The Foundation Year is a great opportunity if you have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualification level required to enter directly onto our degree programmes. Successful completion of the Foundation Year will enable you to progress into the first year (Level C) of your chosen honours degree. If you are a full time UK student, you will qualify for student financial support for the full duration of your course (subject to relevant criteria).

A significant part of our Foundation Year focuses upon study skills such as academic writing at HE level, becoming an independent learner, structuring academic work, critical thinking, time management and note taking.

The Foundation Year is particularly suitable for those who wish to undertake studies in the following areas:

• Childhood & Youth
• Criminology
• Disability Studies in Education
• Early Childhood
• Education (not Teacher Training)
• Health & Social Care
• Health & Well-Being
• Sociology
• Social Policy
• Special Educational Needs

There are a number of other subjects where the Heads of Department have indicated that a student who has completed the Foundation Year, and has therefore developed their study practices and critical thinking, would be well placed to join their courses. Students should note that although the Foundation Year for these subject areas does not include significant subject-specific study, students would develop their study skills and prepare them for entry into Level C of the following subjects.

• Business Management
• Christian Theology
• Creative Writing
• English Language
• English Literature
• Film & Visual Culture
• History
• Marketing
• Media & Communication
• Philosophy & Ethics
• Philosophy, Ethics & Religion
• Religious Studies
• Theology
• Tourism Management

This is a full-time course and forms the first year of a four-year degree. You will be a student of the University and have access to all the standard support systems and resources that any degree student would be able to access.

Please note the BA (Hons) Degrees with Foundation Year are subject to validation.

Programme structure

Teaching on this prgramme will be a mixture of lectures, tutorials and individual learning. You will have approximately 12 teaching hours per week, for 26 weeks of the year.

Assessment and feedback

Assessment on this programme includes essays, exams and an Individual Learning Project. The Individual Learning Project will be your opportunity to relate your studies to the subject you want to progress onto.

You will recieve written feedback on all of your assessments, and you will have the opoortunity to discuss this in more detail with your tutor.

Offers will be made to students who have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualification level required to enter directly onto our degree programmes.

If you hold Level 3 qualifications but do not meet the standard entry requirements required for our degree programmes, please call and discuss the options available to you: 0151 291 3111

Tuition Fees

The tuition fees for the Foundation Year for 2018/19 are £9,250.

If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,250.

The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.

Additional Costs

On top of your tuition fees, you also need to consider costs such as purchasing books and travel. For subject-specific additional costs, please see the relevant undergraduate course page.

You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.

Additional help

For information about funding from the Government, please see our Government help page.

Our BA (Hons) Degrees with Foundation Year has three strands. You will study:

• Education
• Social Sciences 
• Study Skills Development

Strand 1

Topics covered during lectures, seminars and tutorials include:

• What is Education?
• Why do we Educate?
• Democracy and Education
• Education, Equality and Society
• The Psychology of Learning and Teaching in Educational Settings
• Inclusion and Education
• Teaching and Learning in Practice
• Approaches to Pedagogy
• History of Childhood
• Understanding Children’s Development
• Health and Wellbeing of Children
• Contemporary Educational Issues

Strand 2

Topics covered during lectures, seminars and tutorials include:

• What is Social Science?
• Studying Social Problems
• Politics and Welfare
• Young People and Society
• Who Gets What? - Social Justice
• Social Divisions
• Health and Social Care
• Work and Employment
• Forms of Social Control
• Understanding Social Issues

Strand 3

The following skills will be developed in seminars and tutorials as we explore the Education and Social Science curriculum:

• Becoming a learner at HE level
• Time management and planning
• Information retrieval and evaluation
• Reading at HE level
• Academic writing and criticality
• Structuring academic work and note taking
• Referencing and proof reading
• Team work
• Presentation skills

Applications for our BA (Hons) Degrees with Foundation Year must be made through UCAS. When making an application, you will need to specify which degree you wish to continue onto once you have completed your Foundation Year programme.

The available BA (Hons) programmes are listed below: