This is why it's really important to check out exactly what you will be studying as part of your course and how you will be studying towards your qualification.

Information on course content is available from universities and colleges in the form of a course syllabus and can also be found as part of the entry profile information on the UCAS website.

Courses differ in this way because the typical content of individual subject areas is decided and agreed by the academics and professionals studying, teaching, researching and working in these areas.

These people are unique individuals with ideas and strengths which vary, so they are not going to offer exactly the same things to study at every institution.

A course syllabus will provide detailed information about what you can expect to study as part of your course.

There are some basic guidelines for each major subject area, which will give you a good idea about what to expect as part of your course.

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) provides a broad description of the typical content of more than 50 subject areas to produce what are known as subject benchmark statements which you can find here on the QAA website.

Benchmark statements are not a national curriculum in a subject. They have been written in a way that allows ample scope for diversity in content amongst courses.

Universities and colleges are able to customise the content and adapt the title of an individual course it offers to reflect its particular strengths in that subject area, and to give students a good range in the types and content of courses available. But the title must reflect the contentand follow some basic rules about describing the level and type of qualification the course leads to.

In this way, the statements also help to ensure that the standards of honours degree courses across the UK meet an agreed level.

Universities and colleges must have written programme specifications for each course/programme offered.

These specifications should give more detailed information about the content, teaching and learning methods used, assessment and support available to students for each course.

Some programme specifications have been written specifically for students, while others are more suitable for professional higher education staff.

Another way of learning more about an individual course is to look at University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) entry profiles which you can find online for many courses. You can find out more information here on the UCAS website.

These profiles give details about entry qualifications, selection criteria and desirable personal characteristics, much of which was not previously available. All of this is essential for making fully informed choices about entry to higher education.

Your institution will also be able to answer any queries you have about courses and many publish comprehensive information online or in their prospectuses.

We welcome your comments and feedback on this article.