Doing a engineering foundation year degree?
I am currently doing IB but I don't do HL mathematics, however I really want to do chemical engineering for University, especially in the university of Manchester because they are well known and they have this engineering foundation year degree, which means I have a chance of doing chemical engineering there. Well I don't know much about foundation year degrees, so I would like some pointers about doing a degree like this.
THANKS!
THANKS!
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foundation year degrees means they have an extra year at the start. All scottish degrees are have a foundation year which is where students usually start( our 2 year is the same as the english 1st year) making it 4 years. it gives broad knowledge of the subject before starting 'first year'
(edited 10 years ago)
Most Foundation degrees in England/Wales are designed for those with poor A level results or with the 'wrong' A levels for that subject. Some Foundation courses are designed primarily for overseas students and therefore concentrate on English language skills and 'getting used to studying in Britain' as much as the subject knowledge.
Manchester's EPS foundation year is designed for those without the right subjects / grades in their schooling, but the potential to succeed. It's essentially designed to bring people up to the standard required to start their full degree.
First thing to note is that you will have to work hard during the year, as you need to get a certain % mark (which varies between courses) to be allowed to progress to the full degree.
I'll quote in JuliusDS92, as he did the foundation year at Manchester last year, and who should be able to give you some more details
First thing to note is that you will have to work hard during the year, as you need to get a certain % mark (which varies between courses) to be allowed to progress to the full degree.
I'll quote in JuliusDS92, as he did the foundation year at Manchester last year, and who should be able to give you some more details
Original post by JuliusDS92
QFA 
Basically iv just finished my btec science level 3 course at college and going university this september , i somehow managed to get into the university of manchester to study foundation chemical engineering having gotten in with a btec is an achievement on its own as A levels students with decent grades i know have been rejected ,anyways seeing as i havnt done a level maths physics or chemisty and gained my uni place the easy way is it really the right choice for me to study chemical engineering will i be able to cope id say im at a disadvantage becuase i havnt really studied a levels and i think im not going to be able to cope should i have a go at it or is it not right for someone like me a BTECer whos been given a opportunity because my persuasive skills on results day.
Do be careful. Sometimes, engineering foundation year is usually aimed at traditional engineering students (Stuff like Electrical and Physical engineering) rather than chemical engineering.
Make sure you read the curriculum before signing up.
But in essence, it's just an extra year to get you up to speed. That's all. No biggie. I know quite a few people who did foundation years- It's not unheard of. Should be quite useful for you imo if you haven't done maths.
Make sure you read the curriculum before signing up.
But in essence, it's just an extra year to get you up to speed. That's all. No biggie. I know quite a few people who did foundation years- It's not unheard of. Should be quite useful for you imo if you haven't done maths.
Yes they are offering it chemical engineering also and i hope i can handle it i am a lazy person but gnna give it my everything to get this foundation year over and done with ishould manage it ey 
Foundation year, or foundation degree? There is a difference, so watch out which one you're applying for.
The foundation year is the one where you gain the necessary skills to go onto the actual course, extending a 3 year degree up to 4 years.
The foundation degree is the first two years of a degree (FdEng qualification, I believe). You'd then do a third year to top up to an honours degree.
It sounds like you want the foundation year, just a single year. Just make sure you're on the right course.
The foundation year is the one where you gain the necessary skills to go onto the actual course, extending a 3 year degree up to 4 years.
The foundation degree is the first two years of a degree (FdEng qualification, I believe). You'd then do a third year to top up to an honours degree.
It sounds like you want the foundation year, just a single year. Just make sure you're on the right course.
Is it hard? Do you need to be a genius for it?
Original post by BTECbasher
Basically iv just finished my btec science level 3 course at college and going university this september , i somehow managed to get into the university of manchester to study foundation chemical engineering having gotten in with a btec is an achievement on its own as A levels students with decent grades i know have been rejected ,anyways seeing as i havnt done a level maths physics or chemisty and gained my uni place the easy way is it really the right choice for me to study chemical engineering will i be able to cope id say im at a disadvantage becuase i havnt really studied a levels and i think im not going to be able to cope should i have a go at it or is it not right for someone like me a BTECer whos been given a opportunity because my persuasive skills on results day.
There's a good reason why you've been given an offer for the foundation year - it's because they don't think that you have the necessary skills and knowledge to progress onto the full degree at the moment. That is why they've put you on the foundation year - to develop those skills and that knowledge.
Honestly, they wouldn't take you if they thought you were somehow doomed from the beginning - dropouts look very bad on university statistics, and are avoided wherever possible.
Original post by desslop
Thanks everyone! And what do they mean when they say they will accept people to the foundation year "based on an individual basis". This only applies to people who hold an IB diploma. So even if I JUST pass my IB, I could get accepted?
no it means they consider each persons case differently because you might all have different circumstances, there's a range of people who will be on the course from mature students coming back into education, or those that did wrong subjects, or those who didn't do well enough for year 1 entry.
that being said many people will have different offers based on the background.
Original post by desslop
I am currently doing IB but I don't do HL mathematics, however I really want to do chemical engineering for University, especially in the university of Manchester because they are well known and they have this engineering foundation year degree, which means I have a chance of doing chemical engineering there. Well I don't know much about foundation year degrees, so I would like some pointers about doing a degree like this.
THANKS!
THANKS!
Basically, you have 12 units throughout the year. In your case, about half will be maths classes, a quarter will be chemistry, a quarter will be physics. You also do computing classes and a research project (this takes place in the second semester). The course assumes no prior knowledge in any of the subjects but progresses through material up to and a little beyond A2 standard, so the pace can seem fast, depending on how much of the work you've done before. I.e. I'd done 75% of the maths before in highschool, so I coped quite well but I imagine it would have been a lot tougher for someone who had never taken AS maths. I'm not entirely sure how this translates into the language of IB, unfortunately.
Ultimately, I'd suggest doing it if you want to study Chem Eng at Manchester. Just remember to take the year and the work seriously - I'm not sure what the pass mark is for Chem Eng but I think it's about 60% average across your units (the exact marking is a little more complex than this; I'll explain it more thoroughly if you want). On this point I'd suggest contacting the foundation department directly because they'll be able to give you an immediate answer.
Let me know if you have anymore questions!
I am thinking of applying for this as I took the wrong a levels in history economics eng lit and law.
I did manage to achieve AABC at AS,and have a B in gcse maths and science.would i be able to cope it i went for the foundation year then??
I did manage to achieve AABC at AS,and have a B in gcse maths and science.would i be able to cope it i went for the foundation year then??
Original post by JuliusDS92
Basically, you have 12 units throughout the year. In your case, about half will be maths classes, a quarter will be chemistry, a quarter will be physics. You also do computing classes and a research project (this takes place in the second semester). The course assumes no prior knowledge in any of the subjects but progresses through material up to and a little beyond A2 standard, so the pace can seem fast, depending on how much of the work you've done before. I.e. I'd done 75% of the maths before in highschool, so I coped quite well but I imagine it would have been a lot tougher for someone who had never taken AS maths. I'm not entirely sure how this translates into the language of IB, unfortunately.
Ultimately, I'd suggest doing it if you want to study Chem Eng at Manchester. Just remember to take the year and the work seriously - I'm not sure what the pass mark is for Chem Eng but I think it's about 60% average across your units (the exact marking is a little more complex than this; I'll explain it more thoroughly if you want). On this point I'd suggest contacting the foundation department directly because they'll be able to give you an immediate answer.
Let me know if you have anymore questions!
Ultimately, I'd suggest doing it if you want to study Chem Eng at Manchester. Just remember to take the year and the work seriously - I'm not sure what the pass mark is for Chem Eng but I think it's about 60% average across your units (the exact marking is a little more complex than this; I'll explain it more thoroughly if you want). On this point I'd suggest contacting the foundation department directly because they'll be able to give you an immediate answer.
Let me know if you have anymore questions!
yeh bro im gnna be doing the exact same course did you find it difficult and did you make it onto the degree is the 60% pass mark hard to achieve ???
I may be switching onto a similar course at Nottingham from chemistry
Original post by BTECbasher
yeh bro im gnna be doing the exact same course did you find it difficult and did you make it onto the degree is the 60% pass mark hard to achieve ???
Well I was progressing onto physics so the pass mark was 75%. I did get through but ended up transferring to Edinburgh for tuition fee reasons (my family lives in Scotland).
Is 60% hard to achieve? It depends on how academically capable you are. If you take it seriously (i.e. go to lectures, pay attention) and work in your own time it's definitely achievable. But don't go into it with the mindset that it will just be an "easy year".
is it harder then A levels or what?
Original post by exam freak
is it harder then A levels or what?
I have no idea what the case will be for Nottingham. In Manchester some of the material went beyond A-level, but only people progressing onto certain courses would see any of this.
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