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Engineering and Science Foundation

Key facts
Course length 3 terms
Tuition fee See fees page
Entry points September or January  
Term dates September 2008 start:
Term 1 - 8 September to 5 December 2008
Term 2 - 12 January to 27 March 2009
Term 3 - 14 April to 19 June 2009
January 2009 start:
Term 1 - 12 January to 27 March 2009
Term 2 - 14 April to 19 June 2009
Term 3 - 22 June to 21 August 2009
Entry requirements See admissions section
Course structure 5 core modules and 5 route modules. You take 3 modules per term plus Project Study in the final term.
Assessment End of module/term: a combination of examinations, coursework, presentations and extended essays
Continuous: a mixture of lecture classes, small group seminar work and directed self-study assessment

Academic structure

Core modules

Foundation English skills 1
Develop your ability to read academic texts, write extended texts, write subjective notes, listen effectively and participate in classroom discourse.

Foundation English skills 2
Improve the abilities developed in part 1 with greater accuracy, speed, coherence, organisation and presentation.

Study skills in the British environment
Learn to use your study time more effectively, improve your use of, and range of, information sources and develop your research skills in preparation for producing an extended, referenced, academic essay.

Project study
Complete a self-study project on a topic that you will take, in consultation with your tutor, from the academic discipline that you will subsequently study at degree level. This will also include computer (word processing) skills.

Pure mathematics 1
Understand and interpret straight lines and linear equations, set theory and probability, statistics, linear programming, indices and logarithms and experimental laws.

Route modules

You choose between 2 subjects for each module:

Applied mathematics 1
Vectors, forces and equilibrium, relative motion, Newton’s Laws of Motion, friction and work, energy and power.
OR
Chemistry 1
Formulae, equations and moles, atomic structure, introduction to redox systems, thermodynamics and bonding.

Applied Mathematics 2
Advanced vectors, forces as fixed vectors, centres of gravity/centres of mass and particle dynamics.
OR
International Student in Science labChemistry 2
Equilibria, acid-base equilibria, kinetics and organic chemistry.

Physics 1: properties of matter and waves
Sound, reflection, refraction, interference, diffraction, electromagnetic waves, strengths of solids, fluids, heat and gases and the structure of the atom.
OR
Biology 1: cell biology
Biological molecules, cellular structure, cell division, movement through cell membranes, enzymes and metabolic pathways.

Physics 2: electricity, electronics and fields
Electrical current and charge, potential difference, resistance, capacitance, transistors and amplifiers, electrical fields, gravitational fields, magnetic fields and electromagnetic fields.
OR
Biology 2: physiology
The cardiovascular system, the respiratory system, the digestive system, osmo-regulation, control and co-ordination and reproduction.

Pure mathematics 2
Further algebra, co-ordinate geometry, trigonometry, differentiation, integration, numerical methods and vectors.
OR
Further studies in Biology and Chemistry
Genetics, ecology and plant biology plus inorganic chemistry, oxidation/reduction reactions

This foundation route leads to degrees in:

Full list of degree options.

Start the application process About English Language Preparation courses
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