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Engineering Foundation Year

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    Overview

    Perhaps you're fascinated by engineering but have never formally studied the subject. Or you have an interest in the world of computing or maths and want to take your next steps into an exciting future. You may have decided on a career change. This course could also be ideal route for you if you do not have the usual academic qualifications to study at degree level.

    Being ready for a STEM degree will open pathways into the professional world of high technology industries. From there, you will have the opportunity to potentially address important issues, for example, the ever-pressing challenge of a sustainable future.

    Why study Engineering Foundation Year at Huddersfield?

    This course has been designed to give you a strong foundational understanding of key areas of mathematics and engineering in preparation for further study on a range of courses within the University. The Foundation Year isn’t a stand-alone course, but provides an introductory level study that leads to the following accredited courses:

    Computing:

    Information Technology BSc(Hons)

    Engineering:

    Automotive and Motorsport Engineering BEng(Hons), Civil Engineering BEng (Hons) Electronic and Electrical Engineering BEng(Hons), Electronic and Communication Engineering BEng(Hons), Electronic Engineering and Computer Systems BEng(Hons), Mechanical Engineering BEng(Hons), Mechatronic Engineering BEng(Hons),

    Games Development: Games Development (Production) BSc(Hons)

    Quantity Surveying and Construction Project Management: Quantity Surveying BSc(Hons) and Construction Management Project BSc(Hons)

    To progress onto a degree, you must gain an average mark of 40 per cent and have passed each component of your Foundation Year.

    This course is year 0 of a 3 or 4 year full-time degree (your degree length is dependant if you take a placement year). You’ll study the foundations of mathematics and engineering while also building your confidence in the practical application of engineering skills.

    Entry requirements

    CC at A Level .

    64 UCAS tariff points from a combination of Level 3 qualifications.

    Pass in T Level with D or E grade on core.

    MPP in BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma.

    • Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits at Merit or above.
    • 64 UCAS tariff points from International Baccalaureate qualifications.

    Other suitable skills or experience will be considered.

    In addition you must have GCSE Maths at grade 4 or above, or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme.

    If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

    Other suitable experience or qualifications will be considered.  For further information please see the University's minimum entry requirements.

    Course Detail

    Foundation Mathematics

    In this module you explore and practice using the necessary mathematical tools and principles required for your first-year studies. You will begin with some basics in arithmetic, algebra, and trigonometry these will be followed rapidly by the more advanced areas of sets, matrices, vectors and calculus.

    Foundations of Engineering

    In this module you will begin to understand the physical principles that govern the operation of our world that will underpin your future studies of mechanical, civil and electrical engineering. You will also gain the necessary experimental and analytical skills you will need to progress into your choice of Engineering degree.

    Communication and Research

    In this module you will explore the importance of communication in computing and engineering. With the opportunity to practice this in both written and verbal forms and gain confidence in presenting to a group. You will also explore how to source relevant and well documented information to support your reporting needs. These research and communication skills will form the basis for your ongoing needs as a professional engineer.

    Engineering Investigative Studies

    This may be your first introduction to some basic engineering skills. You will gain an appreciation of basic electronics and measurement and have the opportunity to build your skills in practical application of engineering skills through guided investigation and discovery learning. Aspects of computer aided design, civil, mechanical and electrical and electronic engineering are introduced, including digital electronics, computer interfacing, control, design, constructions, manufacture and mechanical testing.

    Throughout your studies, you will have the opportunity to get continual feedback through weekly SAIL (Score as I Learn) assignments so you will feel confident in your studies and be able to access support when you need it.

    This course has modules making up 120 credits over the 1 * years, with each credit being 10 hours of study (1200 hours in total). An average approximately ** 17% (208 hours) of the study time on this course is spent with your tutors face to face or online in lectures, seminars, tutorials, practicals and workshops. The remainder of the time will be spent on independent study. Assessment is varied and includes exams and in-class tests, assignments and project work, with a focus on practical work. There are opportunities for group working, in addition to individual assessments.

    *Subject to mode of study.

    **Based on current core and compulsory modules.

    Calculated using data from the academic year 2024/25, as of November 2024.

    Teaching

    The teaching year for most courses normally starts in September with breaks at Christmas and Easter, finishing with a main examination/assessment period around May/June. Teaching on other courses including professional courses, postgraduate taught, research, distance learning and apprenticeship may have other start dates including January and May. All start dates can be found on each course page and term dates are also available. Students on a full-time course may have to attend every day of the week. Students who choose to study a full-time course on a part-time basis will generally attend modules at the same time as our full-time students. Timetables are normally available one month before registration.

    Our courses are taught at our University campus and you can expect that your lectures and seminars will be held face to face, except in cases of emergency or if specifically stated otherwise in the module description.

    Feedback

    Feedback (usually written) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term time weeks – unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback would be available on request after the formal publication of results. Feedback on exam performance/final coursework is available on request after the publication of results.

    Progression

    You may progress to the next stage of your course or research degree, subject to meeting University assessment criteria and professional, statutory or regulatory body guidelines.

    1. The University of Huddersfield has been rated Gold in all three aspects of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023. We were the only university in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West to achieve Gold ratings in all three aspects of the TEF among those announced in September 2023. In fact only 13 Universities, out of the 96 that were announced in September 2023, were Gold in all three ratings.

    2. Our teaching staff rank first in England for the proportion with higher degrees and teaching qualifications, as well as being top five for those holding doctorates (HESA 2025). So you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.

    3. We are second in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 24 since 2008 (2025 data).

    4. We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).

    Visit ‘Our experts’ page where you’ll find in-depth profiles of all our academic staff

    At Huddersfield, you'll study the Global Professional Award (GPA) alongside your degree* so that you gain valuable qualities and experiences that could help you to get the career you want, no matter what your field of study is. On completion of the Award, you'll receive a GPA certificate from the University of Huddersfield, alongside the specialist subject skills and knowledge you gain as part of your degree, which may help to set you apart from other graduates.

    Giving students access to the Global Professional Award is one of the reasons the University won ‘Best University Employability Strategy’ award at the National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2021. Find out more on the Global Professional Award webpage.

    *full-time, undergraduate first degrees with a minimum duration of three years. This does not include postgraduate, foundation, top-up, accelerated or apprenticeship degrees.

    Engineering

    A tour of our Department of Engineering facilities.

    Ever wondered how you will use our facilities as part of your course? Follow Connor on a tour who explains all.

    Research excellence

    Research plays an important role in informing all our teaching and learning activities. Our research community has expertise in such diverse areas as precision engineering, intelligent interfaces, systems engineering, and diagnostics. Our research environment is lively and collaborative, and well stocked with cutting edge equipment. Our Centre for Precision Technologies is widely regarded as the best research facility of its type in the UK and one of the top three in Europe. Through research our staff remain up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, and contribute to society, which means you develop knowledge and skills that are current and highly relevant to industry. For more information, find out more about our Research institutes and centres.

    Students observing a robotic arm
    Student working on a car
    Group work in one of our engineering laboratories
    Female Student with circuit board
    Sparck Jones canal

    Discover more about the course

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    Student Support

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    Further Study

    Learn about pursuing a Master’s or PhD at Huddersfield.

    Research Excellence

    See how our innovative research shapes what you'll learn.

    Important information

    When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

    Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons:

    Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

    If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and if you are unhappy with the change we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

    Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

    Changes to option modules

    Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

    Major changes

    We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff being unable to teach due to illness, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to pandemics, other disasters (such as fire, flood or war) or changes made by the government.

    Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will consult with affected groups of students and any changes would only be made in accordance with our regulations. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you let us know before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for any additional tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so and you may be eligible for an exit award depending on how far through your course you are.

    In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

    The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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