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Foundation year course at university?

So, I plan on applying for a Computer Science foundation course at University of Manchester. Can anyone please explain to me what a foundation course will entail and how it will differ from a standard undergraduate course. What differences are there when I start if there are any?? Please someone explain it to me

Thank You

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Reply 1

tohaaaa

Foundation years are "attached" to the normal undergrad programme and is usually a year of learning the absolute basics of the subject and uni skills before the real undergrad stuff starts. The only difference is that you'll be a year behind all the rest of the normal undergrads as you'll have a year of learning basics etc... :smile:

Reply 2

HandmadeTurnip

The foundation year at Manchester starts at exactly the same time as all the other undergraduate courses and foundation year students are treated exactly the same as any other, they have access to all of the same accommodation and facilities as everyone else. The course structure for Computer Science, as well as the pass requirements, is as follows:

Super Unit 1 - Minimum 60%
Maths OB1/OC1
Maths ON1
Maths OB2/OC2

Super Unit 2 - Minimum 50%
Option 1 (Physics: Matter, Physics: World of the Electron or Chemistry 1)
Option 2 (Physics: Matter, Physics: World of the Electron or Chemistry 1)
Option 3 (Physics: Waves or Chemistry 2)

Super Unit 3 - Minimum 60%
Maths OD2
Maths OF2
Maths OJ2

Super Unit 4 - Minimum 50%
ICT
Academic Skills
Project

The material covered is broadly the same as A-level, though it does go beyond it in some areas. I'd be happy to give you a more detailed breakdown of the topics covered in each unit if you need.

Reply 3

CosmicAero

I'm very thankful for you helping me.

Reply 4

CosmicAero

So what are the entry requirements. I can't apply for the undergraduate Computer Science course because I don't do core maths which you need. Basically I do Use of Maths which they don't accept. Other subjects which I'm studying are Computing, ICT and Electronics. Don't know which you drop though definitely keeping computing and Use of Maths

Reply 5

HandmadeTurnip

Original post by CosmicAero

Please could you

Maths OB1
Algebra, functions, logarithms, exponentials, partial fractions, differentiation, integration, series

Maths ON1
Sets, De Morgan's laws, elementary logic, proof by contradiction and induction, polynomials.

Maths OB2
Complex numbers, geometry, matrices, further integration, further differentiation, ODEs, partial differentiation.

Maths OD2
Polar coordinates, numerical interpolation, numerical solution of equations, areas, lengths, volumes, numerical differentiation, numerical integration, recurrence relations, reduction formulae, Mathematica.

Maths OF2
Vectors, probability, random variable, standard distributions.

Maths OJ2
Newton's Laws for linear motion, mass energy, impulses, conservation, general motion in vector form, motion in a circle, static forces and moments, rigid bodies, friction, centre of mass.

Physics: Matter
Physical quantities, dimensional analysis, transfer and conservation of energy, temperature and heat, pressure in fluids, ideal gases, kinetic theory, thermodynamics, deformation of solids.

Physics: World of the Electron
Electric charges, forces, fields and potential, capacitance, resistance, inductance, energy and power, DC circuits, magnets, magnetic properties of materials, superconductivity, magnetic fields and forces, magnetic induction, generators, motors and transformers, Bohr model of the atom, energy levels, absorption and emission, band theory of solids, semiconductors.

Physics: Waves
Simple harmonic oscillation, travelling waves, standing waves and harmonics, wave interaction, electromagnetic radiation, spectra, wave-particle duality, radioactivity, nuclear reactions, E=mc^2.

Chemistry 1
Atomic structure, bonding and molecular shape, the periodic table, isotopes and radioactivity, solid state chemistry, quantity calculus, the electromagnetic spectrum, the gas laws and the kinetic theory of gases, phase diagrams.

Chemistry 2
Kinetics, thermodynamics, hybridisation, hydrocarbons, basic organic nomenclature, isomerism, aromaticity, the inductive effect and resonance, basic functional groups.

ICT
Word processing, email, virtual learning environments, academic malpractice, graphical management tools (e.g. Gantt charts), presentation packages, spreadsheets/graph drawing packages.

Academic Skills
Understanding plagiarism and referencing, features of academic writing style, argumentation in writing, critically reading a text, working effectively in a group, synthesising texts from various sources.

Project
Extended practical group project tailored to your future school (I'm not sure what the CS students had to do).

Reply 6

HandmadeTurnip

Original post by CosmicAero

The entry requirements can be found here. The foundation year takes students with a wide range of qualifications and from a wide range of backgrounds so that page is only a rough guideline, each application gets considered individually.

Reply 7

thecatwithnohat

Think of it as intense 1-year A levels in the sciences and maths

Reply 8

CosmicAero

Wow, thank you so much for this. One question, is all this done in the first year of the foundation course?

Reply 9

HandmadeTurnip

Original post by CosmicAero

Wow, thank you so much for this. One question, is all this done in the first year of the foundation course?

Yes, the foundation year is just one year (hence the name). As thecatwithnohat said, it's quite an intensive course, you go through the different topics at a fairly rapid pace. Also, bear in mind you wouldn't be taking everything I listed above as you have to choose between some of the optional units.

After you receive your exam results in the summer and your progression onto your desired course is confirmed, you join the new first years in September. The rest of your degree will be no different than if you had simply gone straight into first year. Once you've passed it, the foundation year practically becomes irrelevant.

Reply 10

CosmicAero

So for the foundation year how many exams will I do. It that depending on which of the above I chose from. Also, are any of the above mandatory such as Maths?? Thank you so much you've been such great help

Reply 11

HandmadeTurnip

Original post by CosmicAero

You'd have a total of nine exams, four in January and five in May/June. All of the Super Unit 4 modules are coursework-only.

All of the Maths is mandatory but you get to choose which modules to take for Super Unit 2, as shown in my first post. You'd have to do at least one Physics unit but the other two could be either Physics, Chemistry, or a combination of both.

Reply 12

CosmicAero

Okay I think I finally got it now. Once again thank you so much for your help and clearing everything up and explaining it in detail. I'm very grateful😊

Reply 13

XxKingSniprxX

Original post by HandmadeTurnip

I just read the modules you have to take and I noticed that you take Further Maths A level (FP1-3) and the mechanics modules you mention have topics ranging from Mechanics 1-3 at A level as-well as Statistics 1. I have to admit it must be one brutal intensive(if that even describes it) to study all of A level maths/Further Maths/Physics + coursework on the side in one year.

If I was in that situation I'd rather just resit A level exams, which would be cheaper and be as if your recapping the same content already taught. Also, just wondering what are the pass rates on the foundation course? Do universities even mention it or?

Reply 14

username1118458

Original post by CosmicAero

All computer science foundations year are basically 1 year intensive versions of A-Level Maths, some computer science and either Physics or Chemistry.

Difference between standard undergraduate is it's a year behind for those with poor A-Level grades, so they can either 'brush up' or be more prepared to start undergraduate. One the year finishes if they pass 80%-90% then they'll move on to BSc Computer Science, either at the same university or they can apply with UCAS elsewhere if it's accepted.

Reply 15

HandmadeTurnip

Original post by XxKingSniprxX

I've never taken Further Maths at A-level so I don't really know how much of the same content is present in the foundation year. It does look like a lot when you see it all written down like that but it's not as bad as you think. Also, the majority of people will have already done most of the topics at school so it's not like they're having to learn it all for the first time. Even I found it manageable and I hadn't done Further Maths or Physics before at all.

I'm not really sure what the rate of people passing is but I think it's relatively high.

Original post by yellowcopter

There's a lot of vague misinformation in this post.

While that may be true for some foundation years, there is little to no Computer Science content in Manchester's course. It's a general course designed for people going into different schools so CS students share their lectures with people going into things like engineering, chemistry, physics and maths as well.

It's not only for people with poor A-level grades, it's also intended for people with A-levels in inappropriate subjects, foreign students who may not have been taught everything the university wants its first years to know before starting, or even people who lack formal qualifications altogether.

As I explained previously, the pass requirements for Computer Science at Manchester are either 50% or 60%, depending on the super unit. 80-90% is extremely high, are there any foundation years that have a pass requirement that high? Also, transferring between universities after completing an integrated foundation year isn't a straight forward task. Many universities don't like to accept people who've taken a foundation year elsewhere due to the differences in content. You don't get any sort of qualification from completing an integrated foundation year so it's completely up to the individual university whether they consider it acceptable for entry to their course or not.