University System

International Foundation Programme

International Foundation Programmes are designed for those who don’t necessarily meet the entry requirements to gain entry onto a particular degree course and enable students to develop their learning to an appropriate standard in preparation for starting Year 1 of a degree.

Foundation Degrees

Foundation Degrees are normally deemed to be equivalent to the first two years of a three year bachelor’s degree in terms of the amount and type of study that students complete. After a Foundation Degree, students may then have the option to study for a “top-up” bachelor’s degree course so that they can gain the full undergraduate degree qualification.

Undergraduate Degrees

This is a full undergraduate degree qualification. A bachelor’s degree normally takes three or four years to complete and most are awarded at honours level (BA hons). Examples of bachelor degrees are: BA – Bachelor of Arts, BEng – Bachelor of Engineering, and BSc – Bachelor of Science.

Postgraduate Degrees

Masters Degree in the UK are very intensive and can be completed in just one year – much less than in most other countries where they take two years. Examples of Masters courses are MBA – Master of Business Administration, MA – Master of Arts, MEng – Master of Engineering, MSc – Master of Science. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in the UK can take between three and seven years to complete, where most are fully funded positions.