Owner of Penguin and the Financial Times, Pearson, is the first FTSE 100 company to offer degrees directly in the UK.

Their degrees will be very business focused and have been designed with employers in mind. A small cohort of students is due to begin in September.

The students will obtain a Bsc (Hons) degree in Business which will be accredited by the Royal Holloway University and Beford New College, of the University of London. Prospective students will go through an Oxbridge style assessment day. Rather than being selected purely on their academics, Pearson will take into account other factors too, such as their motivation. The degree is heavily focused on preparing students for the business world and has been developed in conjunction with BT, Cisco, Peter Jones Foundation and Atos.

The degree is exceptionally flexible meaning that students can get the most out of their studies and be better placed to find a future job. Whilst offering the traditional style degree of three years there are other options also. Students can choose to study on an accelerated basis over two years, including the summers in between. There is also the opportunity to study part time whilst also working and therefore complete the degree in four years, minimising debt. Every student will also benefit from a guaranteed internship programme as well as a mentor, further improving their employability on graduation.

At a competitive price of six and a half thousand pounds a year, with scholarship opportunities also available, this could be a very appealing option for students wanting a career in business. The Managing Director of Pearson College commented on the advantages of the degree and said "given its academic publishing heritage and business orientation, Pearson is uniquely placed to develop and deliver degrees that combine an academic foundation with business and employer needs. She continued by explaining that their "degrees are designed by business, delivered with business, for students who want to succeed in business. We have a network of blue chip industry relationships, many of whom are working with us on the design and delivery of our degree programmes. This gives us an inherent understanding of the modern business environment and employer needs. Our degrees will therefore embed professional work experience, business skills and etiquette, with significant and relevant input from our industry partners."