How to apply for postgraduate study

The majority of taught postgraduate courses start in October. Most courses do not have formal closing dates but you are advised to apply as early as possible to secure your place.

Applicants should hold a good first degree with at least second class honours, or an equivalent qualification. Relevant personal, professional and educational experience is also taken into consideration. Exact requirements vary between courses, please check the relevant course page for details.

Applications for the PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) course should be made through UCAS.

We encourage applications from all sections of the community, regardless of sex, marital status, age, responsibility for dependents, socio-economic status, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation or disability.

We work hard to ensure that, as far as possible, students with disabilities are able to study successfully with us. If you have additional needs, we advise that you contact the Additional Student Support and Inclusion Services Team (ASSIST) or course tutor as early as possible, so that you can discuss your needs and visit the University to assess the facilities if necessary.

A lot of courses can be completed part-time, so you can fit your studies around your life. The majority of part-time and professional courses start in October. Please apply as soon as possible to ensure we have your details before your course starts.

Our Applicant with Criminal Convictions Policy details how we handle our applicants who have criminal convictions including:

• Which applicants need to declare criminal conviction(s)
• What happens if you are applying for a DBS programme and declare a criminal conviction(s)
• How we assess DBS check outcomes and self-declaration of criminal conviction(s)

The below also provides additional information and things which you may need to consider if you have a criminal conviction(s).

Non-DBS Programmes

If you are applying for a Non-DBS Programme (e.g. the programme does not require you to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service check) and have a criminal conviction:

• You will not need to declare any criminal convictions during the admissions/application process
• You may be required to declare criminal convictions during other processes (e.g. accommodation application) however this falls outside of the admissions process
• You must do your own research to determine whether your criminal conviction may prevent you working in your chosen profession. This might include contacting relevant professional bodies, regulatory authorities or accreditation bodies
• We encourage you to contact us on admissionsconfidential@northampton.ac.uk if there is anything about your conviction, licence/probation rules etc which we may need to take into account. We don’t need to know the details of your conviction but we might need to know the rules or requirements surrounding your conviction/licence/probation so that we can consider whether we can make reasonable adjustments so that you can study with us. This may include (but is not limited to):
  • You can only attend on certain days/times due to release or probation requirements/rules
  • You are not permitted to access certain resources or the internet

DBS Programmes

If you are applying for a DBS Programme (e.g. the programme requires you to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service check) and you have a criminal conviction:

• You will need to declare yes on your application (UCAS or Direct Application) if you have a criminal conviction which would appear on an enhanced DBS check. If you answer yes, we will send you a letter detailing how we will handle your declaration.
• If you receive an offer from us and make us your FIRM choice we will contact you to complete a DBS check prior to enrolment. Upon receipt of your DBS outcome (or if we ask you to self-declare e.g. due to a late application) a Criminal Convictions Panel will make an assessment of your criminal conviction(s) and whether you can study with us
• You must do your own research to determine whether your criminal conviction may prevent you working in your chosen profession. This might include contacting relevant professional bodies, regulatory authorities or accreditation bodies
• You may be required to declare criminal convictions during other processes (e.g. accommodation application) however this falls outside of the admissions process

Additional Information

If you need additional support or information then you may wish to consider contacting Unlock or Nacro who provide support and information for individuals with criminal convictions.