Access to Higher Education Diploma (Computer Science)

The Access to HE Diploma is a full Level 3 qualification designed to prepare learners without traditional qualifications for entry into Higher Education (HE). The Diploma provides opportunity for learners to acquire and develop knowledge and skills needed to progress to higher education study and also enables learners to develop social and emotional skills such as communication and confidence.

To achieve the Access to Higher Education Diploma (Computer Science) Ref. 400/0826/5 learners must achieve:

• 45 credits which must be graded, academic subject content at Level 3 only.
• 15 credits which must be either at Level 2 or Level 3 ungraded (U).

The following are the Unit titles for this Diploma:

• Computer Systems
• Managing Software Development
• Software Design & Development
• Cyber Security Techniques
• Database Development
• Fundamentals of Structured Query Language (SQL)
• Networking
• Research Topic (Computer Science)
• Designing and Developing a Website
• Health and Safety when using Computer Equipment (U)
• Research Project (U)
• Study Techniques (U)
• Installing, Configuring & Maintaining Systems (U)

There are no formal entry requirements for students applying for the Cambridge Online Education Access to H.E. Diplomas. Tutors are nevertheless, required to ensure that learners admitted onto the Diploma possess the necessary skills and personal qualities to cope with the demands of the course.

All Access to HE Diplomas require the achievement of 60 credits. 45 of the 60 credits must be graded at Level 3 (pass, merit or distinction). Such credits will arise from the Academic Subject Content Modules. The remaining 15 credits are ungraded and can be achieved at either Level 2 or Level 3. Students may only be registered against units with a maximum combined total credit value of 60. In terms of the length of time required for a learner to complete their diploma, for all Access to HE Diplomas the notional learning hours are 600. Notional learning hours comprise all learning that may be relevant to the achievement of the learning outcomes including directed and private study, practical and project work, assignments and assessment time. The assessment methods used for each unit of your course will be detailed in the Programme Handbook. Your tutor will provide you with formative feedback and provisional grades. Your grades will be then evaluated by the Examination Board. Final grades will be released to students after the External Moderation Visit.

On successful completion of the course, you will receive a QAA recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma (Computer Science) at level 3 awarded by the Aim Qualifications and Assessment Group.

Aim Qualifications and Assessment Group are a national Awarding Organisation, regulated by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) and Qualifications Wales, to develop and award nationally recognised qualifications. Cambridge Online Education is a fully accredited education provider for this qualification

After completing the Access to Higher Education Computer Science, you can then continue your education or seek employment in the following fields:

• Application analyst
• Applications developer
• Cyber security analyst
• Data analyst
• Forensic computer analyst
• Game designer
• Games developer
• Machine learning engineer
• Penetration tester
• Software engineer
• Systems analyst
• UX designer
• Web designer
• Web developer
• Business analyst
• IT sales professional
• IT trainer
• Nanotechnologist
• Network engineer
• Telecommunications researcher

As different universities have different entry requirements, you are strongly advised to check these requirements with your chosen tertiary education provider. You can contact our career advisers for further guidance and support in that matter.