A Foundation Degree is a vocational higher education qualification, which equates to the first two years of a Bachelor’s degree. These courses are a qualification in their own right and cover the levels of study known as levels 4 (year one) and 5 (year two).

Once you complete your Foundation Degree, you can choose to continue onto a Top-up degree to gain a full Bachelor’s award (known as level 6 - Bachelor’s).

Foundation Degrees are flexible in the way they are taught and you can study most of them on a part-time or full-time basis. They are focused on preparing you for the world of work, so you can expect plenty of work-based learning alongside your time in the lecture theatre.

A Foundation Degree is not the same as a Foundation Year. A Foundation Degree is a standalone qualification equivalent to two years of a three or four-year degree, whereas successfully completing a Foundation Year gives you access onto a degree course.

After your Foundation Degree

You have two main options once you’ve completed your Foundation Degree - you can go straight into the world of work or you can move on to a one-year Top-up degree.

Foundation Degrees at BU and our partners

We offer a range of Foundation Degrees, many of which are delivered through our partner colleges. Even if you don’t study at a BU campus for your degree, your final award will still be from BU.

The following are the Foundation Degrees that we offer: