28 years old. Doing Access Course but been persuaded to do Foundation Degree...
Hello. I'm 28 yro and failed to do any further studies since leaving school instead going straight into the world of work but now im revising my future plans and want to complete a degree and change my career prospects.
I recently started a 1 year Access to HE course in Computing with the intention of applying to universities to do a degree in computer science. I want a degree that will carry its own weight but also not restrict my career options once i graduate.
On the first day of this course myself and 2 other 'older' students were ushered out of the room by the tutors and offered a place on a 2 year Foundation Degree in 'Business Computing' with the option of studying a third year top-up degree to gain a full degree.
They sold this too us as a beneficial choice which i bought into at the time but now i have my concerns...
I've been looking around at the top-up degrees that my local university and other unis offer and the top-up degrees seem to be very limited in choice and not a substantial degree but rather a bat around the bush kind of degree.
Am i right in thinking like this?
Should i pursue this Foundation Degree or ask to continue the HE course?
I recently started a 1 year Access to HE course in Computing with the intention of applying to universities to do a degree in computer science. I want a degree that will carry its own weight but also not restrict my career options once i graduate.
On the first day of this course myself and 2 other 'older' students were ushered out of the room by the tutors and offered a place on a 2 year Foundation Degree in 'Business Computing' with the option of studying a third year top-up degree to gain a full degree.
They sold this too us as a beneficial choice which i bought into at the time but now i have my concerns...
I've been looking around at the top-up degrees that my local university and other unis offer and the top-up degrees seem to be very limited in choice and not a substantial degree but rather a bat around the bush kind of degree.
Am i right in thinking like this?
Should i pursue this Foundation Degree or ask to continue the HE course?
The point of a Foundation year is to basically give you the bare bones to aid you into progressing onto the actual course which is useful if you know which course you want to do. Both are there for people who either didn't do well at A level or those who went down a completely wrong route for what they want to do, i.e. you did A levels in English and you did amazingly well but aren't useful in a maths degree...
If there is a particular uni you wish to study at, I would recommend applying for the Foundation year myself and then progress onto it because a pass in said foundation year will guarantee a placement on your desired course next year without competition from others wishing to study there.
Understand?
If there is a particular uni you wish to study at, I would recommend applying for the Foundation year myself and then progress onto it because a pass in said foundation year will guarantee a placement on your desired course next year without competition from others wishing to study there.
Understand?
I'm not doing a Foundation year but rather a Foundation Degree which is 2 years study with the option of taking a 3rd year to complete the degree.
Different universities offer different top-up degrees but I'm just worried that my Foundation Degree in Business Computing wont allow me to complete a topup degree in say, Computer Science or Software Engineering if those top-ups were available.
Im going to email some universities that offer top-ups and just clarify whether or not i will be able to study on their final year once completing the Foundation Degree.
I dont have alot of time
Different universities offer different top-up degrees but I'm just worried that my Foundation Degree in Business Computing wont allow me to complete a topup degree in say, Computer Science or Software Engineering if those top-ups were available.
Im going to email some universities that offer top-ups and just clarify whether or not i will be able to study on their final year once completing the Foundation Degree.
I dont have alot of time
Computer Science and Software Engineering are both quite maths-heavy: general requirements for these degrees often include maths A level at grade A. So you need to consider whether your foundation degree would give you sufficient grounding in this area to allow you to progress. Emailing the universities now is definitely a good idea.
The advantages of a foundation degree are that they have lower tuition fees, and if available at a local FE college, you can avoid relocating or commuting for those two years. You will probably also have far more contact with your tutors than you would at university, which means more support and guidance.
The disadvantages are that you have much more limited choices in degree programmes, and won't get the university social life.
The advantages of a foundation degree are that they have lower tuition fees, and if available at a local FE college, you can avoid relocating or commuting for those two years. You will probably also have far more contact with your tutors than you would at university, which means more support and guidance.
The disadvantages are that you have much more limited choices in degree programmes, and won't get the university social life.
Original post by JakeBJake
Hello. I'm 28 yro and failed to do any further studies since leaving school instead going straight into the world of work but now im revising my future plans and want to complete a degree and change my career prospects.
I recently started a 1 year Access to HE course in Computing with the intention of applying to universities to do a degree in computer science. I want a degree that will carry its own weight but also not restrict my career options once i graduate.
On the first day of this course myself and 2 other 'older' students were ushered out of the room by the tutors and offered a place on a 2 year Foundation Degree in 'Business Computing' with the option of studying a third year top-up degree to gain a full degree.
They sold this too us as a beneficial choice which i bought into at the time but now i have my concerns...
I've been looking around at the top-up degrees that my local university and other unis offer and the top-up degrees seem to be very limited in choice and not a substantial degree but rather a bat around the bush kind of degree.
Am i right in thinking like this?
Should i pursue this Foundation Degree or ask to continue the HE course?
I recently started a 1 year Access to HE course in Computing with the intention of applying to universities to do a degree in computer science. I want a degree that will carry its own weight but also not restrict my career options once i graduate.
On the first day of this course myself and 2 other 'older' students were ushered out of the room by the tutors and offered a place on a 2 year Foundation Degree in 'Business Computing' with the option of studying a third year top-up degree to gain a full degree.
They sold this too us as a beneficial choice which i bought into at the time but now i have my concerns...
I've been looking around at the top-up degrees that my local university and other unis offer and the top-up degrees seem to be very limited in choice and not a substantial degree but rather a bat around the bush kind of degree.
Am i right in thinking like this?
Should i pursue this Foundation Degree or ask to continue the HE course?
The question to your answer depends upon what you would like to do i.e. your field/subject of choice. If you gain access to a Foundation Degree which is the subject you would have wanted to study at Degree level, then I would say 100% to accept the offer due to the fact that the access course is there to gain access onto a Higher Education course in the first place, so it saves you time if nothing else. However, if it is not what you want to study then obviously you should decline the offer, as it is not what you want to study.
A Foundation Degree and topping up the the 3rd year of a BSc/BA (Hons) degree will not harm you in any way, shape or form - it is not different from a normal degree, it is an honors degree, there is no difference. The only difference is mainly having two qualifications instead of one: Foundation Degree and BSc/BA (Hons) degree.
Hi. I can't comment on the foundation degrees you are being offered but I completed the Access to HE course and am now studying computer science at university so it is definitely a viable route.
You need the university to clarify exactly what full degree you'd be eligible to study afterwards. I'm starting a FdSc in Wildlife Conservation which when completed will enable me to go on to the last year of the BSc Wildlife Conservation at the same university. The FdSc degree page on the universities website told me what course I'd be able to go on to, maybe yours does too?
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