Undergraduate courses
Our undergraduate courses are grouped into two subject areas:
Undergraduate courses are those at all levels up to and including Bachelor degree level. We offer most subjects at various levels with the possibility to flexibly progress to higher levels. We also offer a number of entry-level courses to prepare students for an award course.
Bachelor Degrees - BA(Hons), BSc(Hons)
Our Bachelor degrees are either Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc), depending on subject, and are awarded as Honours degrees. They typically take 3 or 4 years of full time study to complete. Bachelor courses take 4 years if they include an industrial placement year (usually the third year) and in this case they are often referred to as "sandwich" courses.
Foundation Degrees - FdA, FdSc
Foundation degrees are closely related to the first two years of a corresponding Bachelor course, but are awards in their own right. Like Bachelor degrees they are classed as Arts (FdA) or Science (FdSc) degrees according to their subject area. Successful completion of a Foundation degree will in many cases permit entry to the final year of the corresponding Bachelor course allowing the student to proceed to a full Bachelor degree, although individual courses may specify further requirements.
Higher National Diploma - HND
Higher National Diploma courses are two year courses leading to a recognised vocational qualification. They are approximately equivalent to the first two years of a Bachelor course, but have a more practical, less academic flavour. In many cases successful completion of an HND can allow entry to an equivalent Bachelor course, but this is likely to take the form of a dedicated "top-up" course (see below).
Top-up courses - BA(Hons), BSc(Hons)
Top-up courses are a means to obtaining a full Bachelor Honours degree by building on existing qualifications or experience. In particular, Top-up courses are designed to permit an HND to be upgraded to a full Bachelor degree in a period of 18 months of additional study.
| Course | Award | Full-time duration | Typical progression |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation Degree | FdA/FdSc | 2 years | usually to corresponding Bachelor year 3 |
| Bachelor Degree | BA(Hons)/BSc(Hons) | 3 years or 4 years with placement | Postgraduate study |
| Higher National Diploma | HND | 2 years | usually to corresponding Top-up course |
| Top-up | BA(Hons)/BSc(Hons) | 18 months | Postgraduate study |
All variations of courses are not necessarily available for every subject, but this provides an overview of the way our courses are structured.
Part-time study
We also offer many of our courses for part-time study. This usually means one day a week, and the duration of the course is approximately doubled. See individual courses for details.
Entry Level Foundation Courses
For students who do not meet the entry requirements for the courses above, we also offer some entry-level foundation courses. Each of these courses is one year in length and is designed to equip students for entry to one of our main degree programmes. These are as follows:
- The University Foundation Course - for students lacking the formal qualifications required for entry to general degree courses.
- The International Foundation Course - for students whose first language is not English and/or who have not been formally educated in the UK.
- The Extended Degree Programme in Computing - for students specifically wishing to study a Computing or BIT degree but who do not have the formal qualifications for entry.
For information about fees, funding, bursaries and scholarships see the University's fees and funding page.
If you would like to visit the university and find out more in person, check the dates of the Faculty's open days.
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