Access to HE Diploma (Medicine)

Key Facts

Level:
Level 3
Subject Sector:
1.1 Medicine and Dentistry
Credits:
60
Qualification No:
QAAQ003952
Price:
View price list
Age Range:
19+
QAA aim code:
40012682

This diploma completed a review in May 2024 to ensure it adheres to new QAA regulations:

Changes to Access to HE confirmed by QAA: Diploma Specification and Grading Scheme

More details to help with planning from August 2024:

Diploma Guide – to be used from August 2024

Access to HE Diploma (Medicine) Overview

Qualification Summary

The Diploma provides learners with a wide choice of units to support progression into Medicine degree programmes. The mandatory group of units ensures that learners have a good understanding of themes relevant to Medicine including key topics in Chemistry, Chemical Principles: Particles and Forces, Energetics, Kinetics and Equilibria and Organic, Biochemical Molecules, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Human Anatomy and Physiology and Genetics.
The Access to Higher Education Diploma (Medicine) has been developed to meet the requirements of the QAA subject descriptor for Medicine.

Learners must achieve a total of 60 credits, of which 45 credits must be achieved at level 3 from graded units which are concerned with academic subject content and the remaining 15 credits must be achieved at level 3 from units which are ungraded. All learners must register for at least one 6-credit or one 9-credit unit as part of their programme of study; this can be a graded or ungraded unit. The maximum number of credits that can be made up from 6-credit or 9-credit units is 30 credits; this can be from graded and ungraded 6-credit and 9-credit units.

Learners must complete 45 credits from the mandatory graded units in Chemistry, Biology and Other Science/Maths and 15 credits from the mandatory ungraded units.

Why choose this qualification?

This Access to HE Diploma has been fully reviewed and revalidated for the 2024-25 academic year. Updated teaching and learning support materials are also available to Gateway Qualifications recognised centres.

The Access to Higher Education (HE) Diploma is an academic qualification that is designed to prepare learners for study at degree level. The diploma is designed to give the learner the relevant academic subject knowledge and underpinning study skills required to progress onto a relevant degree programme.

As an Access Validating Agency (AVA), all of our Access to Higher Education (HE) Diplomas are compliant with Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) regulations.

Units

Graded Academic Subject Content Units

Learners must complete at total of 45 credits which must be achieved at level 3 from graded units which are concerned with academic subject content.

Mandatory Units: Graded Academic Subject Content (Chemistry)

Learners must achieve 15 credits from this group

Chemical Principles: Particles and Forces

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
6
Unit No:
QU034910
Click here to view full unit details

Energetics, Kinetics, Equilibria

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
3
Unit No:
QU034874
Click here to view full unit details

Introduction to Chemistry

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
3
Unit No:
QU035913
Click here to view full unit details

Organic and Biochemical Molecules

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
3
Unit No:
QU035014
Click here to view full unit details
Mandatory Units: Graded Academic Subject Content (Biology)

Learners must achieve 15 credits from this group.

Cell Biology and Biochemistry

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
6
Unit No:
QU035192
Click here to view full unit details

Human Anatomy and Physiology

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
6
Unit No:
QU034782
Click here to view full unit details

Introduction to Genetics

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
3
Unit No:
QU035246
Click here to view full unit details
Mandatory Units: Graded Academic Subject Content (Other Science/Maths)

Learners must achieve 15 credits from this group

Fundamental Physics: Theory

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
3
Unit No:
QU034610
Click here to view full unit details

Mathematics: Algebra, Exponentials and Logarithms

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
3
Unit No:
QU034812
Click here to view full unit details

Physics and the Senses

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
3
Unit No:
QU035026
Click here to view full unit details

Research: Practical Investigation Project for Medicine

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
6
Unit No:
QU035298
Click here to view full unit details
Ungraded Units

Learners must achieve 15 credits from the Mandatory Units: Ungraded group.

Mandatory Units: Ungraded

Learners must achieve all credits from this group

Drug Calculations and Health Related Charts

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
3
Unit No:
QU035355
Click here to view full unit details

Mathematics for Science

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
3
Unit No:
QU034862
Click here to view full unit details

Professional Behaviour for Medical Practitioners

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
3
Unit No:
QU035176
Click here to view full unit details

Promoting Wellbeing and Building Resilience

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
3
Unit No:
QU034720
Click here to view full unit details

Study Skills for Higher Education

Level:
Level 3
Guided Learning Hours:
Not available
Credits:
3
Unit No:
QU034730
Click here to view full unit details

Intended learner groups

a) Adults who, because of social, educational or individual circumstances may have achieved few, if any, prior qualifications and wish to progress to HE
b) Adults who have gone straight into industry (perhaps following apprenticeship routes) who wish to progress to HE.

How this diploma meets learners' needs

The Diploma will provide them with underpinning skills to support academic study and provide a level 3 qualification linked to their proposed HE study. A broad range of knowledge will be acquired which support an understanding of medicine and will ensure that the learner is fully prepared for progression onto the relevant degrees.

What this diploma covers

The units include a balance of units which allow the learners to keep their options open until they have fully decided on their preferred route at degree level. The ungraded units have been chosen to support both progression into higher education and also to allow the learners to develop skills relevant to the subject area e.g. Mathematics for Science, Professional Behaviours for Medical Practitioners and Drug Calculations

Delivery methods

Face to face
Blended learning

Project, exam, practical investigation, report, annotated diagram, experiment, graphs and charts, short answer questions, written assignment. Some of the exam questions should be multiple choice questions to reflect the mode of assessment in higher education.

Professional Behaviours – As well as having an understanding of professional behaviours, Higher Education providers will expect students to demonstrate these behaviours.

Successful completion criteria

Learners are expected to require a pass in maths and English at GCSE level to progress onto a degree course. It is expected that they will also require a GCSE in Science. Learners should be made aware that they may be required to take an aptitude test, attend an interview and complete a DBS check prior to acceptance on a degree programme.

Progression routes

• BSc Medical Sciences
• BSc Applied Medical Sciences
• BSc Medical Biochemistry
• Biological Sciences BSc (Hons)
• Healthcare Science (Life Sciences) BSc (Hons)
• Healthcare Science (Cardiac Physiology) BSc Honours
• Biology BSc (Hons)
• Bioscience BSc (Hons)
• Chemistry BSc (Hons)
• Natural Sciences BSc (Hons)
• Bachelor of Medical Sciences with Hons Medicine
• MBChB Medicine
• BSc Biomedicine
• BSc Biomedical Science
• Healthcare Science (Cardiac Physiology) BSc Honours

Progression & entry requirements

N/A

Provider approval criteria

Depending on the choice of unit, centres will require access to relevant science equipment.

Funding information

There are now two main sources for funding information, a straightforward ESFA Qualification Search and the more detailed Find a Learning Aim website.

The new Find a learning aim (FALA) service provides a search tool that you can use to check the funding status of any qualification, framework, unit, standard or T Level:

View this qualification on the ESFA’s Find a learning aim website

The Education and Skills Funding Agency search provides funding information on qualifications. It does not provide funding information for units, non-regulated activity and work placements, for this information please use Find a learning aim (FALA).

View this qualification on the ESFA Qualification Funding Search

How to find a learning aim

If you’re not sure how to use the new find a learning aim website, we’ve created a handy walkthrough to help you:

How to Use: Find a learning Aim

We have done our best to collate and summarise the key information, and wherever possible we alert our providers to changes in funding policy.

This funding information is provided in good faith and it is always advisable to check directly with the funding agencies before committing to delivery.

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