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What is a Higher National Diploma or HND?

  • 3 January 2024
  • 3 minutos
  • Blog

You may have read or heard about the possibility of complementing your Higher National Diploma or HND, but do you know what it is and why you should take it?

Higher National Diploma: complete your professional profile

The HND (Higher National Diploma) is an official qualification that belongs to the British university education system and is internationally recognised. Its equivalence is equal to 120 ECTS credits (European Credit Transfer System).

Its main attraction lies in the fact that it adds value to your CV, allows you to improve your university recognition and even offers you the possibility of doing a third year in the United Kingdom and obtaining a Bachelor of Arts, the British equivalent of an Official University Degree.

This complementary training is taught in parallel to the two years of the corresponding Higher Level Training Cycles, with a teaching load of two more subjects per year. The rest of the subjects are validated with the subjects taken in the Higher Level Training Cycle .

Why should you take it?

Access to the labour market

One of the main reasons to combine your education with these UK qualifications is that they focus on knowledge and skills relevant to the world of work, which is why many companies such as Shell, BAE Sytems, PWC and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group are constantly recruiting candidates with these qualifications.

In addition, more than 70 UK professional bodies and associations recognise HNDs for membership. In an increasingly competitive global job market, an HND will help you stand out from the crowd.

Progression to university study

In addition, the HND allows for faster progression to university study, as it offers subject validation options. 95% of UK higher education institutions accept students with an HND to complete a degree. Nearly 300 universities worldwide, including many in The Times Top 100 international ranking, accept HND students on advanced courses.

At UDIT, University of Design, Innovation and Technology you can complete your Higher Degree with two different Higher National Diplomas (HND). 

UDIT is committed to professional differentiation

On the one hand, related to Design, we find the Higher Level Training Cycle in 3D Animations, Games and Interactive Environments can be complemented with the HND in Creative Media Production and UDIT's own Degree in Video Game Design and Production, with which you will acquire knowledge of Video Game Design and Production and you will be able to access the University Degree in Video Game Design and Development with a very advantageous validation.

On the other hand, related to the area of Technology we find the Higher Level Training Cycles in Multiplatform Applications Development, Web Applications Development and Administration of Networked Computer Systems can be complemented with the HND in Computing, with the specialisation in Cybersecurity that will provide you with in-depth knowledge and specialised skills in the area of computer networks and cybersecurity.

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