Oxfordfirst - Foundation Studies
What are Foundation Studies?
To make progress in any system you need to be qualified to enter at the right level. This ranges from entry to Boarding School (details here), entry to university and entry to postgraduate studies.
There are two main types of qualification required to embark on successful study; one is academic and the other is English. Frequently applicants have one or the other but not both and a Foundation is a means to bridge the gap from where a student is to where they need to be.
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Undergraduate
Frequently international students have a High School diploma and wish to enter the UK system which, as you probably know, is based on A levels. Of course it is possible to take A levels as a route to university (details here) but many prefer to take an alternative, the Foundation programme route.
Most degree courses have an English language entry requirement (typically IELTS 6 or TOEFL 550). There are a variety of ways to gain this (details here) but for many students taking a Foundation programme is the most efficient way to bring their academic qualifications up to an acceptable level, to learn study skills which will be very useful for University study and to take English classes to gain an acceptable qualification in English.
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So the Foundation programme is an alternative route which covers bridging material from the normal High School Diploma while also making sure that your English language skills are sufficient for undergraduate study.
Postgraduate
In many countries, the normal postgraduate programmelasts two years. In the UK it is normally one year long. You need to be absolutely ready in terms of knowledge, study skills and English language level before you start. If not fully ready then you need a bridge. Even for the MBA there could be really good reasons why you should consider taking a preparation course, particularly if you are hoping to use the MBA as a means of moving from one sector, for example, engineering into a more general business direction. Details of specialised courses that can get you prepared for PG study can be found on this site here.
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