PhDs and further education

Professional qualifications are needed to work in a wide range of professions, for example, teaching, architecture, medicine, accountancy and surveying.

Qualifications for some professions are laid down by law, for example, medicine and teaching. Other professions have set up their own standards and qualifications, for example, accountancy and surveying.

Professional qualifications can be obtained in various ways, including:-

• a full or part-time course, followed by a year or more doing the job
• a part-time or day release course while doing the job
• a part-time course, correspondence or Open University course, followed by a year or more doing the job
• doing a degree course at a university
• a postgraduate course and/or practical experience, after doing a first degree. The first degree may have been in a related subject, but this is not always necessary.

Courses to obtain a professional qualification are run by universities, institutions of higher education, correspondence courses and the Open University.

The length of a full or part-time course depends on the particular profession. Whether work experience is necessary to get the professional qualification depends on the course and the requirements of the professional body.

The qualifications needed to do a course leading to a professional qualification depend on the particular profession, but Highers or appropriate National Certificates are usually required. The student will need to contact the relevant professional body to find out what qualifications s/he needs to get onto a course. The professional body will also be able to give advice on the courses available.

Applications to do a professional qualification course at an institution of higher education should normally be made through UCAS. The application should normally be made by 15 December of the year before the course begins. It may be possible to get a place on a course, if it has unfilled places, up to the start of the course. Applications for part-time courses can be made direct to the educational institution up until the start of the course.