BA (Hons) Philosophy with a Foundation Year
Course options
Key Details
- Award
- Degree of Bachelor of Arts
- UCAS Course Code
- V50F
- Typical Offer
- CCC
- Contextual Offer
- CDD
- Course Length
- 4 years
- Course Start Date
- September 2024
Why you should choose us
Course Overview
At UEA, we believe everyone should have the chance to study at degree level. If you have a passion for your subject, but for whatever reason, you don’t yet have the grades required for the three-year programme, our Philosophy with a Foundation Year is a great choice. You’ll undertake an intensive and exciting year of study, focusing on subjects that interest you, while also developing key study skills. We offer a rigorous but supportive teaching and learning experience that is also very rewarding.
When you successfully complete your Foundation Year, you’ll be perfectly placed to move onto your BA Philosophy degree, or you can request a transfer onto one of the other undergraduate courses offered by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
You’ll study with dedicated lecturers from UEA’s Interdisciplinary Institute for the Humanities, exploring a wide range of academic subjects including Literature, History, Philosophy, Film, Television and Media, American Studies, Politics and the History of Art.
As well as gaining a sound theoretical basis for your continuing studies, you’ll discover new subjects and topics throughout your Foundation Year. You’ll be actively encouraged to develop your own scholarly interests and ideas so you can move onto the degree that’s the best fit for you. We'll provide you with an accessible, but challenging environment in which you can cultivate your study skills, gaining essential knowledge of many of the concepts, methods and techniques you will need in order to succeed on your future degree pathway, whether that is in Philosophy or another Humanities discipline. We'll engage with you closely to support you as you work towards your own individual learning goals.
Study and Modules
Structure
During your Foundation Year, you’ll study a mixture of compulsory and optional modules, enabling you to tailor your studies to your interests, while ensuring that you develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to achieve your full potential during the rest of your degree.
Our core modules provide you with an academic toolkit, helping you hone essential skills in critical thinking and analysis, so you’ll thrive on your future degree. You’ll have the opportunity to discover a range of academic approaches and methodologies in our Humanities: Key Concepts module, which explores important theories and ideas in the humanities. You’ll learn how they relate to their political, social, historical and cultural contexts. For example, you might study ideology and myth, postcolonialism, gender and sexuality, otherness, cultural landscapes, or power and representation. Alongside this, our Humanities: Techniques and Methods module will equip you with a practical set of skills; you’ll learn to how to research, write, and properly reference your assignments, as well as how to make the most out of the many amazing study and support resources here at UEA.
You may choose to study the Cultural and Creative Industries module, in which you will critically investigate a range of areas such as television, film, new media, music, publishing, galleries, museums and heritage. You’ll have the chance to explore the relationship between theory and practice in these areas. Alternatively, you can request to study a language.
The remaining modules offer you a range of subject-specific options including History, Literature, Visual Cultures, Politics, and Media, or you can select to continue further with a language. By studying a combination of two of these options, you will not only be able to investigate key areas of your chosen degree subject, but you’ll also gain an interdisciplinary perspective through exploring an adjacent humanities discipline. This is your opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills in subjects closely tied to the rest of your degree, or even try something new.
For information on subsequent years, please see the full BA Philosophy course.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 20)Optional B Modules
(Credits: 40)Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
Teaching
Our modules are taught via seminars, lectures and workshops, and incorporate a variety of teaching methods and study tasks to prepare you for the different types of learning and teaching you will experience during the rest of your degree. Through seminars, interactive training sessions and supportive feedback you will be able to develop skills in areas such as essay writing, research, and understanding and critically evaluating scholarly arguments. Your Foundation Year will be taught by award-winning lecturers who are specialists in their fields, and the teaching is informed by cutting-edge subject research and a strong commitment to innovative and engaging teaching practice.
Independent study
Your Foundation Year will be an intensive course. You’ll need to work independently between classes to make sure you are fully prepared for seminars, workshops and assessments, and are making the most of the resources and facilities available to you at UEA. We will support you as you develop your ability to study independently, cultivating skills that will be of great benefit in your degree, and your later career.
Your modules will be accompanied by detailed reading lists that direct you towards essential reading and recommended texts, chapters and articles, as well as multimedia resources. This means that you can easily organise and prioritise your research and wider reading. Study materials are also available via Blackboard (UEA’s online learning platform). Specially designed study tasks will help you to work effectively between classes.
Assessment
During your Philosophy Foundation Year, you’ll be assessed in a variety of ways which will allow you to explore different learning styles and become familiar with the format and expectations of degree-level assessment.
We use innovative methods to enable you to learn from your peers as well as from teaching staff. This in turn will help you to build confidence in your abilities and develop into a more independent learner. You’ll receive feedback on drafts of written work, allowing you to continue honing your critical thinking.
You will also benefit from the support of one of the course lecturers as an adviser throughout your programme, receiving individual tutorials to ensure you are progressing well and achieving your full potential.
Entry Requirements
- A Levels
- CCC
- T Levels
- Obtain an overall Pass including a C in the core of the T Level and a Pass in the Occupational Specialism. Any subject is acceptable.
- BTEC
- MMM. See below for accepted subjects and combinations.
- Contextual Offer
A Level – CDD
BTEC L3 Extended Diploma – MMP
UEA are committed to ensuring that Higher Education is accessible to all, regardless of their background or experiences. One of the ways we do this is through our contextual admissions schemes.
- Scottish Highers
- BBCCC
- Scottish Advanced Highers
- DDD. A combination of Advanced Highers and Highers may be acceptable.
- Irish Leaving Certificate
- 6 subjects at H4
- Access to HE Diploma
- Pass the Access to HE Diploma with 45 credits at Level 3. Access to Humanities and Social Sciences pathway.
- International Baccalaureate
- 28 points
- GCSE
- You are required to have Mathematics and English Language at a minimum of Grade C or Grade 4 or above at GCSE.
- English Foreign Language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
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IELTS: 7.0overall (minimum 6.5 in all components)
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies for a list of example qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.
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- Interviews
- Most applicants will not be called for an interview and a decision will be made via UCAS Hub. However, for some applicants an interview will be requested. Where an interview is required, the Admissions Service will contact you directly to arrange a time.
- Deferred Entry
- We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year. We believe that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry on your UCAS application.
- Intakes
- This course is open to UK applicants. The annual intake is in September each year.
Additional Information or Requirements
Extended Diploma: MMM.
Diploma: MM plus C at A-level.
Extended Certificate: M plus CC at A-level.
We welcome applications from students with non-traditional academic backgrounds. If you have been out of study for the last three years and you do not have the entry grades for our three-year degree, we will consider your educational and employment history, along with your personal statement and reference to gain a holistic view of your suitability for the course. You will still need to meet our GCSE English Language and Mathematics requirements.
UEA are committed to ensuring that Higher Education is accessible to all, regardless of their background or experiences. One of the ways we do this is through our contextual admissions schemes.
We welcome and value a wide range of alternative qualifications. If you have a qualification which is not listed here, or are taking a combination of qualifications, please contact us via Admissions Enquiries.
Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all undergraduate applicants.
Fees and Funding
Tuition Fees
View our information for Tuition Fees.
Scholarships and Bursaries
We are committed to ensuring that costs do not act as a barrier to those aspiring to come to a world leading university and have developed a funding package to reward those with excellent qualifications and assist those from lower income backgrounds. View our range of Scholarships for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
Please see Additional Course Fees for details of course-related costs.
How to Apply
Apply for this course through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS), using UCAS Hub.
UCAS Hub is a secure online application system that allows you to apply for full-time undergraduate courses at universities and colleges in the United Kingdom.
Your application does not have to be completed all at once. Register or sign in to UCAS to get started.
Once you submit your completed application, UCAS will process it and send it to your chosen universities and colleges.
The Institution code for the University of East Anglia is E14.
View our guide to applying through UCAS for useful tips, key dates and further information:
Employability
After the Course
Once you successfully finish your Foundation Year, you’ll go straight on to the BA Philosophy degree.
If, during the year, you discover your interests and ambitions lie elsewhere, you can apply to switch to one of the other degrees offered by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, with the approval of the Admissions Director.
Explore your options, look at our courses, and decide where you want your degree to take you.
Careers
A degree at UEA will prepare you for a wide variety of careers. We've been ranked 1st for Job Prospects by StudentCrowd in 2022.
Examples of careers you could enter include:
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Law
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Journalism
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The Civil Service
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Cultural industries
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Teaching or lecturing
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Charity and environmental work
Discover more on our Careers webpages.