One of the most important chapters of your life is your bachelor’s life, knowing what your goal is, and the best approach is a very difficult task. After school, the path you choose now, during your bachelor’s, is the path that will lead your future. There are many different and unique ways to choose after your school finishes and the most popular ones are HNC and HND. They only sound the same but in reality; they both have many differences. Let us look into them properly of what they exactly are and how different they are from one another.
What is a Higher National Certificate (HNC)?
Higher National Certificate or HNC is an amazing qualification that awarded by Edexcel in England and a Higher National awarded by SQA in Scotland.
A Higher National Certificate is limited to the industry’s pathway and is a very famous choice for school leavers who are finding something to fasten up their path into a career and save the time that could spend in long education systems for a degree. This fastens ups the path of career because it is linked to many organizations either large or small, all over the world. This company does not only help in building a career but also helps one with studies for example they provide HNC Assignment Help for students.
HNC helps its students grow practically more than only giving them theoretical education. They prepare their students in a short period. The HNC’s are very focus on a specific type of job and the work related to them.
What is a Higher National Diploma (HND)?
Higher National Diploma is very specific and related to different work pathways and acts within a company. This is a very practical and streamlined course as this is advance than Higher National Certificate as this takes 2 years to complete.
You can also do it part-time but it will take 3 to 4 years and it depends on the type of pathway you choose. An HND, around the world, is consider equal to 2 years of university studies while some companies even consider it as a complete degree if the student has enough knowledge and has done it from a well-known place. Moreover, this course also covers up the PGCE Assignment as well.
How do BTEC HNC and HND Courses Differ?
First, let us see their similarities.
- They are put forward by higher education institutions
- Focused on practical skills
- Less focus on theoretical learning
Now, the first and foremost difference between them is the duration. Higher National Certificate takes less time to complete whereas Higher National Diploma takes more time.
If we look at the qualification value, Higher National Certificate is lower than Higher National Diploma by one level.
On Qualification and Credit Framework or QCF, Higher National Certificate is a level 4 qualification whereas Higher National Diploma is at level five.
In short, the first one is equal to one year of university while the latter is equal to two. After you have completed the certificate, you can go for the diploma but the diploma makes the certificate unessential. A diploma has more value within the employers and the rest than the certificate.
What are the benefits of an HNC or HND?
When students leave school, they choose HNC because it helps them decide which degree to choose. This helps them to save the time that some students waste by changing their major in the mid of their bachelor’s.
Higher National Certificate has a short period of almost 1 year, which can be beneficial in a variety of ways. Instead of taking a gap year, students learn new skills that prepare them for their career as well as the bachelor’s degree that they are going to opt for later. Some of the countries consider a Higher National Certificate equal to one year of university. So if you are choosing an undergraduate program under the same field, you can skip the courses that were cover in Higher National Certificate.
The above-mentioned information is similar to Higher National Diploma but looking at its nature the benefits will also be accordingly. One who has been doing Higher National Diploma can pursue his career right away once the diploma has finished. It saves money and time but skipping the two years of university and starting the degree from the third year. It will be much better if one has working experience as well.
Should I Top up my HND Studies?
There are many benefits of doing a Higher National Diploma. But the question is that after completing the diploma, should they enhance their degree or start a career? Mostly, the graduates of Higher National Diploma drop in an undergraduate last year and complete study that program. This is very common for a student who has been showing exceptional results in a Higher National Diploma or it is of a high standard. The students who have Higher National Diploma are considered completely qualified to take a part in an organization and take a role they want to pursue.
The employers commonly know the Higher National Diploma but still, there is a disparity where a degree is concerned. Students will easily get small jobs or hands-on roles but they would not get high-level jobs that require graduation.
This can be correct by merging the Higher National Diploma with a conversion course, which will allow the students to pursue their careers at a high level. They can even skip forward and start a master’s degree.
If they start moving on this path, they will save both time and money and will have a postgraduate degree at an early age, but it may cost them the chance to gain work experience.
Some of the institutions around the world allow students with Higher National Diploma. To jump to a master’s degree depending on the qualification but it is not very common. Some of the entities for example National Air Traffic Services and NATS Higher National Diploma holders to jump into their structured development programs
References
Arthur. (2021, January 5). What is the difference between HNC and HND? Retrieved January 8, 2022, from What is the difference between HNC and HND?: https://www.rcl.ac.uk/what-is-the-difference-between-hnc-and-hnd/
