University Centre Sparsholt
UCAS Code: D401 | Foundation Degree in Science - FdSc
Entry requirements
A level
Including a relevant subject/science @ C or above (64 UCAS tariff points)
Access to HE Diploma
Pass in a relevant subject/science, with science units at Merit (74 UCAS tariff points)
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Including a relevant subject/science at H4 or above with Maths and English at S3 if no GCSE or equivalent (74 UCAS tariff points)
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Including one in a relevant subject/science (72 UCAS tariff points)
OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma
In a relevant subject/science (64 UCAS tariff points)
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
In a relevant subject/science (80 UCAS tariff points)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
In a relevant subject/science (64 UCAS tariff points)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
In a relevant subject/science (80 UCAS tariff points)
Scottish Advanced Higher
In a relevant subject/science (74 UCAS tariff points)
T Level
Pass (C and above)
In a relevant subject/science (96 UCAS tariff points)
UCAS Tariff
Dependent on qualifications
About this course
**Why choose this degree?**
- Designed to meet industry needs for strong agri-tech skills.
- Benefit from work placements in both years.
**What makes UCS special?**
Delivering agricultural programmes since its creation over 100 years ago, our agricultural facilities include a **126-hectare working farm** on campus including dairy, sheep, pigs and arable enterprises, as well as a further **134 hectares at a nearby site**, giving students access to an excellent range of learning opportunities.
With University Centre Sparsholt’s strong and well-established industry links, there is a great demand for higher level education to enable the next generation of specialists to make an impact in farming and agri-tech businesses.
The subject content in our agriculture courses aim to give a solid foundation in the green sector, producing the food and managing the land in a sustainable way. Importantly the theoretical subject knowledge is combined with skills and topical knowledge demanded by the needs of the industry.
**What will I learn?**
The programme is designed to build your subject knowledge as the course progresses and explores topics in greater depth.
A combination of industrial placements in each year, annual residential field trips, visiting speakers and specialist lectures will maximise your industry exposure.
Start to specialise with optional modules in one of three pathways – crops, livestock or general agriculture.
**How will I be assessed?**
Final and in-session assessment will allow you to develop research and study skills as well as technical and expert knowledge.
Assessments include written assignments, presentations, project and lab reports, practical based and online portfolios and examinations.
**Where can I go from here?**
You can continue your studies with our BSc (Hons) Top-up programme, or enter industry. Graduates could use their skills to start a business or to work in agriculture.
Modules
LEVEL FOUR
Academic Skills,
Industrial Experience,
Fundamentals of Agricultural Science,
Farm Environment and Wildlife,
Agricultural Mechanisation,
Livestock Production,
Crop Production.
LEVEL FIVE
Industrial Development,
Applied Industrial Research,
Agricultural Policies and Legislation,
Farm Business Management,
Livestock Nutrition,
Agronomy,
Livestock Breeding & Welfare.
Assessment methods
Final and in-session assessment will allow you to develop research and study skills as well as technical and expert knowledge. Assessments include written assignments, presentations, project and lab reports, practical based and online portfolios and examinations.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
If your household income is under £32,960 you could receive a bursary of up to £750 per annum. This can be used to help towards travel costs, books and equipment or anything else that will help you during your course.
Depending on the financial information disclosed in your Student Loan application, UCS may make an automatic bursary award based on specific criteria as set out in our Access and Participation Plan. If this is not the case you may still be able to apply for financial support to the UCS HE Hardship fund by completing a Bursary Application Form (available from end of |Term 1).
For more information please [email protected].
The Uni
University Centre Sparsholt
Agriculture
What students say
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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.
Agriculture
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.
Top job areas of graduates
About 70% of the UK's land area is given over to agriculture, so this is a subject representing an important part of the country's economy. Typical starting jobs for graduates in agriculture include agricultural science, farming and farm management, but graduates also go into other areas, such as the horticulture trade, auctioneering and conservation. Agriculture graduates are also in increasing demand for one of the hardest-to-fill jobs in the country - surveying. Jobs for agriculture graduates are often in rural areas - in 2016, areas like Essex, Lincolnshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Yorkshire and Kent were all important for agriculture graduates.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Agriculture
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£19k
£20k
£21k
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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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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