Types of degree

There are many ways to build your knowledge and enhance your career prospects at Keele. We have a broad range of specialist subject areas and qualification types for you to choose from. Many of our courses also include extra-curricular opportunities to give you a unique and rewarding experience that will help you stand out from the crowd as a confident graduate in your chosen field of study.

Single Honours

Our Single Honours degrees enable you to specialise in one subject area, exploring this in depth throughout the duration of your course. The course will have a range of modules which may include optional modules but they will all be focused around the Single Honours subject area. Our Single Honours courses are available to view on our undergraduate course list.

Combined Honours

We have a long-standing history of interdisciplinary teaching and learning which you can benefit from. You may choose to diversify your knowledge and skills in two related subjects with a degree that integrates their study giving you a wider range of expertise by the end of your course. Our combined honours courses have been carefully designed to ensure that they are relevant and practical for both study and employment. Our facilities are all at the heart of campus making it convenient to manage studying two subjects.

Integrated Masters

Some of our courses allow you to combine three years of undergraduate study with an additional fourth year at postgraduate level. Integrated master’s are a great way to deepen your knowledge of a subject area, refining your skillset ready for employment. Our Integrated Masters courses are available to view here.

Course Structure

Our degree courses are organised into modules. Each module is usually a self-contained unit of study, and each is usually assessed separately with the award of credits based on 1 credit = 10 hours of student effort. An outline of the structure of the programme is provided in the tables below.

There are three types of module delivered as part of this programme. They are:

  • Compulsory modules – a module that you are required to study on this course;
  • Optional modules – these allow you some limited choice of what to study from a list of modules;
  • Elective modules – a free choice of modules that count towards the overall credit requirement but not the number of subject-related credits.

Foundation Year - An alternative entry route

Whether you have non-traditional qualifications, want to change your subjects, have had a break from education and wish to return or want a change of career – a foundation year at Keele provides an opportunity for those with diverse backgrounds to access an honours degree.

This extra year of study can boost your academic skills, expand your subject knowledge, give you a better understanding of higher education and, perhaps most importantly of all, build your confidence.

For International Students, Foundation Years are delivered through our dedicated on-campus provider, Keele University International College. To find out more, visit https://kuic.keele.ac.uk/

Apprenticeships

If you are already employed but want to strengthen or expand your knowledge and capabilities in a certain area, we have a growing portfolio of apprenticeships across different sectors and specialisms that you can study alongside your work. Furthermore, your employer can utilise the Apprenticeship Levy to fund your learning.

Additional Opportunities

Enriching your studies at Keele

Many of our undergraduate courses have additional opportunities you can take to enrich your studies with extraordinary experience such as studying abroad, learning a language and taking a work placement. You can also enhance your degree through elective modules and volunteering. You can find out what additional opportunities are available on each of our course pages.

Global Challenge Pathways

Our students are the pioneers who will make positive change for our future, and our innovative teaching prepares students to meet the challenges ahead. Many of our courses include the option to choose engaging routes of elective study called Global Challenge Pathways. These allow you to explore current debates in society throughout your course in areas such as Sustainability, Social Justice, Global Health, Digital Futures and Enterprise.