Studying at TIIB
From an HND to a degree
A Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma is two thirds of a UK bachelor's degree, measured in the credits universities actually count. That arithmetic is the whole pathway.
Two years here, one more year at a university, and you finish with a full honours degree.
The top-up year
- Entry
- A Level 5 HND
- Length
- One year
- Ends with
- An honours degree
- Where
- The UAE, UK, Malta and elsewhere in Europe
Every university sets its own entry rules, so the one you want is confirmed with admissions rather than promised here.
The arithmetic
A UK degree is counted in credits rather than in years, which is why the two can be taken in different countries. Same three years as a straight degree, two of them at Dubai fees.
Level 3
Entry
A-Levels, a high school diploma, or the Level 3 diploma taught here.
Levels 4 and 5
240 credits
The Higher National Diploma. Two years, in Dubai Knowledge Park.
Level 6
120 credits
The final year, at a university that accepts the diploma.
The award
360 credits
A UK honours degree, three years after you started.
Where graduates go
TIIB works with institutions in four places, and the list moves as arrangements are signed. Nobody here will name the university you will end up at, because each one sets its own entry rules and reads your grades before it decides.
Ask admissions early. A university that wants a merit average is worth knowing about in your first term, not your last.
- The UAE
- The United Kingdom
- Malta
- Elsewhere in Europe
What carries across
Your specialism decides which degree subjects will take you, and the institute states that programme by programme. Grades at unit level matter for the competitive ones.
- Accounting and Finance
Final year in accounting, finance or business.
- Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management
Final year in entrepreneurship, business management or innovation.
- Human Resource Management
Final year in HR management, business management or organisational psychology.
- Business Management
Final year in business management, international business or strategic management.
- Marketing
Final year in marketing, digital marketing or business.
- Procurement and Supply Management
Final year in supply chain management, procurement or business operations.
- Cyber Security
Final year in cyber security, information security or computer science.
- Software Development and Programming
Final year in software engineering, computer science or IT systems development.
- Data Analytics
Final year in data science, business analytics or information systems.
- Cloud Networking
Final year in cloud computing, networking or computer science.
- Games and Animation
Final year in game development, animation or digital media.
- Artificial Intelligence Solutions and Applications
Final year in artificial intelligence, computer science or data science.
- Web and Content Management
Final year in web development, digital media or computing.
If you do not want a degree
The diploma is a qualification in its own right, not a stepping stone with a gap in it. In technical subjects employers hire on it directly, and the placement inside the programme is usually what gets that first interview.
The top-up is an option. Plenty of graduates take the job and come back to the degree later, by which point an employer is often paying for it.
The placement, the employer network, and what graduates do with both.
Questions people ask
Does an HND transfer into a degree?
Yes. A Level 5 HND is 240 credits, which is the first two years of a UK bachelor's degree, so you enter the final year rather than starting again. TIIB works with partner universities in the UAE, the UK, Malta and elsewhere in Europe.
Which year of the degree do I enter?
Usually the final year, and usually in a subject related to your specialism. Each university sets its own entry rules, so confirm the specific one with admissions before you plan around it.
Also useful
- Fees and funding
What two years here costs, which is the half of the arithmetic that saves money.
- Business HNDs
Six specialisms, each with the degree subjects it feeds stated on its page.
- Digital Technologies HNDs
Seven technical routes, most of them into computer science degrees.
Ask which universities take your specialism
Which universities are currently taking graduates, and what each of them asks for, changes often enough that it is worth a message rather than a guess. Ask before you plan the third year around it.
An admissions counsellor replies within one working day.