Local students now have the opportunity to obtain a globally recognised degree in South Africa. The Independent Institute of Education (IIE) has been recognised as a degree-awarding institution for the purposes of credit transfer by the Open University of the United Kingdom, and its VarsityCollege campuses now offer the opportunity to work towards international recognition and credit for two of their degree offerings. They are a Bachelor of Arts degree in Corporate Communication and a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
Degrees open door to Open University
This means that students who complete the local IIE degrees are also able to continue their studies towards an honours degree with the Open University, with only the equivalent of one additional year of full-time study.
IIE director, Dr. Felicity Coughlan, says: "We are delighted that our institution has been recognised and our newly accredited degrees have been approved for inclusion in an honours degree pathway by such an internationally respected institution." She says that private educational institutions offer attractive opportunities that are both different from and complementary to state universities while being subject to the same regulatory and quality assurance requirements.
