Online degrees in Ireland, finished in one year.
Top-up degrees from Arden University, studied online. You join the final year of a UK bachelor’s degree with a QQI Level 6 diploma or HND and graduate with the full BA or BSc (Hons), QQI Level 7–8 equivalent, typically in a year.
- Level
- QQI Level 7–8
- Entry
- A QQI Level 6 diploma or HND
- Time
- Typically one year
- Price
- From £206 a month
Every degree you can study from Ireland.
All seven are Arden University top-ups, awarded by Arden, a UK university with its own degree-awarding powers.
Business Management1 course
Accounting & Finance1 course
Human Resources1 course
Marketing1 course
IT & Computing1 course
Health & Social Care1 course
Hospitality & Tourism1 course
No diploma yet? Every top-up needs a QQI Level 6 diploma or HND first. The diploma takes 10 to 15 months and costs €220 a month. Diplomas in Ireland →
Also at QQI 7–8, and not a degree: Diploma in Business Administration. An OTHM diploma for people already managing.
What a top-up degree does.
What it is, who gets in, and what a degree changes.
What you hold at the end
A full bachelor’s degree with honours from Arden University, a UK university with its own degree-awarding powers, registered with the Office for Students. A UK bachelor’s (Hons) is EQF Level 6, QQI Level 7–8 equivalent.
Who gets in
Anyone holding a QQI Level 6 diploma, an HND or the equivalent in a related subject. Your diploma counts as the first two years of the degree, so you join the final year. Arden confirms entry when you apply, and considers applications without an exact match case by case.
No diploma yet? The diploma takes ten to fifteen months and costs €220 a month; the degree follows.
What it changes at work
A degree is the minimum requirement in many job adverts, most graduate schemes and many public sector grades, and it is the entry requirement for postgraduate study. For accounting, the BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance also carries ACCA exemptions, subject to ACCA.
For people already in a role, it removes the ceiling: the promotions that were “for graduates only” are open.
How you study it
Online and part-time, typically a year, with up to three years to complete. Assessment is by reports, case studies, presentations and assignments, with no exam hall. From £206 a month.
Entry requirements.
Arden University confirms entry. We check your diploma against the right degree with you before you apply.
- A QQI Level 6 diploma, an HND, or an equivalent qualification, with prior learning consistent with QQI Level 6 in the subject
- The subject has to match: a business diploma into the business degree, an accounting diploma into the accounting degree, and so on
- English: IELTS 6.0 or equivalent, or evidence that your previous study was taught in English
- No exact match? Arden considers applications case by case, taking significant work experience into account
- Start with the QQI Level 6 diploma in the subject: ten to fifteen months, €220 a month, no exams
- Then the degree. We plan both steps with you on the first call.
How you study.
Every course here is online, in English, and built for people with a job. This is what that means day to day.
You watch when it suits you: before work, on a lunch break, on Sunday morning. Nothing is live, so nothing is missed.
Arden assesses by reports, case studies, presentations and assignments. No exam hall.
Tutor feedback on every assignment, and a course advisor at Elephant & Cross who stays with you from the first call to your certificate.
Arden sets the schedule for each module. Typically a year, with up to three years to complete.
What you pay.
Monthly, in pounds
Arden’s fees are in pounds and vary by degree: £206 a month for five of the seven top-ups, £458 a month for Business Management and Computing, payable over twelve months. The final payment plan is at Arden University’s discretion and is set out in its offer letter.
Employer funding
Many employers fund a degree that relates to the job. Ask us for the documents your employer needs.
Where graduates work.
The kinds of roles that ask for a degree, by subject.
What QQI Level 7 and 8 means in Ireland.
Ireland uses the National Framework of Qualifications, run by QQI. It numbers levels differently from the European EQF: a QQI Level 6 is the same level as an EQF Level 5, and a QQI Level 9 is an EQF Level 7.
The courses here are UK qualifications regulated by Ofqual. The QQI level shown is the equivalent level on Ireland’s framework. QQI levels against the EQF, the table →
Degrees in Ireland: the questions we get.
Is a top-up degree a real degree?
Yes. You graduate with the full BA or BSc (Hons) awarded by Arden University. The top-up is the final year; your diploma or HND counts as the first two.
Where does a UK degree sit on Ireland’s framework?
A UK bachelor’s (Hons) degree is EQF Level 6, which corresponds to QQI Level 7 to 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications.
What do I need to get in?
A QQI Level 6 diploma, HND or equivalent in a related subject. Arden confirms entry when you apply, and considers applications without an exact match case by case.
Can I do it alongside a full-time job?
It is designed for that. Online and part-time, no timetabled lectures, typically a year, with up to three years to complete.
More from Ireland.
The other levels, and the subject pages.
Studying from Malta? In Malta the same courses carry MQF levels, and Maltese residents can claim up to 70% back. Degrees in Malta →