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Programme structure: Foundation in Arts and Social Sciences (CertHE) for 2019/20 entry cohort

Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.

Unit name Unit code Credit points Status Faculty of Arts Category Teaching Block
What Does It Mean To Be Human? I: The Modern World AFAC10010 40 Mandatory TB-1
Individual Project AFAC10008 20 Mandatory TB-2
Arts and Humanities Pathway - must also take:
An Introduction to Study in the Arts and Humanities AFAC10007 20 Optional TB-1
What Does it Mean to be Human? II: From Modern to Ancient AFAC10006 20 Optional TB-2
Arts and Humanities Pathway - choose 20 CP from:
Representations: (Re)-making the World AFAC10009 20 Optional TB-2
Post-Beginners French UWLP10002 20 Optional TB-4
Post-Beginners German UWLP10005 20 Optional TB-4
Post-Beginners Spanish UWLP10010 20 Optional TB-4
Social Sciences Pathway - must also take:
An Introduction to Study in the Social Sciences SPAI10007 20 Optional TB-1
Global Bristol SPAI10008 20 Optional TB-2
Social Sciences Pathway - choose 20 CP from:
Representations: (Re)-making the World AFAC10009 20 Optional TB-2
Post-Beginners French UWLP10002 20 Optional TB-4
Post-Beginners German UWLP10005 20 Optional TB-4
Post-Beginners Spanish UWLP10010 20 Optional TB-4
Foundation in Arts and Social Sciences (CertHE)   120      

Progression/award requirements

Unit Pass Mark for Undergraduate Programmes:

  • 40 out of 100 – for level C/4, I/5 & H/6 units
  • 50 out of 100 – for level M/7 units

For details on the weightings for classifying undergraduate degrees, please see the Agreed Weightings, by Faculty, to be applied for the Purposes of Calculating the Final Programme Mark and Degree Classification in Undergraduate Programmes.

For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.

Please refer to the specific progression/award requirements for programmes with a preliminary year of study, the Gateway programmes and International Foundation programmes.

Exit awards

All undergraduate degree programmes allow the opportunity for a student to exit from a programme with a Diploma or Certificate of Higher Education.

  • To be awarded a Diploma of Higher Education, a student must have successfully completed 240 credit points, of which at least 90 must be at level 5.
  • To be awarded a Certificate of Higher Education, a student must have successfully completed 120 credit points at level 4.

Integrated Master's degrees may also allow the opportunity for a student to exit from the programme with an equivalent Bachelor's degree where a student has achieved 360 credit points, of which 90 must be at level 6, and has successfully met any additional criteria as described in the programme specification.

The opportunities for a student to exit from one of the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry with an Award is outlined in the relevant Programme Regulations (which are available as an annex in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes).

Degree classifications:

  • First Class Honours 70 and above
  • Second Class Honours, First Division 60-69
  • Second Class Honours, Second Division 50-59
  • Third Class Honours 40-49
  • Fail 39 and below

An Ordinary degree can be awarded if a student has successfully completed at least 300 credits with a minimum of 60 credits at Level 6.

The pass mark for the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine and Dentistry is 50 out of 100. The classification of a degree in the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry is provided in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.

Additional progress information

Arts and Humanities Pathway

A student’s overall mark for the foundation year will consist of an average of their unit marks for:

  • What Does It Mean To Be Human? I
  • What Does It Mean To Be Human? II
  • Individual Project
  • Representations (or other optional unit)

Marks will be weighted to acknowledge the credit points for each unit. A pass is also required in the unit 'An Introduction to Study in the Arts and Humanities'.

For the purposes of this pathway, satisfactory completion is defined as achieving an overall pass mark of 40% and a pass in the unit 'An Introduction to Study in the Arts and Humanities'.

Students who leave the University at this point will be awarded a Certificate of Higher Education. If the student achieves this award with an overall mark above 70%, the certificate will be awarded with distinction

Social Sciences Pathway

A student’s overall mark for the foundation year will consist of an average of their unit marks for:

  • What Does It Mean To Be Human? I
  • Global Bristol
  • Individual Project
  • Representations (or other optional unit)

Marks will be weighted to acknowledge the credit points for each unit. A pass is also required in the unit 'An Introduction to Study in the Social Sciences'.

For the purposes of this pathway, satisfactory completion is defined as achieving an overall pass mark of 40% and a pass in the unit 'An Introduction to Study in the Social Sciences'.

Students who leave the University at this point will be awarded a Certificate of Higher Education. If the student achieves this award with an overall mark above 70%, the certificate will be awarded with distinction.

Progression to Undergraduate Study

A student may progress to an undergraduate degree in the relevant Faculty on satisfactory completion (see below) of the Foundation programme. However, we cannot guarantee that a student may progress to their first choice of degree, as this will depend on student demand in any given year, on the areas in which a student has chosen to specialise within the Foundation programme and on the evidence of their existing strengths and success in that discipline. Where a student cannot progress to their first choice, we will do our best to ensure they are offered a satisfactory alternative. It is not currently possible for students to progress to degrees in the School of Economics and the School of Accounting and Finance. Students may request to suspend studies (in the normal way) for a year on completion of the Foundation programme if there is a strong case, for academic or personal reasons, that it would be in their interests to defer entry to an undergraduate programme. The normal regulations for a suspension of studies apply.

Satisfactory completion for the purpose of progression to an undergraduate degree is defined as:

(i) An overall average of 60% or above;

(ii) An overall average of 50% or above and at least one unit mark of 60% or above;

(iii) An overall average of 40% (i.e. a pass) or above, subject to a progression review meeting with relevant academic staff.

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