International Foundation Programme

Course summary

The International Foundation Programme prepares you for university by developing your academic skills and your ability to use English in an academic context, together with helping to develop your subject knowledge.

Following the successful completion of your programme, you will progress on to the degree programme you applied for.

You can take a 3 Term Programme (9 months), starting in October, or the Fast-Track 2 Term Programme (8 or 7 months), starting in October or January, depending on your current English language level.

Download IFP Flyer

Why study this course?

Study at our fully embedded Pathway College where you’ll be part of the university community from day 1
Learn alongside other like-minded international students
Develop your English language, academic skills and your subject knowledge in preparation for undergraduate study at Roehampton
Specialise in Business and Humanities, Science and Nursing or Psychology through our module combinations
Taught by qualified tutors who hold a minimum Level 7 qualification within the subject area of language tuition and are experienced in supporting international students transition to UK academic life

Study plan

IELTS	Oct – Jan	Jan – Apr	Jul – Aug	Sept
4.5	International Foundation Programme (3 term)		Summer break	Start your undergraduate degree at University of Roehampton
5.0	International Foundation Programme (2 term)
5.0		International Foundation Programme (2 term)

About the course

The International Foundation Programme prepares you for university by developing your academic skills and your ability to use English in an academic context, together with helping to develop your subject knowledge.

By studying for an IFP you will have the opportunity to:

Study in a friendly environment alongside other likeminded international students
Introduce you to, and then develop the core skills that are expected at University
Prepare you to manage your time and learn independently
Gradually adjust to academic study at University and life here in the UK
Explore and learn subject knowledge relevant for your chosen degree and future career
Experience academic assessments helping you to prepare for undergraduate study

On passing the programme, you will have the opportunity to progress on to one of many undergraduate degrees in subject areas such as Bioscience, Sports Management, Psychology, Accounting, Business Management, Education, Journalism, and Social Sciences.

English term

For those of you who require additional English language support, you will study a longer IFP that includes a term of English preparation. The aim of this short programme is to improve your English language skills in speaking, reading, writing and listening alongside more academically focused skills such as critical analysis, referencing and academic writing.

By studying a term of English, you will:

Improve your English language self confidence in the areas of speaking, listening, reading, and writing
Make friends with other international students from all over the world whilst improving your English
Become accustomed to how English is applied in a University context

The term of English is also applicable for those of you who have had little opportunity to study in an English institution or are looking for a more gradual introduction into studying at University.

Module progression routes

Depending on your chosen undergraduate degree you will have to study the following modules:

For undergraduate degrees in	Modules to study
Accounting, Business, Computing, Humanities, Law, Sports and Arts	Business Innovation Humanities and Social Science in Action
Science and Nursing	Life Sciences in Action Scientific Thinking
Psychology courses	Scientific Thinking Humanities and Social Science in Action

Following the successful completion of your programme, with a pass mark of 40%, you will progress on to the degree programme you applied for. These can be on to one of the University of Roehampton’s undergraduate degrees (excluding Dance courses).

Related reading

Teaching

Your typical week of study will consist of:

20 hours of teaching through lectures and seminars;
20 hours of independent study (for assessment weeks study time is 25 hours per week);
20-30 minutes of one-to-one tutorials for the project and subject-specific modules over the duration of the programme;

Teaching takes place between 9am and 5pm during the week. Should there be more than one session during the day, you will have a minimum 30-minute break between sessions. If you have a 3-hour session, you will have a 20-minute break within the session.

Please note there will be no teaching on public holidays. You can find a list of these on our dates and fees page.

You will study in classes of no more than 18 students.

To prepare for your lectures and seminars, you will have access to our online learning portal, Moodle, where you can access course information, content and your weekly reading lists.

Throughout the course, you will improve your academic reading, writing, speaking and listening. The programme will help you gain a better understanding of grammar use in the English language, and develop your academic vocabulary for your future studies.

Feedback

You will receive feedback on all assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the Pathway Campus Manager and is intended to help you learn. You are encouraged to discuss the assessment with your module tutor. We aim to provide you with feedback within 20 working days of handing in your assessed work.

Academic support

You will be taught by experienced lecturers and academics who use their experience to develop your English and academic skills in preparation for progression onto your undergraduate course.

All IFP tutors hold a minimum of a Level 7 qualification within the subject area of language tuition. In addition, many of them have extensive experience of working with students outside of the UK so are able to use their expertise to help international students integrate into UK academic culture.

The Pathway Campus aims to provide you with a wide range of academic support services during your studies. You will have access to an academic guidance tutor during your course and will have regular meetings with the Pathway Campus team. You are welcome to drop in to the Pathway Campus office during the hours shown in your programme and module handbooks, and by appointment outside of these hours.

Our Disability Services team can help with additional needs resulting from disabilities, such as sensory impairment or learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Modules

The table below shows the modules that you will study during either the 2 or 3 Term International Foundation Programme.

You will only study the English Term if you are on our 3 Term programme, which focuses on key language development to better prepare you to succeed in Term One of the International Foundation Programme.

The English term prepares you for the remainder of the programme.

Modules

3-term only

All modules are 0 credits, unless specified

Academic Reading, Writing and Language

This module is designed to enable you to develop the core skills in academic reading and writing. You will develop essential reading skills such as skimming, scanning, prediction and reading for more detailed information to help take meaning from a range of academic texts. Writing will build on your basic organisational language and techniques in order to group ideas together and produce basic essay structures.

The module will also examine a range of writing and essay types, including argument, discursive and report based writing.

Academic Speaking, Listening and Language

The module will introduce key listening and speaking skills required for academic study and develop an appreciation of why these skills are relevant for success at undergraduate study.

You will be provided with opportunities to listen to texts and subsequently apply your enhanced listening skills including the ability to predict, listen for overall meaning and listening for specific information. Speaking will include work on accuracy and fluency as well as some pronunciation work.

A significant proportion of the dedicated seminar time will allocated to class, group and pair discussions and debates. These tutor and peer interactions are designed specifically to develop your confidence to engage in academic learning, discussion and everyday English. These discussion skills form the basis of the module and encourages and will enable you to try and then use these skills across other modules.

English Project

This module is designed to bring together skills and language learned across the Academic Reading and Writing, and Academic Speaking and Listening modules to produce an academic project on a set question.

The module will introduce key skills required for the production of an appropriate academic project and presentation, such as research skills, paraphrasing, referencing and presentation techniques. You will be provided with a range of sources that you must use in your project and will be supported to find other reliable sources.

3 and 2 term programmes

All modules are 20 credits, unless specified

Academic Language in Context

This module is designed to enable you to develop English Language skills within an academic context. The delivery of this module will focus on the core skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking with each element covered typically every two weeks of teaching.

The reading and writing element aims to develop core academic knowledge while developing a range of academic skills in reading and writing in preparation for you to be able to produce writing suitable for undergraduate study. The module will help develop strategies for reading and understanding arguments from complex language and ideas.

The listening and speaking element will use academic lectures either delivered in class or recorded from academic sources such as TED talks and lectures. You will be able to identify key information and how to work with complex language and concepts delivered orally.

You will develop skills in how to discuss ideas critically in seminar discussions and how to maximise your own learning from the interaction with others. In addition, you will learn how to present ideas and create an argument for discussions.

Applied Academic Skills

The aim of this module is to develop the necessary skills for academic learning and study and in doing so provide you with the tools and techniques needed to be successful in Higher Education study.

To meet this aim, the scope of the module and its content is wide and varied. For example you will learn how to demonstrate good written/oral communication, presenting work which is well organised and relevant, interpreting and analysing a range of text and numerical information, listening to others, time management, ability to handle stress and become a valued team member.

In addition, the module will develop confidence and skills in being able to think critically and analytically, core skills required to produce and complete coursework and assignments.

Problem Solving and Data Analysis

This module is designed to enable you to develop skills in operational numeracy, basic statistical knowledge and problem solving. In addition, this module will encourage you to assess the answers of others to identify issues such as flawed arguments, fallacies and misrepresentation data.

The module aims to develop your mathematical confidence by illustrating how solving small/basic problems using a maths toolkit, will provide useful information for decision making in the contexts of business, science, computing, education psychology etc.

The module has a practical approach by presenting problems in a variety of contexts relevant to your destination degrees.

Research Project

This module is designed to guide you through the stages required to complete a research project in an area of interest within your chosen subject-specific progression degree. By completing this module you will acquire the necessary skills and knowledge needed to finalise a research project successfully. You will gain an understanding of the steps in a project life cycle and have the opportunity to evaluate and reflect on their progress throughout their project work, from the planning to completion stage.

This module will also introduce your essential undergraduate to academic research skills and develop your ability to organise and critically evaluate and material. This module takes a reflective approach to the production of the project.

Pathway specific modules

Please refer to pathway progression route table above to see which modules are required to study for your chosen undergraduate programme. You will study 2 of the 4 modules.

All modules are 20 credits, unless specified

Humanities and Social Science in Action

This module is designed to introduce you to humanities and social sciences in a UK context. You will gain an understanding of the foundations in areas such as social policy, History, education, Literature, psychology, politics, media, gender, and criminology. You will be encouraged to explore current issues and relevant topics in the subject area to gain an understanding of the issues that affect British society and the wider political, cultural and sociological perspectives.

You will learn how to evaluate information from sources, critically engage with literature, and present your ideas effectively. Success on this module will develop a broad knowledge base necessary to succeed during undergraduate study.

Life Sciences in Action

This module will provide a broad introduction to a range of issues within the Department of Life Sciences. Using a multidisciplinary approach you will gain an understanding of the foundations in areas such as nutrition, vaccination, genetic engineering, nanotechnology and climate change. You will be encouraged to explore current issues and relevant topics in the subject area as a way of introducing you to this knowledge and, in doing so the contemporary issues affecting global society and the wider political and cultural perspectives. The aim of this approach is to stimulate discussion and debate and encourage curiosity in the field of life sciences, both at University and beyond.

You will learn how to evaluate information sources, critically engage with literature, and present their ideas effectively. Success on this module will develop the theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary to succeed during undergraduate study.

Business Innovation

This module provides you with the opportunity to explore how business thinking, leadership, planning and culture impacts business innovation. To bring the subject to life, you will explore organisations, both now and in the past, that have created a competitive advantage through innovation including Telsor, Dyson, Microsoft, Disney and Apple.

You will also be introduced to business management theories and explore how they influence innovation both from the perspectives of individual and organisational performance. In particular, you will develop an understanding of how a culture of creative thinking can create an environment in which innovation thrives.

The aim of this module is to provide you with an opportunity to learn basic management concepts in leadership, market research, business strategy and financing through the application of real world case studies of businesses and the entrepreneurs who lead them.

Scientific Thinking

The module aims to provide you with the opportunity to explore methods of scientific thinking, techniques and experimental design in an enquiry-based way. Problem-based learning and blended learning (combines online and face-to-face time in an optimal way to improve student learning outcomes) approaches will facilitate deep, experiential learning.

You are encouraged to explore correlational and experimental methods, the role of statistics, scientific argumentation and ethical working practices in relation to current scientific topics as reflected in news reports, recent academic publications and historical case studies.

The course information displayed on this page is correct for the academic year 2023/24. We aim to run the course as advertised however, changes may be necessary due to updates to the curriculum (due to academic or industry developments), student demand or UK compliance reasons.

Entry requirements

Age requirements

You must be 17 or older, in the month before the course start date. Students who are under the age of 18 will be assessed in line with the University’s Safeguarding Policy. You can find the Safeguarding Policy on the Policies page, under Student-Specific Regulations, Policies and Procedures.

Academic requirements

GCSE/iGCSE – 5 Passes at A-C
Additional country-specific entry requirements are outlined here
Where UCAS tariff is applicable or relevant, applicants should have an equivalent of 30 UCAS tariff points from either 1 A Level and 1 AS, or a minimum of 2 AS Level qualifications.
The lower entry requirement shall apply if both a country specific and UCAS equivalent apply

You can check whether your local academic qualifications meet our entry requirements here.

English language requirements

IELTS 5.0 (with no single element below 4.5) International Foundation Programme
IELTS 4.5 (with no single element below 4.0) complete a term of English before joining the International Foundation Programme

Please note that if your qualifications are not in English, we might need certified translations in order to proceed with your application.

If you’re not sure which programme you will be best suited to or would like to find out more about the application process, you can register your interest and one of our team will contact you, or call +44 (0) 20 3468 7758.

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