Courses

Courses

At Queen Mary’s College there are different course levels that you can study. There are a wide range of courses to choose from, some of which you will have studies at school, as well as some subjects that will be new to you.  We urge you to explore all of the courses and to talk to teachers and students on our Open Evenings to explore the options that will help you progress to where you want to be. Our Admissions Team are always available to help answer any questions you may have too.

It may help if you try and answer these questions:

  • What interests you?
  • What do you enjoy?
  • What are you good at?
  • Do you prefer examined or coursework based courses?
  • What do you want to do in the future?
  • If you have a particular university course or job in mind, which courses will you need to take to fulfil your ambitions?
  • Are there courses that interest you that you’ve never been able to do before?

Useful Career Sites
National Careers Service
Career Pilot

Courses Explained

Level 3 Courses

QMC offers a wide range of Level 3 courses for students to choose from. A Levels are predominantly examination based with the assessments taken at the end of two years of study.  Applied General courses are assessed through a range of methods including coursework projects, practical assessments and exams taken throughout the duration of the course.  The Extended Diplomas are ideal if you want to specialise in a particular subject area whereas the Extended Certificates will give you breadth and variety of assessment in your programme. Both pathways facilitate progression to university, apprenticeships or employment and it is possible to combine A Level and Diplomas as part of your programme of study.

General Entry Requirements
If you want to study a Level 3 programme you will need 5 or more GCSEs graded 4/5 or above including English, and ideally, Maths.
Please note that some courses have higher grade entry criteria, as noted on the Course Descriptions. BTEC equivalent qualifications cannot be counted towards the 5 GCSE standard entry requirement.

Key Facts:
Extended Diplomas are equivalent to three A Levels
Double Diplomas are equivalent to two A levels
Extended Certificates and Single Diplomas are equivalent to one A Level
You can combine A Levels with Extended Certificates/Single Diplomas
A Diploma D* grade has the same points score for university as an A* grade at A Level

Aspire course

The Aspire Programme is a one year package aimed at students who have narrowly missed out on the entry requirements for a Level 3 programme and who would benefit from an additional year to acquire the skills and qualifications essential to successfully progress to Level 3.

The programme will consist of:
Re-take of English Language and Mathematics GCSE if these have not been obtained at grade 4 or above.
The Aspire qualification that is assessed by 100% coursework. The course will help you with career planning, personal finance, leadership, employability and resilience.
Studying a subject specialism of your choice, chosen from the range of available Level 3 Single Diploma options. The options available will depend on your interests
and GCSE profile and include: Art • Health and Social Care • Business • ICT • Sport

Foundation Learning courses

https://www.qmc.ac.uk/courses/foundation-entry-courses/

Package course:
This is a one year programme.  You will study a range of accredited units with a focus on developing employability skills, furthering independent living skills, exploring the community and improving well- being.  You will also study English and Maths.  These units will be part of the BTEC suite of entry level qualifications.

Progression course:
This is a one year programme which provides a taster of the different subjects we offer at level 2.  The units will form part of the BTEC Vocational studies at Level 1. You will also study English and Maths at an appropriate level and build up a work experience portfolio.

Pathways course:
This is a one year programme  You will study a range of AQA Award certificates with a focus on developing Employability skills.  You will also study English and Maths. You will also attend a regular work experience placement.