Foundation degree

Information about Foundation degree

For other degrees, see Academic degree


The Foundation Degree is a vocational qualification introduced by the government of the United Kingdom in September 2001, which is available in England. It is similar in level to the associate's degree, and in the United Kingdom sits on the same level as the Higher National Diploma[1] but below the Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts level of education. Courses are typically two years long and are offered both by universities and colleges of higher education.

Foundation degrees are intended to give a foundation in a subject, thus the name, that enables the holder to go on to employment in that field. They have been designed in partnership with employers and Further education colleges (FECs). The latter were seen to be more 'in touch' with vocationally orientated students, and the needs of industry, while Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) offered the rigour of quality control to the partnership.

One of a number of important differences between the Foundation Degree and the Higher National Diploma (HND) is that it stands as a degree, and as such has a common value of 240 Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS) points in the UK Higher Education System. By contrast, the HND could be recognised for entry to a degree course at as little as no credits, and as much as 240 credits, depending on the receiving institution and relevance to the subject.

A further important difference is that Foundation Degrees, as originally conceived, were to give students with substantial industry experience the opportunity to frame what they knew against appropriate academic perspectives, and were to be accessible by students 'in work'. This reflects a strategic shift towards lifelong learning, in support of the Blair Government's commitment to expand the number of Degree award holders in the UK. It has been suggested that the Foundation degree serves other agendas, including bringing HEIs and particularly Universities into contact with the communities and industries which they serve, and redressing the so called 'academic drift' of the former polytechnics.

Foundation Degrees have been 'locally grown' by HEI/FEC/industry partnerships following guidelines laid down by Foundation Degree Forward. The partnerships have been able to offer a range of formats, including full-time, part-time, distance learning etc. One of the conditions attached to the recognition/validation of a Foundation Degree is that it must lead, in turn to a full Degree Award, sometimes called a 'Top Up degree'.

Degree titles

Title Discipline
FdA.Arts
FdEd.Education
FdEng.Engineering
FdMus.Music
FdBus.Business
FdSc.Science
FdTech.Technology

See also

External links

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Academic degrees
A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study.
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The term "vocation" should not be confused with vocational education.

A vocation is an occupation, either professional or voluntary, that is carried out more for its altruistic benefit than for income, which might be regarded as a secondary aspect of the vocation,
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The term qualification may refer to:
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  • A certificate of having passed a course such as a GCSE.

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Her Majesty's Government (HMG or HM Government), or when the monarch is male, His Majesty's Government, is the formal title used by the United Kingdom government, based at 10 Downing Street in London.
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Dieu et mon droit   (French)
"God and my right"
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An associate degree is an academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, business colleges and some bachelors degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting
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Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2]   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
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A Higher National Diploma (HND) is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the HND is a BTEC qualification awarded by Edexcel and in Scotland is a Higher National
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Bachelor of Science (B.S., B.Sc. or less commonly, S.B. or Sc.B. from the Latin Scientiæ Baccalaureus) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years (see below).
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Bachelor of Arts (B.A., BA or A.B., from the Latin language, and four years in Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, the rest of Canada and the United States.
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Further education (often abbreviated "FE") is post-secondary, post-compulsory education (in addition to that received at secondary school). It may be at the same level, at a higher level, or at a lower level than secondary education, anything from basic training to Higher National
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Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS) is used by many universities in the United Kingdom to monitor, record and reward passage through a modular degree course and to facilitate movement between courses and institutions.
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Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter, and there are separate education systems in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Education (although not necessarily in the form of school attendance) is compulsory for all children between the ages of 5-16,
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Degree abbreviations are used as an alternative way to specify an academic degree instead of spelling out the title in full, such as in reference books like Who's Who and on business cards. Many degrees have more than one abbreviation.
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A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study.
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An associate degree is an academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, business colleges and some bachelors degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting
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Motto
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"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
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Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2]   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
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For other degrees, see .


A bachelor's degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years.
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master's degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded after the completion of a program of one to four years in duration.

In the recently standardized European system of higher education diplomas, it corresponds to a two years postgraduate program undertaken after at
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Specialist degree is found in some programs of education or psychology and is awarded for study beyond the Master's degree but below the doctorate. It is most often referred to as an Ed.S. (Specialist of Education), SSP (Specialist of School Psychology), or Psy.S.
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An engineer's degree is a graduate academic degree intermediate in rank between a master's degree and a doctoral degree in the United States.
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professional degree or professional membership is an academic degree designed to prepare the holder for a particular career or profession, fields where scholarly research and academic activity are not the work, but rather a profession such as law, medicine, logistics, optometry,
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doctorate is an academic degree of, in many countries, the highest level, second only to the habilitation in those (primarily Central and Eastern European) countries that grant the latter. The term doctorate comes from the Latin doctor, meaning "teacher.
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