Global students who want to earn a degree in short courses in science, maths and technology subjects from UK universities may now avail of such through online.

All a student needs to do is access the online hub site FutureLearn. A private company owned by the Open University, courses offered through this site are free.

David Willetts, UK's universities minister, said the partnership with FutureLearn will greatly bridge to serve the demand for university courses, particularly those coming from overseas.

The Australian Synchrotron is located at the University's Clayton Campus

"It will revolutionise conventional models of formal education," he said, noting that the current trend of access to higher education "is no longer necessarily about bricks and mortar."

The UK universities included are:

1) University of Bath

2) University of Birmingham

3) University of Bristol

4) Cardiff University

5) University of East Anglia

6) The University of Edinburgh

7) University of Exeter

8) University of Glasgow

9) King's College London

10) Lancaster University

11) University of Leeds

12) University of Leicester

13) Loughborough University

14) The University of Nottingham

15) The Open University

16) Queen's University, Belfast

17) University of Reading

18) The University of Sheffield

19) University of Southampton

20) University of Strathclyde

21) The University of Warwick

Trinity College Dublin and Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, are also taking part.

Chilworth Manor, part of the University of Southampton Science Park.

The British Library, British Museum and British Council, all partners of the scheme, committed to make material available to students.

Warwick banner on University Road

Courses offered include: The Secret Power of Brands (East Anglia), The Mind is Flat: The Shocking Shallowness of Human Psychology (Warwick), Web Science: How the Web is Changing the World (Southampton), England in the Time of King Richard III (Leicester) and Improving Your Image: Dental Photography in Practice (Birmingham).

The Science & Technology Centre, University of Reading

Reading University is going to a course about basic computer programming.

"Offering free taster courses online is a no-brainer. Universities shouldn't be afraid to open up teaching and research, either in the UK or beyond. Learning never stops and as the economy's demand for higher-skills rises, universities should be in the vanguard when it comes to providing new opportunities," Vice Chancellor David Bell said.