Some educational establishments offer flexible programmes of study, which may be described as modular courses. These courses allow students to study on a full-time or part-time basis, building up credits to the chosen qualification from a number of self-contained modules. Some modules are compulsory and some are optional. There may be rules in governing the order in which the modules must be taken and the number of modules, compulsory or voluntary, which must be taken within each academic year. A minimum number of modules have to be completed successfully for the qualification to be awarded.
