What is an undergraduate degree?
An undergraduate degree, typically known as a Bachelor's degree, is often your next step after high school, A-level, or other level 3 qualification. It will likely be your first university qualification, typically two to four years in length, and can open the door to specialist knowledge, professional skills and future career opportunities. There are a variety of options available, from traditional Bachelor's degrees to Foundation degrees, Degree Apprenticeships and Integrated Masters degrees.
We have over 200 higher education courses to choose from, across subjects from Accounting to Zoology, and we offer a range of qualifications. Below, you can explore the different types of undergraduate degrees and qualifications and the opportunities each one offers.
Did you know lots of people get a place on their undergraduate degree through Clearing?
Find out more about Clearing 2026Types of qualifications
Different qualifications suit different goals, experience levels and ways of learning. Explore the undergraduate study routes available at NTU and compare your options to find the qualification that's right for you.
Bachelors degree
Bachelors (or honours, ‘Hons’) degrees are Level 6 courses. They include titles like Bachelor of Arts, or BA (Hons); Bachelor of Science, or BSc (Hons); Bachelor of Engineering, or BEng (Hons); and Bachelor of Law, or LLB.
Sometimes, these degrees include an initial year of foundation-level study to help you develop the tools you need to progress into your degree, which are normally titled as degrees ‘with foundation year’. They may also have a placement or sandwich year or cover two subject areas as a joint honours degree.
Foundation degrees
These standalone Level 5 courses are equivalent to completing two years of a three-year degree. We offer a range of subjects as Foundation Degree in Arts (FdA) and Foundation Degree in Science (FdSc). You can choose to extend your studies to achieve a full degree with a top-up degree.
Explore Foundation SubjectsTop-up degrees
Top-ups are Level 6 Bachelors degrees that turn qualifications like foundation degrees or Higher National Certificates into full degrees, through an additional year of study.
Explore Top-Up DegreesIntegrated Masters
We offer Level 7 combined-honours degrees, securing you a Masters-level qualification. These courses require an extra year of study, four in total. Awards at advanced level include Master of Science (MSci); Master of Mathematics (MMath); Master of Engineering (MEng); and Master of Chemistry (MChem).
Explore Integrated MastersDegree apprenticeship
On this route, you’ll work for an organisation and study for a degree at the same time. You’ll get paid a salary, and your tuition fees will be covered by your employer and the government.
Explore Degree ApprenticeshipsOther qualifications
Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs)
HTQs are vocational and focused training courses covering skills for specific industries. Qualifications like the Higher National Certificate (HNC) are Level 4 qualifications and are equivalent to a year of degree study. Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) are Level 5 courses equivalent to two years of a degree, often offering the opportunity to top up to a full degree.
Explore HTQsCertificate in Higher Education (CertHE)
CertHEs are Level 4 qualifications equivalent to one year of a degree, and typically related to a profession. Like Foundation degrees and Higher Technical Qualifications, there’s usually an opportunity to top up to a full degree.
Other types of undergraduate degrees
Joint honours degree
This type of course allows you to study more than one subject, combining them into a single qualification.
If the course title contains ‘and’ (History and Politics, for example), you’ll be dedicating the same amount of time to each subject as you would on a standard Honours degree. But if the course title contains ‘with’ — e.g. International Business (with Spanish) — that means the first subject is going to be your main focus. Explore our range of joint honours degrees.
Sandwich degree
A sandwich degree includes a period of professional work experience — typically, a year-long placement in industry (also known as a placement year) during the third year of your course. This is often abbreviated to ‘SW’ in course titles.
For the duration of the placement, you will usually become a paid employee of the organisation. Once that’s completed, you’ll return to the university for a fourth and final year of study. Explore our range of courses with a placement year.
Compare undergraduate study routes
Not sure which qualification is right for you? Use this guide to compare the different routes into higher education.
| If you... | Best route |
|---|---|
| Are looking for a traditional university degree | Bachelors degree |
| Don't yet meet the entry requirements for your chosen course | Foundation degree / Integrated foundation year |
| Want to find an employer and earn a salary while studying | Degree apprenticeship |
| Want to graduate with a Masters-level qualification | Integrated Masters |
| Already hold an HND, Foundation Degree or equivalent qualification | Top-up degree |
| Want to study two humanities subjects together | Joint honours degree |
| Want professional work experience as part of your course | Sandwich degree |
| Are looking for a practical technical qualification | Higher Technical Qualification (HTQ) |
What's the difference between undergraduate and postgraduate?
As an undergraduate student, you’ll be studying for your first degree. At postgraduate level, you’ll have graduated with an undergraduate degree and be studying for a second qualification, such as a Masters degree, Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip).
Find out more about postgraduate study at NTU.
Find your course
Not sure which qualification is right for you?
Chat to our current undergraduate students to find out why they chose the qualification they did and to get an insight into which might be right for you.
Explore your next steps
Here's why you should study your undergraduate degree at NTU.
Why study at NTU?
NTU is one of the most popular universities in the UK – find out why we should be your next step.
Undergraduate subjects
An introduction to the subject areas available for undergraduate study at NTU.
How to choose a university
Know you want to go to uni, but not sure which one? Or perhaps you've picked a place, but don't know which course to do? Our guide can help you decide.
Undergraduate open days and events
Attending an undergraduate open day or event is the perfect way to see what makes life and learning at NTU so special.