Computer Science with Foundation Year

This is a 4 year undergraduate degree programme with a fully embedded Foundation year. During the Foundation year, students will develop their academic skills and subject knowledge at Exeter. In the following year, students will continue to stage 1 of a BSc in Computer Science degree programme, subject to successful completion of the Foundation year.

This Computer Science programme offers an education in Computer Science that is both broad and deep. As well as covering basic elements such as computer fundamentals, programming, information systems, enterprise computing, social and professional issues, and the world-wide web, it also has a distinctive flavour from, firstly, its emphasis on applied computing (drawing on inter-disciplinary research and computing across the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy), and secondly, through its engagement with the research interests of the Computer Science group within the Faculty, notably Machine Learning, Pattern Recognition, and Knowledge Representation.

Through this programme we aim to:

Lay the foundation of mathematical skills for more advanced studies by bringing students to a level of knowledge and competence equivalent to the pre-requisite for a first year degree in Computer Science.  

Provide you with knowledge and understanding of how computer systems are organised and how they work

Give you a thorough grounding in computer programming techniques and skills, including both procedural programming and object-oriented programming

Give you practical experience and understanding of a range of techniques for developing and maintaining software

Give you experience of applying computer science techniques to a range of problems in science and business

Provide you with the mathematical and logical techniques underpinning computation

Introduce you to some current research topics in computer science

Engage you in extended project work both as an individual and as a member of a team

Foster an awareness of the social, legal, and ethical dimensions to the work of computer professionals

Help you to attain the necessary speaking, writing, and presentation skills to communicate your ideas effectively.
 

The BSc Computer Science with Foundation Year is a four-year programme of study at National Qualification Framework (NQF) level 6 (as confirmed against the FHEQ). This programme is divided into four ‘Stages’. Each Stage is normally equivalent to an academic year (Stage 0 is the Foundation Year, Stages 1-3 is Computer Science).  The programme is also divided into units of study called ‘modules’ which are assigned a number of ‘credits’. The credit rating of a module is proportional to the total workload, with 1 credit being nominally equivalent to 10 hours of work.

Exit Awards

At stage zero of the programme, If you have achieved 120 credits with an overall of at least 40% and less than 55% at Level 3, you may be awarded a Foundation year Certificate as an exit award, and if you achieve 120 credits with an overall of 55% or above, you will progress to stage 1 of the BSc in Computer Science programme.

For the subsequent stages 1-3. 
If you are unable to progress under the Engineering Council rules for condonement (see below), you may be required to transfer to the BSc Computing programme.

If you do not complete the programme you may be able to exit with a lower qualification. If you have achieved 120 credits, you may be awarded a Certificate of Higher Education in Computer Science, and if you achieve 240 credits, where at least 90 credits are at NQF Level 5 or above, you may be awarded a Diploma of Higher Education in Computer Science. 

Credit

The programme consists of 480 credits with 120 credits taken at each stage. Normally not more than 75 credits would be allowed in any one term. In total, students normally take no more than 150 credits at NQF  Level 4, and must take at least 90 credits at NQF Level 6.

The pass mark for award of credit in an individual module is 40%.


Progression

At stage zero of the programme, you can progress to stage 1 of the BSc in Computer Science programme once an average of at least 55% has been achieved over the 120 credits of assessments for this stage. Where students do not achieve the overall average of 55%  their progression to Stage 1 will be reviewed on a case by case basis.

At subsequent stages 1-3, you can progress to the next stage (or in the final year, to proceed to the award of an honours degree) once at least 90 credits have been passed in a stage, and provided that an average of at least 40% has been achieved over the 120 credits of assessment for that stage.


Condonement

At stage zero, you must have achieved an average mark of at least 55% across the 120 credits of assessment including the marks for any failed and condoned modules.

This programme is accredited by a PSRB under licence from the Engineering Council. Therefore, the latest Engineering Council regulations on condonement apply to this programme. Please find further details in the TQA Manual here:

http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/specialprovisionsforprogrammeswithaccreditationlicencedbytheengineeringcouncil/


Assessment and Awards

At stage zero of the programme, If you have achieved 120 credits with an overall of at least 40% and less than 55% at Level 3, you may be awarded a Foundation year Certificate as an exit award, and if you achieve 120 credits with an overall of 55% or above, you will progress to stage 1 of the BSc in Computer Science programme.

Assessment at stages zero and one do not contribute to the summative classification of the award. The award will normally be based on the degree mark formed from the credit-weighted average marks for stages 2 and 3 combined in the ratio 1:2 respectively.


Classification

The marking of modules and the classification of awards broadly corresponds to the following percentage marks:

Class I    70% +                                                       

Class II   Division I 60-69%                                      

Class II   Division II 50-59%                                     

Class III  40-49%


Full details of assessment regulations for UG programmes can be found in the Teaching Quality Assurance Manual (TQA) on the University of Exeter website.  Generic marking criteria are also published here.

Please see the Teaching and Quality Assurance Manual for further guidance.
 

In accordance with University policy a system of personal tutors is in place for all students on this programme.  A University-wide statement on such provision is included in the University's TQA Manual.  As a student enrolled on this programme you will receive the personal and academic support of the Programme Coordinator and will have regular scheduled meetings with your Personal Tutor; you may request additional meetings as and when required. The role of personal tutors is to provide you with advice and support for the duration of the programme and extends to providing you with details of how to obtain support and guidance on personal difficulties such as accommodation, financial difficulties and sickness. You can also make an appointment to see individual teaching staff.

Information Technology (IT) Services provide a wide range of services throughout the Exeter campuses including open access computer rooms, some of which are available 24 hours, 7 days a week.  Help may be obtained through the Helpdesk, and most study bedrooms in halls and flats are linked to the University's campus network.

Additionally, the Faculty has its own dedicated IT support staff, helpdesk and computer facilities which are linked to the wider network, but which also provide access to some specialised software packages.  Email is an important channel of communication between staff and students in the Faculty and an extensive range of web-based information (see https://student-harrison.emps.ex.ac.uk/index.php) is maintained for the use of students, including a comprehensive and annually revised student handbook.

The Harrison Learning Resource Centre is generally open during building open hours. The Centre is available for quiet study, with four separate rooms that can be booked for meetings and group work. Amongst its facilities, the Learning Resource Centre has a number of desks, four meeting rooms with large LCD screens, and free use of a photocopier. Also available are core set texts from your module reading lists, and undergraduate and MSc projects from the past two years.

Online Module study resources provide materials for modules that you are registered for, in addition to some useful subject and IT resources. Generic study support resources, library and research skills, past exam papers, and the 'Academic Honesty and Plagiarism' module are also available through the student portal

Student/Staff Liaison Committee enables students & staff to jointly participate in the management and review of the teaching and learning provision. 

All applications are considered individually on merit. The University is committed to an equal opportunities policy with respect to gender, age, race, sexual orientation and/or disability when dealing with applications. It is also committed to widening access to higher education to students from a diverse range of backgrounds and experience. 

Candidates must satisfy the general admissions requirements of the University of Exeter. In addition, entry to this programme will normally require a qualification equivalent to A-levels at grades AAB or higher, including A-level Mathematics. 

Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed Faculty assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures. The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both Facultyand University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice.  See the University's TQA Manual for details.

The University and its constituent Faculties draw on a range of data in their regular review of the quality of provision.  The annual produced Performance Indicator Dataset details admission, progression, completion and first career destination data, including comparisons over a five-year period Progression statistics form part of routine internal monitoring and review processes (see 18 below).

The BSc (Hons) Computer Science is accredited by the BCS (the Chartered Institute for IT) for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional, and (on behalf of the Engineering Council) for the purposes of partially meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer. A programme of accredited further learning will be required to complete the educational base for CEng.

Accreditation is awarded for a maximum of 5 years under each assessment exercise. The dates applicable to the current accreditation of this degree programme can be viewed on the BCS list of accredited degrees: https://www.bcs.org/, and on the Engineering Council list of accredited degrees: www.engc.org.uk/acad.