insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 25 - March 2017 | Page 88

EDUCATION

Degrees by the Seaside at

UNIVERSITY CENTRE HASTINGS

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW UNIVERSITY CENTRE IN HASTINGS IS UNDERWAY AND IS ON COURSE TO OPEN IN SEPTEMBER 2017 . The University Centre is being developed by Sussex Coast College Hastings ( SCCH ), with support from the University of Brighton ( UoB ), and will welcome in new students this coming September .
The college took the opportunity to grow its existing Higher Education courses with the creation of a new University Centre , after the University of Brighton decided to close its Hastings campus .
Plans are in place to expand the Station Plaza campus to create a dedicated space on the top floor for the University Centre , which will offer an exceptional higher education student experience .
The University of Brighton will validate and award degrees , while Sussex Coast College Hastings will be able to draw on almost three decades of experience to make this new model sustainable and successful .
“ This is a very exciting time for both SCCH and for Hastings itself ,” said David Fowler , head of higher education at Sussex Coast College Hastings . “ There is a great opportunity for us to grow Higher Education courses to meet local needs and we are fully committed to making it even more successful than our offering already is .”
“ Once the decision was made by the University of Brighton to close its Hastings campus , we knew how important it was to ensure higher education remained in the town .”
SCCH has worked hard to ensure that the local community continues to have access to Higher Education courses and , with the help of key stakeholders and the wider community , will be able to offer the right mix of provision that supports economic development for the town .
“ For the first time we will be offering six full Bachelor of Arts ( Hons ) courses and three Bachelor of Science top-up courses , which is an indication of our ambition ,” added Fowler . “ Students will be taught by fully qualified teachers who have a wealth of experience in their particular industries . Smaller class sizes will also mean that students will benefit from more contact time and guidance from their tutors .”
“ We have always had students at the heart of what we do , and we believe that our focus on work-related higher education , in conjunction with our highly skilled academic practices , prepares our students to achieve fantastic grades and go on to gain lifelong success , locally , nationally and internationally .”
Sussex Coast College Hastings Station Approach Hastings TN34 1BA
01424 442222 www . sussexcoast . ac . uk
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