Foundation Year in Computing Foundation

About the course

This full -time, one year foundation course provides an introduction to computing and information technology and gives students without the necessary qualifications the skills required to study an undergraduate computing course.

The course introduces a wide range of IT, communication and study skills that will prepare you for a degree in computing, enabling you to progress onto more advanced study.

The course covers the basics of cutting-edge IT topics, such as computer animation, as well as more familiar office applications, such as spreadsheets and databases. Staff and students work together in a friendly and supportive workshop environment.

The course is particularly well suited to mature students and is ideal for those who missed the chance to go to university after leaving school, people looking for a change of career and parents planning to return to employment.

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Key facts

UCAS course code: G403

Duration: One year full-time

Interview required: Yes

Institution code: D26

Entry and admission criteria

Entry requirements for 2014

• Normally 140 UCAS Points from at least two A Levels or equivalent (Subject specific requirements may apply), plus five GCSEs at grade C or above, including Maths and English
• BTEC requirements: Merit Pass Pass (MPP) at National Diploma Level.
• Additional qualifications can contribute towards the points score such as a third A level or AS Levels.
• International Baccalaureate: 24+ Points

If you are unsure about the amount of UCAS points your qualifications may attract you can use our UCAS Tariff Chart|.

We welcome applications from mature students with non-standard qualifications and recognise all other equivalent and international qualifications.

If English is not your first language, an IELTS score of 6.0 or equivalent when you start the course is essential. English language tuition| is available at DMU both before and during the course if required.

Teaching and assessment

The course is taught by dedicated staff with experience of dealing with students who need additional help and support. You will work together with staff in a friendly and supportive environment in small groups of up to 20 students.

The four modules on the course run over the two academic terms. Assessments across the four modules consist of both individual and group work. There are no formal exams but there are phase tests held under exam conditions. The majority of the work is assessed through time constrained coursework, which will be issued at regular intervals across the two terms.

You will normally attend around 12–16 hours of timetabled taught sessions each week, and are expected to undertake at least 14–16 further hours of directed independent study and assignments as required.

Course modules

• Problem Solving and Programming
• Creative Computing and Technology
• Computing Skills and Research
• E-commerce Computing

Graduate careers

The natural route upon successful completion of the course is to progress to the first year of one of our undergraduate degrees. Those who perform exceptionally well will have access to the more specialist degrees at the discretion of the course leader.

Fees and funding

UK/EU Full-time £9,000 Placement year £650 Part-time (Where available) 4 year course £5,925 per year 6 year course £3,950 per year Per module £988 per 15 credits International
Full-time £11,250 Placement year £750

For more information please take a look at our Fees and Funding| section.

Facilities

The newly refurbished computer science laboratories in Gateway House provide 80 computer workstations for students to use. The space is divided into four interconnected laboratories each with 20 machines (20 HP PCs running Windows/Linux and 60 Apple iMac computers running OS X and Windows).

All labs have printing facilities, Internet, internal network access and digital projectors to aid in teaching. All the machines are connected via the faculty network to a dedicated, high-performance file server for storage and backup of students' work.

The computer science laboratories include a study space area, equivalent in size to one of the individual laboratories, in which you can work individually or in groups – this study space is not timetabled so is available for you to use on a casual basis throughout the year.

Facility tour

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