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Engineering and Applied Science Foundation Programme

Entry requirements


A level

C,C,C-C,D,D

CCC: Standard offer CCD: If the student is also presenting either Core Maths or Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) grade B CDD: Contextual offer (more details https://www2.aston.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/contextual-offer)

Access to HE Diploma

D:15,M:15,P:15

15 Distinctions, 15 Merits and 15 Passes at level 3

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE grade C/4 in Mathematics and English Language or Literature.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

27

with 4, 4, 4 in Higher Level subjects.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

For other BTEC combinations please see Aston's web pages.

T Level

M

The following T levels are accepted qualifications for this course: - Building Services Engineering for Construction - Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction - Onsite Construction - Digital Business Services - Digital Production, Design and Development - Digital Support Services - Education and Childcare - Health - Healthcare Science - Science - Management and Administration - Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing - Engineering, Manufacturing, Processing and Control - Maintenance, Installation and Repair for Engineering and Manufacturing - Accounting - Legal Services - Finance - Agriculture, Land Management and Production, - Animal Care and Management - Catering - Craft and Design - Media, Broadcast and Production - Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Therapy

UCAS Tariff

80-96

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

General or integrated engineering

The Foundation Programme provides a thorough grounding in the fundamental subjects necessary for you to become a respected and successful engineer or applied scientist.

Engineering covers a wide range of disciplines and a unique feature of this programme is the opportunity for you to have a ‘taste’ of mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, electronic engineering and computer science. These ‘tasters’ will enable you to make an informed decision as to which career in engineering or applied science you would like to follow. In the second semester, you will study the discipline you chose at the end of the first semester in greater depth to prepare you for your degree studies.

Progression into all Engineering and Applied Sciences undergraduate degree programmes is possible through this programme, if you meet some course related criteria.

Key course benefits:

- Develop your understanding of mathematics and physics to further your studies and kick start you career

- Opportunity to progress onto an Aston undergraduate programme

- Excellent introduction to studying your chosen subject

- Undertake professional skills training which will provide you with the transferable skills to succeed at university and in your future career

Modules

Core modules studied are:

Mathematics 1
Mathematics 2
Mathematics 3
Essential Skills for Engineering
Physical Sciences and Engineering Foundations I
Additional module choices

Biomedical Engineering Foundations
Construction Project Management Foundations
Electronic Engineering Foundations
Engineering a Sustainable Future
Foundation Chemistry I and II
Fundamentals of Computing
Mechanical Science I and II
Systems and Logistics Foundations
​​​​​​​Physical Sciences and Engineering Foundations II
Transport Foundations

Please Note: All modules are based on the current academic year. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review.

Assessment methods

We use a wide variety of teaching and learning styles on our degrees, and place particular emphasis on project-based learning and hands-on experience. You will attend lectures, tutorials and spend time on practical experiments and projects in the laboratory.

Assessment is through a combination of coursework, practical work, exams and presentations.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Aston University, Birmingham

Department:

College of Physical Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

General or integrated engineering

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

95%
UK students
5%
International students
74%
Male students
26%
Female students
87%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Engineering (non-specific)

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£25,140
med
Average annual salary
91%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

36%
Engineering professionals
12%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
5%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

As a mixed subject within engineering where students get a chance to learn from a range of disciplines, this course isn't taken by as many people as some of the more specialist disciplines. Demand for engineering skills is high, though, and so unemployment rates are low and the average starting salary was a very healthy £26,400 for 2015 graduates. Graduates are able to specialise enough to be working in jobs in engineering — especially in design and development - as well as engineering project management. IT and management consultancy were some of the more common jobs outside engineering. Bear in mind that a lot of courses are four years long, and lead to a MEng qualification — this is necessary if you want to become a Chartered Engineer.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Engineering (non-specific)

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£26k

£26k

£30k

£30k

£40k

£40k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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