Foundation courses
Improve your skills before starting your course
A foundation year is a gateway to your undergraduate degree with Essex. It's a year specifically designed to enhance your academic skills, deepen your subject-specific knowledge, and thoroughly prepare you for your future undergraduate studies and university life.
Aimed at supporting our UK and EU students to progress to a full degree programme, our foundation courses are there to help you if you haven't quite got the entry grades you need or if you want to develop a deeper knowledge of your chosen subject before starting your degree with us. A similar degree preparation course is offered to international students through our partnership with Kaplan International Pathways.
If you apply to one of our three-year undergraduate degree courses and haven't quite got the grades, to meet the entry requirements, a foundation course will be offered to you.
During your foundation year, you'll study topics relevant to your chosen degree or subject area and complete modules aimed at improving your academic skills. Upon successful completion of the foundation year, you'll automatically progress to year one of your chosen undergraduate degree. A foundation year itself is not a separate qualification but rather the first year of an integrated four-year course.
All of our foundation courses are based on our Colchester Campus.
Our Foundation Courses
BA (Hons) Politics (Including Foundation Year)
BA Politics (including foundation year) prepares you for university study whilst introducing you to the fields of politics, international relations & government
LLB (Hons) Law (Including Foundation Year)
On our four-year LLB (including foundation year), we work with you to help to develop your subject-specific knowledge and to improve your academic skills.
BSc (Hons) Economics (Including Foundation Year)
Economics isn't optional to study right now: it's vital to our future well-being in a post COVID-19 world.
BA (Hons) Sociology (Including Foundation Year)
BA Sociology (including Foundation Year) prepares you for university study while introducing topics such as sexualities, crime and childhood.
BA (Hons) Criminology (Including Foundation Year)
BA Criminology (including Foundation Year) prepares you for university study while introducing you to the fields of criminology and sociology
BA (Hons) Linguistics (Including Foundation Year)
BA Linguistics (including foundation year) prepares you for university study whilst introducing you to the field of language and linguistics
BA (Hons) History (Including Foundation Year)
BA History with Foundation Year is a four-year undergraduate degree designed to prepare you for degree-level study before you begin the main course. This ...
BA (Hons) Philosophy (Including Foundation Year)
This course includes a foundation year (Year Zero), followed by a further three or four years of study depending on whether you study abroad for a year
BA (Hons) Art History (Including Foundation Year)
On our four-year BA Art History (including foundation year), we work with you to develop your subject-specific knowledge, and to improve your academic skills.
BSc (Hons) Mathematics (Including Foundation Year)
Master the logical foundations of science, engineering and technology.
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“My experience during my foundation year in Computer Science has been a blessing... I think if I had not taken a foundation year, I would have struggled to reach my full potential. Year 0 has enabled me to improve my academic writing skills, it has increased my confidence in public speaking and it has taught me the fundamental skills I need for my undergraduate degree.”
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Why choose a foundation course?
If you're worried that you won't get the grades you need to join year one of a degree programme, often resitting exams or taking a gap year can feel like the only option. Choosing a foundation course however allows you to focus on subjects related to your preferred degree, building the necessary knowledge and skills you need to start year one. In short, it gets you into university and studying straight away.
As a foundation-year student you can still apply for student finance to support your through university and there are also a number of bursaries that you may be eligible for:
You are also guaranteed on-campus student accommodation as long as you apply by our deadline.
