What qualification can I get?
The Degree Consortium has developed an excellent programme of study that provides 3 potential levels of qualification for you to attain:

Certificate of Higher Education:
A Certificate of Higher Education is a university qualification equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree course.

The Certificate is a first step towards obtaining a higher level qualification and you will develop a general understanding of your chosen subject area.

Foundation Degree:
Foundation Degrees are designed by an employer in partnership with a university. Your scheme is led by the RAF’s Learning Forces and is supported by 4 universities; this is a real first in education and is the only partnership of its kind in the RAF. Once you successfully graduate you will have developed knowledge, understanding and skills that are relevant to your RAF career and are also transferable to the civilian employment market when you finally leave the Service. In short, you will enhance your promotion prospects, boost your personal development, qualify for an Accelerated Incremental Progression and make yourself more attractive to a civilian employer.

A Foundation Degree is the same as the first 2 years of an Honours Degree. However, they differ from most honours degrees in that they have a much higher level of workplace learning. This will give you a much better practical understanding of Business and Leadership and Management and provide you with a more relevant qualification. Additionally, the experience you’ve already gained could help you towards your qualification. A Foundation Degree could enhance your promotion prospects whilst you are still serving; ensuring that your talents and ability are properly recognised both by the RAF and when you come to the end of your military career.

Honours Degree:
Honours degrees form the largest group of higher education qualifications. A typical course lasts for three years (if taken full-time) and leads to a Bachelors degree with Honours, having a title such as Bachelor of Arts (BA(Hons)) or Bachelor of Science (BSc(Hons)).

Once you have completed your Foundation Degree you can progress to the final year of an Honours degree. This is an opportunity to specialise and focus your degree in a particular area or continue with general business or leadership and management. Honours degrees are widely accepted and indicate the you have developed an understanding of a complex body of knowledge, some of it at the current boundaries of an academic discipline, enhancing your analytical and problem solving skills. As with the Foundation Degree, this can be work-based learning and therefore directly relevant with your job.

Masters Degree:
Masters degrees typically are undertaken after an Honours degree and are at postgraduate (PG) level. They are sometimes referred to as second degrees (with the Honours degree being the first). A typical course lasts for two years (if taken full-time) and leads to a Masters degree, having a title such as Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MSc).

Once you have completed the Honours degree you can progress to the Masters degree. In some cases, it is possible for an individual to start a Masters degree without an Honours degree. This is an opportunity to deepen your specialist knowledge and undertake research in a particular area. Masters degrees are widely accepted and indicate the you have developed an in-depth understanding of a complex body of knowledge, at the current boundaries of an academic discipline, enhancing your research, critical analysis and problem solving skills. You will undertake a research project as part of your Masters degree in an area you agree with your academic supervisor. As with the Honours Degree, this can be work-based learning and therefore directly relevant with your job. Within the Consortium it is possible to use APL towards the Masters degree.

For those who do not wish to undertake a full Masters qualification there are intermediary points at which you can step off with a PG Certificate or a PG Diploma.