Choosing your degree and foundation year
The Keele Foundation Year is one of the longest running of its type in the UK, well known at national level and with a good reputation in the higher education sector. It has been praised in the past – by education experts from Keele and other universities – for offering “an authentic university experience for students”, providing a genuine opportunity for students to join the University who have the potential to succeed.
We offer an integrated foundation year, which means that you will study a foundation year linked to the undergraduate degree you wish to progress to on successful completion. Therefore, in addition to broad-based academic and personal development, course content is tailored to your chosen degree and the relevant broader subject area, one of the five options below.
Our Business Foundation Year courses are a great introduction to studying a business subject at university. You’ll learn how businesses operate and the factors that shape the nature of organisations in a complex, competitive global business world.
Core topics covered include business and management, business finance and economic data, and the employment lifecycle. Acknowledging the impact of digital developments, we’ll also consider how technology and ‘Big data’ is being used to inform decision-making, improve customer service and create efficiency savings.
On meeting the progression criteria of your Foundation Year course you will automatically progress into year one of your degree within the Keele Business School. The Keele Business School is co-located in new state-of-the art facilities and is home for courses such as accounting, business management, economics, finance, human resources management, international business, management and marketing programmes. As well as new teaching spaces the building is unique in also being home to business incubator space, meaning that you’ll study alongside innovative companies that are based in the building.
Studying a Foundation Year in a business subject will give you the skills and knowledge to help you stand out from the crown, and on progressing onto an undergraduate course within the Keele Business School, you can use these new skills to take opportunities such as a work placement, international year or entrepreneurship year to increase your employability.
Find the perfect Business Foundation Year for you or apply now.
Designed to develop your understanding of broad health-related principles, Health Foundation Year courses at Keele are are a great way of preparing you for a number of undergraduate pathways.
Health Foundation Year courses allow you to develop skills and knowledge including numeracy, chemistry for health and biology for health. You’ll also look at how health professionals behave in a variety of settings, beginning your preparations for eventual professional practice. With a large range of modules, from active anatomy to physical and inorganic chemistry, your studies will be tailored to your chosen degree programme.
You'll have the opportunity to study on campus in state of the art facilities, learning professional techniques from academic experts.
Find the perfect Health Foundation Year for you, or if you're already decided you can apply now.
Studying a Humanities Foundation Year at Keele will give you a great introduction to many subject areas. Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, such as history, law and politics, philosophy and literature. You will get the opportunity to cover a variety of social and political issues, trends, problems and key concepts, such as power, class, rights and gender, on campus by academic experts.
We’ll also examine some of the major cultural, technical and global developments in 19th century Europe, including the independence of states and societies, industrialism and imperialism.
Find the perfect Humanities Foundation Year course for you, or if you're already decided you can apply now.
Strengthen your scientific knowledge by studing a Science Foundation Year in core science subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Computing, Geography, Geology and the Environment, Maths, Physics and Psychology.
You'll get the opportunity to study areas that interest you with a wide range of modules, while being taught on campus by subject experts and gaining knowledge in a range of areas from numerical and computational skills, to the ability to analyse/interpret data and use mathematical calculations to solve problems.
Throughout your Keele degree you will have access to state of the art science facilities and equipment, giving you the chance to become familiar with bespoke software to present numerical data geographically, developing your analytical, team working and problem-solving skills. You will also be able to familiarise yourself with essential lab techniques, such as sampling, preparing samples, using the microscopes and recording lab notes.
Our facilities provide an enriched learning experience and have been designed to offer new ways to learn, helping you to progress onto your undergraduate degree feeling equipt with your new skills and experiences.
Find the perfect Science Foundation Year course for you, or if you're already decided you can apply now.
Studing a Social Science Foundation Year will allow you to seek to address difficult questions and/or answers that might point the way to a more just and sustainable future for humanity.
On this course, you’ll learn about the history of social and political thought, studying political and social movements in Europe and the modern world. You’ll cover both historical traditions and contemporary developments, developing your questioning and analytical skills, while gaining a greater understanding of the issues and changing ideas in our complex and ever-evolving modern society.
Find the perfect Social Science Foundation Year course for you, or if you're already decided you can apply now.
The mature student experience
In this video, Emily discusses how the Foundation Year provided her with a head start in her academic degree and has given her opportunities to advance her career.