Cardiff School of Technologies>Courses>Foundation leading to Engineering and Computer Science

Foundation leading to Engineering and Computer Science

Entry Year

2025

This Foundation year is designed to facilitate access to a wide range of full honours Engineering and Computer Science based degrees within Cardiff School of Technologies.

The foundation year is intended to prepare you for your subsequent years of studying, offering you the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence.

The foundation year will be relevant to:

Students who have not achieved the required A level points (or equivalent) score to enter the first year of their chosen degree programme.
Mature students who have been out of the formal education system for some time.

Upon successful completion, you will have a strong foundation of core knowledge that you will be able to apply to your chosen course. You will gain a thorough and practical grounding in the mathematics concepts and contemporary themes essential to technology. Optional modules will enable you to tailor your studies to your specific interests and chosen degree, and a final project will consolidate your learning. You will develop key research skills and transferable skills to aid further study, and become fully integrated into student life prior to progressing to year 1.

This degree will undergo a periodic review in 2024/5 to ensure the course content is and remains current. Should any changes to course content be made as a result of the review, all applicants will be informed once changes are confirmed.

Course Content

The structure of the programme has been designed so that in Term 1, students are provided with a broad introduction to the knowledge and skills needed for any Technologies degree. Term 2 allows students to tailor their studies to their specific interest and their chosen future degree programme with the completion of one 40 credit optional module and an individual project designed to consolidate learning throughout the Academic Year.

Compulsory Modules:

Mathematics for Technology (20 credits)
Contemporary Themes in Technology (20 credits)
Professional and Academic Skills (20 credits)
Individual Project (20 credits)

Optional Modules (choose one):

Programming Skills and Statistics (40 credits)
Physics and Electronics (40 credits)

The course links with the following honours degree programmes delivered within Cardiff School of Technologies:

Learning & Teaching

A student-centred approach to learning and teaching is encouraged through the use of a broad range of teaching strategies, such as technical labs and individual and group projects. This is further enhanced by real world case studies and guest talks from industry experts, and supported by Teams and Moodle, our virtual learning environments.

Due to the nature of the programme, online and campus-based practical workshops are key to developing students’ technical understanding and abilities, underpinned by solid theoretical foundations. Students are expected to further develop their knowledge and understanding through directed self-study and independent learning time - in additional to the timetabled delivery - so as to develop a professional portfolio of project work and software artefacts as they move into graduate employment.

Students are supported academically and pastorally by the Programme Team, led by the Programme Director. Each student is also appointed a Personal Tutor from within the School, who provides a point of contact for general academic and pastoral issues. Students are also supported by Student Coaches; the Student Coach role is for current 2nd, 3rd year and Master’s students who provide peer support in Modules.

Assessment

The assessment strategy for the programme varies to ensure the most appropriate method for each specific module and subject area. Modules are assessed through a combination of methods, such as formal examinations, practical programming assignments, written assignments, technical reports, presentations, in-class tests, peer assessments and case studies.

Employability & Careers

The programme links with the following Honours Degree and Integrated Master’s programmes delivered within Cardiff School of Technologies:

For specific information on employability and careers linked to these degree programmes, please refer to the individual course pages.

Entry Requirements & How to Apply

Students should normally possess:

a minimum of 5 GCSEs (Grades A*-C) including English Language and Mathematics* at grade C / 4 or above
for Computer Science degree pathways - 64 UCAS tariff points from at least 2 A levels to include CC
for Engineering degree pathways - 64 UCAS tariff points from at least 2 A levels to include minimum grades DD, in Mathematics, Physics or a Technology subject; or 64 UCAS tariff points from at least 2 A levels to include minimum grades CC, in non-relevant subjects

*For Welsh applicants sitting the reformed Mathematics GCSE, we will accept either GCSE Mathematics or Mathematics – Numeracy.

If you are studying combinations of the above, or if your qualification isn’t listed, please either contact Admissions or refer to the UCAS Course Search for entry requirements. Further information on our entry requirements, including qualifications from the EU can be found by clicking here.

Candidates who do not possess normal minimum entry qualification are interviewed and considered individually on the basis of their prior learning or working background. For applicants who are only undertaking 2 A levels or equivalent, this will be considered along with the rest of the academic profile and we may issue a graded offer in lieu of an offer using the UCAS Tariff.

International Applicants
Students whose first language is not English will need to provide evidence of fluency to at least an IELTS 6.0 standard or equivalent. For full details about how to apply and English Language qualifications please visit the International pages on the website.

Selection Procedure:
Selection is usually on the basis of a completed UCAS application and where relevant, an interview.

How to Apply:
Applications for this course should be made online to UCAS at www.ucas.com. For further information please visit our How to Apply pages at www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/howtoapply.

Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) and Credit Transfer into year 2 & 3
If you are interested in transferring credit from another institution to study at Cardiff Met for a course which accepts entry for year 2 and/or 3, you can find further information on this and information on how to apply on the RPL page. Please contact Admissions for any queries that you have on RPL.

Mature students
A mature applicant is anyone over the ago of 21 who didn’t go to university after school or college. Cardiff Met welcomes applications from mature applicants and further advice and information can be found here.

Contact Us

For general enquiries please contact the Admissions Team on 029 2041 6044 or email askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

For course specific enquiries, please contact the Programme Director, Paul Jenkins:
Email: PJenkins2@cardiffmet.ac.uk
Tel: +44 029 2041 6070

This Foundation year is designed to facilitate access to a wide range of full honours Engineering and Computer Science based degrees within Cardiff School of Technologies.

The foundation year is intended to prepare you for your subsequent years of studying, offering you the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence.

The foundation year will be relevant to:

Students who have not achieved the required A level points (or equivalent) score to enter the first year of their chosen degree programme.
Mature students who have been out of the formal education system for some time.

Course Content

Compulsory Modules:

Mathematics for Technology (20 credits)
Contemporary Themes in Technology (20 credits)
Professional and Academic Skills (20 credits)
Individual Project (20 credits)

Optional Modules (choose one):

Programming Skills and Statistics (40 credits)
Physics and Electronics (40 credits)

The course links with the following honours degree programmes delivered within Cardiff School of Technologies:

Learning & Teaching

Assessment

Employability & Careers

The programme links with the following Honours Degree and Integrated Master’s programmes delivered within Cardiff School of Technologies:

For specific information on employability and careers linked to these degree programmes, please refer to the individual course pages.

Entry Requirements & How to Apply

Students should normally possess:

a minimum of 5 GCSEs (Grades A*-C) including English Language and Mathematics* at grade C / 4 or above
for Computer Science degree pathways - 64 UCAS tariff points from at least 2 A levels to include CC
for Engineering degree pathways - 64 UCAS tariff points from at least 2 A levels to include minimum grades DD, in Mathematics, Physics or a Technology subject; or 64 UCAS tariff points from at least 2 A levels to include minimum grades CC, in non-relevant subjects

*For Welsh applicants sitting the reformed Mathematics GCSE, we will accept either GCSE Mathematics or Mathematics – Numeracy.

Selection Procedure:
Selection is usually on the basis of a completed UCAS application and where relevant, an interview.

How to Apply:
Applications for this course should be made online to UCAS at www.ucas.com. For further information please visit our How to Apply pages at www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/howtoapply.

Contact Us

For general enquiries please contact the Admissions Team on 029 2041 6044 or email askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

For course specific enquiries, please contact the Programme Director, Paul Jenkins:
Email: PJenkins2@cardiffmet.ac.uk
Tel: +44 029 2041 6070

We endeavour to deliver courses as described and will not normally make changes to courses, such as course title, content, delivery, and teaching provision. However, it may be necessary for the university to make changes in the course provision before or after enrolment. It reserves the right to make variations to content or delivery methods, including discontinuation or merging courses if such action is considered necessary. Please read our Terms and Conditions for the full information.

Key Course Information

UCAS Code: Each degree has its own foundation year UCAS code. Follow the links to the degree course you want to study listed under ‘Course Content’ for the relevant UCAS code, and apply on the UCAS website.

Place of Study: Llandaff Campus

School: Cardiff School of Technologies

Course Length: One year full time, with an additional three or four (sandwich) years of full-time study required to complete your chosen degree.

MEET THE TEAM

I am delighted to be the Programme Director for the Foundation in Engineering and Computer Science, which I enjoy immensely, as it gives me the opportunity to interact with and help students starting out on their IT/Engineering career and seeing them progress into the degree of their choice. I have been the PD for the Foundation since its inception in the School.

I have worked in education since 1981, teaching at both Further Education and Higher Education, with periods of time working for central government and private industry, so I have a wealth of experiences to draw upon when teaching students.

In the School of Technology, I mainly teach programming and Software Engineering, which means I often see students in their first years and it is always pleasing to attend graduation and seeing the students completing their studies and for many they keep in contact after they leave the university.

I am also involved in research in the School, mainly working within the Cybersecurity and Information Networks Centre, but not limited to this, but also Software Engineering, AI and Education. I am a member of the UK Computational Intelligence Society and regularly attend their annual conference.

On a professional front, I am a member of the British Computer Society (BCS) and I am the treasurer for the Dorset Branch. BCS is the professional body for IT professionals in the UK, offering a wealth of professional development routes, including training, advice, and networking with other professionals. The BCS was established in 1957 and has played an important role in educating and nurturing IT professionals, computer scientists, computer engineers, upholding the profession, and accrediting chartered IT professional status.

I am the School's Welsh Language Co-ordinator, representing the School at University Welsh events and co-ordinating the development of modules through the medium of Welsh.

Dr Paul Jenkins
Programme Director for Foundation in Engineering and Computer Science at Cardiff School of Technologies

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