I have recently applied for a distance learning masters degree on Asset Integrity Management but was told that because I didn't have any academic qualifications I need an HND or Undergraduate degree before I can be accepted on this course. Can anybody give me any suggestions, I currently work full time in the oil and gas sector and just want to better myself.

Have you spoken to someone in management or HR at your company to see if there is any assistance they can give with getting qualifications related to the industry? I'm just wondering if they could assist with something like an HND or a degree, even if it's just day release to give you some study time.

Thanks for the reply chickpea
I am a Limited Company working Offshore so I cant really ask the company that supply me the work as if they think I could leave they would stop giving me the contracts.
I was self funding if I was accepted on the course so don't know why they don't let me on it. If I am not up to scratch then I fail and lose my money.

The way it works is that you have to build up qualifications. You can't jump to a MSc before having a degree because the jump might be very high. It's not just about having the technical knowledge, it's also about being able to write effectively and convey key messages in an essay or an exam. Someone with a MSc is also assumed to have some underlying broader knowledge within their subject area, which you may not possess if you don't have a degree in a similar subject.

Universities are graded on their pass rates, it's not simply a case of you losing your money and potentially taking the place of someone else who has worked hard to get an undergraduate degree to get on the course. By your logic I could buy my way on to a PhD and then after a year of wasting everyone's time and effort they could just get rid of me.

I'd have a look and see if there's an HND or degree you can do by distance learning to start off with. As others have said, you need to build up towards a Masters, but it might well be that you can do a degree in the same topic by distance learning in the first case.

As others have said, you can't just jump into a masters without having at least done a bachelors degree. It's not just about the money. A bachelors will prepare you with the skills needed for a masters (research, reading, writing), which can be an intense course, and the PhD moreso.

You'll need to do the bachelors first, and then either do an honours or a postgrad diploma to be considered for a masters. There are plenty of options for distance learning to earn your bachelors degree.

Depending on how well you do with the bachelors/honours, you might be able to skip the masters or upgrade from the masters to a PhD (which is what I did) but that depends on the university.