| Focus: Courses | |
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Bridging the gap With access and foundation courses an increasingly popular route to higher education, Jim Griffin plots the steps you should take in order to make the transition as smooth as possible |
| AUK education is recognised and
revered around the world and the
entry requirements for some courses
may be high because of competition for
places. If you don’t have the qualifications
required for the degree course you want
to study in the UK, there are many other
paths that you can follow. Access and
foundation courses are one option.
Acting as a bridge between your current
qualifications and UK higher education
courses, access and foundation courses
can provide you with the skills and
confidence you need to move smoothly
up the academic ladder. Access or foundation? Access and foundation courses were initially conceived in the late 1980s as a means to increase the number of students entering higher education (HE). In 1999 they were placed alongside A-levels and GNVQs as ‘the third recognised route to HE’. The Government’s commitment to further education (FE) as a pathway to HE is reinforced by its commitment to spend £1.3 billion in the FE sector. Although basically the same thing, there are some subtle differences between access and foundation courses. Access courses are for more mature students who are mostly, though not exclusively, from the UK. Foundation courses usually refer to a pre-university entry course for international students. Many colleges are however, now offering access courses to international students. As the definitions are often interchangeable, you will need to check with the institutions you wish to apply to for higher study, to find out which qualifications they accept. Both courses tend to last one year (i.e. 36 weeks of study) and their popularity is now such that a significant number of students entering HE are doing so from access and foundation programmes. Access Access courses are offered at colleges and are usually linked to specific degrees and universities with which a college has links. The majority of access courses focus either on a particular subject or a group of subjects. For example, access courses are available in art and design, computing, engineering, humanities, law, nursing, sciences, social sciences and teaching. If you can’t decide on a subject, there is always the option of taking a general ‘Access to Higher Education’ course. But whatever you decide to study, there are hundreds of courses to choose from to suit your abilities and interests. Foundation Some foundation courses are run on university premises and some are run on college premises. Foundation courses are suitable for students who have already studied a subject up to A-level standard or the equivalent in their home country, but who would like to improve either their study skills, standard of English and/or subject knowledge in order to undertake a full degree course. The main aim of a foundation course is to prepare students to progress into higher education with the intention of working towards a degree. Sometimes students study a foundation year at an institution which is a partner of the university where they want to do their degree. As such they may be guaranteed entry to the degree on successful completion of their foundation course. Foundation courses are available in subjects such as business, finance, engineering and art and design.They can be studied in order to learn more about a subject studied in previous qualifications, or can be taken by students who have not studied the relevant subjects before; in this case, the course will introduce you to your chosen subject. You can then apply to several institutions offering a degree programme in the same subject and may be offered a place upon completion of your foundation course. Choosing an access or foundation course There are almost 60,000 students in the UK studying access and foundation courses and these programmes are now clearly recognised and accepted as a route into degree-level study in the UK. They are also useful for students thinking about future studies in the UK. As Chris Weekes, Vice Principal of Corporate Affairs at Broxtowe College in Nottingham says, access and foundation courses will ‘raise [students’] academic standards, improve a student’s English – although many students may need to do an English course beforehand – and also, and this is very important, allow students to culturally adjust to life in the UK.’ There are access and foundation courses available to suit all interests and goals, but you will need to make sure that the course you choose is suitable for what you hope to go on to study. You should find out whether the course you are interested in is actually part of a degree. This is the case with some foundation courses, so you need to be sure that you really want to study the degree, before signing up for the foundation course. If the institution has links to local colleges, you may be able to study near the institution and get a sense of what life there would be like, without committing yourself. It is also important to decide whether you want to study with other international students only or would like to mix with UK students. You should also ensure that the institution you want to attend will recognise your chosen access/foundation course as a suitable entrance qualification. If you need further English language tuition, make sure your course includes this. Most courses do however provide English language support. Entry requirements vary by course and institution, but there will be a requirement across the board for a certain level of English, to enrol on any course. This will usually be given as an IELTS score of 5.0-6.5 or TOEFL 550-600, but you should check with each institution. No matter which course you choose, you will learn some important skills such as computer and study skills, leading to greater self-development. To support your studies you will have access to well-equipped resource centres and will receive advice on the next step in making your application to university. The UCAS website offers an extensive database of over 1,000 access and foundation programmes available at colleges throughout the UK. All of these programmes have met the standards of the Quality Assurance Agency. Whatever your goals for the future, choosing a UK access or foundation course will take you a step closer to achieving them. Choosing a course – Top 3 tips
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