Whether you’re choosing to study with us for the first time or you're progressing with us to further your education and career prospects, we offer a diverse range of higher education courses, including full-time and part-time, foundation degrees, HTQs, HNCs and higher apprenticeships.
At EDC, we offer an exciting selection of higher education course programmes, a number in partnership with leading universities from across our region.
Funding Your Course
Don't let the higher fees of these courses put you off! They can be entirely funded by advanced learner loans, which work very similarly to university loans.
You'll only start to pay back your loan once you earn over the current threshold set by the government, which is £25,000 at the time of writing. Once you go over that threshold, you'll pay back an instalment on your monthly pay (the amount fluctuates depending on how much you earn).
HE Courses Offered in Partnership with the University of Sunderland
The following programmes are offered by East Durham College working in partnership with the University of Sunderland. The award that you will receive will be from the University of Sunderland. Sport, Health & Social and Counselling courses are taught at the College's Peterlee Campus and Animal Management at our Houghall Campus in Durham.
- Foundation degree (FdSc) Sports Coaching >>
- Foundation degree (FdSc) Health and Social Care >>
- Foundation degree (FdA) in Counselling >>
- Foundation degree (FdSc) in Animal Management >>
Our Foundation Degrees are university-level qualifications in their own right, equivalent to the first two years of an Honours degree. And the great news is that once you’ve got a Foundation Degree, it’s possible to ‘top up’ your qualification to a full Honours degree. This usually involves an extra year studying full-time (or the part-time equivalent) at the University of Sunderland.
If you have any queries about the FdSc Animal Management course, please contact the HE Animal Care Manager:
Rebecca Sweet (Higher Education Course Leader) MSc, BSc (Hons) rebecca.sweet@eastdurham.ac.uk
For more information on the University of Sunderland, please click here to visit the University of Sunderland website >>
Teesside University Partnership Programme
For those passionate about animal welfare and studying an Animal Science degree, the College has a partnership with Teesside University on their Animal Science & Welfare Degree. The degree course takes place primarily at Teesside University's Middlesbrough campus, with further study at East Durham College's Houghall Campus in Durham. Check out the details on Teesside University's website:
Higher Education Courses in Engineering
East Durham College also offers a Level 4 HNC qualification in Engineering, taught at our Peterlee Campus. Please click the below links for more details:
- Level 4 Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) >>
- Level 4 Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Engineering (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) >>
Higher Education in Arboriculture
EDC offers a Level 4 Diploma in Arboriculture at the Houghall campus, in Durham, which is designed for people working in the arboriculture industry, in both the public and private sectors, to complement their training and experience, and to provide evidence of their knowledge of arboriculture.
Higher Education Courses in Health
East Durham College offers two health-related programmes at the Peterlee campus:
Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) - IT
East Durham College also currently offers one IT-related HTQ at the Peterlee campus:
- Level 4 Network Engineer >>
- Level 4 Data Analyst (Course starts Sept 2025, details coming soon) >>
- Level 4 Cyber Security (Course starts Sept 2025, details coming soon) >>
Leadership & Management Programme
Develop your skills and experience, improve your performance and prepare for senior management responsibilities. This qualification is designed for project managers, department heads, and other practising middle managers.
Teaching
East Durham College offers one teaching-related HE programme at the Peterlee campus:
Coming Soon
We have a number of exciting brand-new programmes starting in September 2025, these include:
Higher Technical Qualification (HTQ) in Construction
This programme is designed to equip you with the technical, management and communication skills needed to be an effective leader of teams involved in the construction industry.
- Level 4 Construction - Building Services Engineering (Details coming soon) >>
Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) in Creative Industries
- Level 4 Professional Diploma in Technical & Production for the Creative Industries (Details coming soon) >>
- Level 4 Professional Diploma in Creative Enterprise (Details coming soon) >>
- Level 4 Professional Diploma in Performance (Details coming soon) >>
Professional Diplomas provide specialist vocational learning at level 4. They are developed in collaboration with industry, to meet sector needs. They support lifelong learning, enabling students to develop skills and to support progression.
Any Questions?
Can we help with anything relating to East Durham College's Higher Education programmes? No problem - simply get in touch with us using one of the following methods:
Use our online LiveChat system on the website for a quick and easy response.
Call Student Services on 0191 518 8222
Email Us: enquiries@eastdurham.ac.uk
Peterlee Campus
