UK

Course Structure
The minimum age for a student to begin his undergraduate course is 18 years and in Scotland it is 17. Various qualifications offered by the UK universities can be broadly classified as:

• Diplomas and HNDsThese are very popular courses as it can be completed within 2 years. Students even add on to these courses and make it a degree qualification by staying on an year extra.

• Bachelor/Undergraduate degrees
  These are three-year degree courses after the completion of which a student is awarded aBachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree. These are undergraduate (or ‘first degree’) courses.
  
• Masters/Postgraduate degrees
  Masters degrees are four-year degree courses, often sandwich courses involving one year in industry or one year study abroad. You can also get a masters degree by doing a one-year course after completing an undergraduate degree. These are classed as postgraduate degrees.
  
• Doctorates
  Another type of masters degree is the MRes, (Masters in Research) which prepares students fordoctoral research. Doctorate is the next highest qualification which can be completed in three to four years.