How you're assessed
The way you're assessed will depend on which modules you take
Extra support
To help you juggle this course alongside your work and home life, you'll get extra support from:
- a Workplace Mentor chosen by you – someone at work who can offer advice, guidance, and moral support
- an Academic Tutor specialising in your area of study
- a Learning Manager who oversees your programme
Modules
Each module on this course is worth a 30 credits.
In total, you need to study modules worth a total of 120 credits.
In your second year, you have the option to study the Business Pathway (Foundations of Business Management) or the Technical Pathway (Technical Foundation).
What you'll study
Core modules
The module will then go onto develop students' ability to communicate effectively in a range of professional contexts.
Students will be able to reflect on how their new learning has changed their attitude and approach to their working practices. Students will self-reflect and appraise their own strengths, weaknesses and performance against appropriate criteria, planning for new learning as necessary.
Core modules
Optional modules
Throughout the module students will be encouraged to reflect on their own perspectives and experiences of working in organisations, as well as being managed and managing others.
This module will introduce the student to project management, provide opportunities to develop problem-solving and consider innovation to enable them to make informed judgements and cope with unfamiliar situations and problems. This module will consider data management and analysis and the communication of technical data and information effectively to specific audiences. This module will provide the necessary mathematical methods that can be applied to basic calculations appropriate to technical environments. Students will consider quality, safety and sustainability issues within an engineering/industrial environment.
Changes to course content
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry.
Course costs and funding
January 2026 start
- 120 credits – £6,360
- 140 credits – £7,420
- 160 credits – £8,470
- 180 credits – £9,530
- 200 credits – £10,590
- 220 credits – £11,650
- 240 credits – £12,710
We'll apply an even yearly split to your course fee as listed in the schedule above. If you want us to consider an alternative schedule of payments, please contact us before the course start date.
Until RPL has been confirmed, you'll need to pay the full course fee.
If you're an armed forces student in receipt of funding, e.g. ELCAS, any documentation must show the correct start date and tuition fee. If not, we can't accept it and you'll have to pay the course fee yourself.
Additional course costs
These course-related costs aren’t included in the tuition fees. So you’ll need to budget for them when you plan your spending.
Additional costs
While studying the online modules you may have to read several recommended books or textbooks for each module. Most texts are available online through the library.
There's a fee before you start the course if we need to assess a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) portfolio. If you're starting in September 2025 or January 2026, the fee is £1,200.
Apply
Before you apply for this course, please contact learningatwork@port.ac.uk to discuss the content of your programme of study. Read our information about the application process to find out more.
Ready to apply?
You can study this course starting in either September or January each year. To apply for the upcoming courses, please follow the links below:
January 2026
If you’re interested in applying for a later entry point to this degree, please email us on learningatwork@port.ac.uk and we'll contact you when your application period opens - that is, at the end of October for a January start course, or at the end of February for a course that begins in September.
Not quite ready to apply?
Come to an Open Day to explore our course facilities and tour the campus.
Admissions terms and conditions
When you accept an offer to study at the ºÚÁÏÈë¿Ú, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.
Recognition of work-based and distance learning courses
Our Learning at Work degrees at levels 6 and 7 are approved by the University under its powers to award degrees. They comply with the Office for Students (OFS) and Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) standards in the United Kingdom.
These qualifications are generally recognised internationally but as with distance learning type courses, each country will have its own regulations and rules on work based and distance learning education. You should check with the qualification recognition authority in the country you reside in or intend to use the degrees to secure employment, that the Learning at Work degrees are recognised by them before you commit to studying with us.
We also strongly recommend you check that your employer recognises the value of our work based/distance learning courses. Some countries, including Singapore, state the 'value of the qualification is subject to the employer'.
We are currently unable to offer our courses to applicants who are nationals of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain and Qatar.
If you're not a national citizen but are working or living in these countries, you can enrol onto our Learning at Work courses. You'll need to sign an Applicant Declaration Letter to confirm you understand that the ºÚÁÏÈë¿Ú won't accept any liability issues you may have with the recognition of your distance learning course, with your government or employer.
If you’re a national or foreign national in India or China, you can enrol onto our Learning at Work courses. You'll need to sign an Applicant Declaration Letter to confirm you understand that the ºÚÁÏÈë¿Ú won't accept any liability issues you may have with the recognition of your distance learning course, with your government or employer.
We're unable to accept enrolment from nationals or foreign nationals from Oman.