Choosing how you study

Flexible study

To help you balance work and life commitments, we offer a range of flexible study options.

Part-time and distance-learning options

You can choose to study many of our postgraduate courses on either a full or part-time basis. Some courses are also available on a distance learning basis.

Many students choose the part-time route to minimise disruption to personal and professional life and balance study with existing commitments.

Check individual course details to see what options are open to you.

Take breaks from study

To make it easier to study for your postgraduate qualification while you work or take care of family, many of our masters courses offer intermediate awards like the postgraduate certificate (PGCert) and postgraduate diploma (PGDip). You can complete a PGCert or PGDip and then take a break from studying, returning at a later date to continue studying and gain a masters.

Study individual modules

You can also choose to take a number of our individual course modules as stand-alone short courses. We operate a credit accumulation and transfer scheme: for every postgraduate module that you pass at the University of Brighton, you receive a certain number of points. Most standard postgraduate modules have a value of 10 points.

You can transfer these points to other higher education institutions, nationally and internationally, and they will be counted towards your qualifications there.

Counting your experience towards your qualification

In some cases we may count certain work experience or other kinds of learning towards your qualification. If you think that you may be eligible please contact the admissions team identified in individual course descriptions for advice before you apply.

Types of course

Taught postgraduate courses

The taught postgraduate options we offer include:

• Masters degree – such as MSc, MA many of which offer the option of completing a postgraduate certificate (PGCert) and a postgraduate diploma (PGDIP) as intermediate awards
• MRes – a course of study combining taught and subject-specific modules where the majority of credits are earned from a research project. This is a standalone qualification which can also offer an enhanced route of entry to Doctoral study.
• the MBA (Masters in Business Adminstration)
• the MPA (Maters in Public Administration)
• the PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) and a variety of other professional qualifications.

Postgraduate research courses

You can register with us for one of three research awards:

• MPhil
• PhD
• Professional doctorate

Many students who initially register for the MPhil then go on to transfer to PhD.

For more information about research courses and opportunities please visit our Doctoral College.