When deciding your next steps in education, it can be difficult to understand what qualifications you should really be taking. After all, different qualifications are equivalent to different levels in education. It is important to understand what level each qualification is equivalent to, as you won’t want to do a qualification at a level lower than you already have! HNC qualifications are gaining popularity, so you may be considering completing one yourself. However, before you get applying, you need to make sure that you have chosen the correct qualification for you.
A higher national certificate (HNC) is as a Level 4 qualification. This is the level above A-Level qualifications. A HNC is then equivalent to the first year of a bachelor’s degree at university.
If you want to find out more about what a HNC is equivalent to and whether it would be a good next step in your education, check out the rest of this article!
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What is a HNC?
As already stated, a HNC is equivalent to a Level 4 qualification and takes one year to complete full time. It is a practical based qualification which help individuals prepare for the workplace. If you want the full definition of a HNC, check out this article from Think Student.
This means that a HNC is seen as a great qualification for more practical based jobs. However, you will also gain academic knowledge needed for specific careers. HNC courses are offered by a wide range of universities which you can search on UCAS here.
Some popular HNC courses include engineering, building and agriculture. You can find out more about HNCs if you check out this article from Prospects.
What can you do with a HNC?
As already stated, a HNC is equivalent to the first year of university. This means that after you have completed a HNC, you could enrol in a university during the second year of a bachelor’s degree.
Using a HNC for getting into university is a well-known purpose of the qualification, as it offers an alternative route if you haven’t done very well in your A-Levels. However, a HNC can also be awarded and used in other contexts. For example, you may complete a HNC as part of a student apprenticeship.
You could also complete a HNC whilst being in employment, which could help you to progress in your career. You can find out more about what you can do with a HNC if you check out this article from University Compare.
There are plenty of jobs that you can do with a HNC qualification. You can check out this article from Indeed to find out about these careers.
How long does a HNC take to complete?
A HNC takes one year to complete full time. Therefore, it makes sense that it is equivalent to the first year of university!
However, if you completed a HNC part time, it would take two years to complete. Regardless of how long a HNC takes to complete, it will always still be equivalent to the first year of university.
If you want to find out more about the durations of HNCs and more about the qualification in general, check out this article from What Uni.
What is a Certificate of Higher Education equivalent to?
When researching HNCs, you may come across a ‘CertHE’, which stands for a Certificate of Higher Education. This can be seen as quite a similar qualification to a HNC.
A Certificate of Higher Education is equivalent to a Level 4 qualification. This is the same level as a HNC. A CertHE also takes one year to complete full time or two years to complete part time. Just like a HNC, it is also equivalent to the first year of a bachelor’s degree.
However, a Certificate of Higher Education is not the same as a HNC. You can find out more about the Certificate of Higher Education if you check out this article from Indeed.
What is the difference between a HNC and Certificate of Higher Education?
As already stated, a HNC and Certificate of Higher Education are both Level 4 qualifications and take the same amount of time to complete. Therefore, they can be seen as equivalent qualifications.
However, these qualifications differ in one major aspect. This is the fact that a HNC is a practical based qualification, whereas a CertHE is much more focused on academics. This means that they are assessed differently to each other and are qualifications often suited to different types of people, depending on individual interests.
You can discover more about the comparisons between HNCs and CertHEs if you check out this article from Think Student.