Online Students Are First Class
10 August 2011
Heidi Thorne achieved First Class Honours in BSc (Hons) degree in International Spa Management (online).
Deborah Webb achieved a First Class Honours in online degree in Hairdressing and Salon Management
Two students juggling online study at the University of Derby Buxton with full time jobs and busy home lives are celebrating achieving the first ever First Class Honours degrees attained on their programmes.
While running her own salon and being a busy mum, Heidi Thorne, 35, from Faringdon, Oxfordshire, decided she also wanted to consolidate on her work experience and build her business by going back into education.
The following four years of hard work fitting study towards the online BSc (Hons) degree in International Spa Management around building up her successful salon - Skin and Health Therapy - paid off for Heidi when she received the news that she had achieved First Class Honours, and that was the first student on the course to have ever met that grade.
"I was so delighted and surprised that I had to call my tutor to check they'd got it right!" said Heidi. "The course was very business focused which really helped me to better understand the finance and marketing side to running my salon successfully, and I'm already seeing my new knowledge pay off."
The first First Class Honours ever achieved on the online BA (Hons) degree in Hairdressing and Salon Management was also attained by a student completing their studies this year.
Deborah Webb, 42, from Tonbridge, Kent, chose to study the programme as she wanted to further her career teaching hairdressing in further education colleges but needed to formalise the knowledge and experience she had gained in her hairdressing career to do so.
"Derby was the only university I found to offer a programme like this online," said Deborah. "Online study suited me best as I had to fit it around work and my commitments. It's been a really good experience, but certainly difficult at times. It's taken a lot of self motivation to get down to study as well as working full time, but to achieve a First Class Honours degree has made it all worth it."
Julie Stone, Head of the University of Derby Online, said: "We are delighted to share in Deborah and Heidi's success. They prove what can be achieved through this kind of flexible learning and we hope they both go on to experience great success in their careers."
Both Heidi and Deborah will travel to the Peak District for University of Derby Buxton's Awards ceremony which will take place within the Campus' iconic Dome on Saturday December 3, 2011.
Almost 150 students have graduated from the University's online undergraduate degree programmes since they were established in 2005, 11 achieving First Class Honours. For more information on any of these programmes and studying online with the University of Derby visit www.derby.ac.uk/online.
