Start date:
Course information
Typical offer BCC
UK fee £9,250
UCAS code G991
International fee £24,500
Institute code L34
Taught by Computing
97% of students in work or further study six months after graduating (The Uni Guide 2023)
Course description
Course description
Our integrated Science, Technology and Engineering (STEM) Foundation Year degrees are aimed at students who wish to study a STEM subject, such as computer science, but don’t have the traditional entry requirements.
The course is run on the University of Leicester campus like any other, and you will be studying alongside other students who applied for, and slightly missed out on, a place on a course similar to yours. In the first year of this course you will all be working towards passing a foundation year (year 0), which will enable automatic progression onto year 1 of any of our BSc (or MComp) Computer Sciences courses.
- By completing the STEM Foundation Year you will automatically progress onto the first year of your chosen degree.
- You will be taught by our expert academic staff from across a number of departments.
- The course strongly emphasises the development of essential professional and personal skills, which are necessary throughout your studies and beyond.
- During your foundation year you will join our student community and be able to enjoy all aspects of the University of Leicester student experience. You will be able to join the Students’ Union, use our academic and leisure facilities, live in our accommodation and access all our support services.
- You will have a personal tutor to support you.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
- A-levels: BCC or points equivalent from your best three A-levels. Must include one science subjects from: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Electronics, Geography, Geology, Maths, Further Maths, Physics, and Statistics.
- GCSE: Grades B/5 in Maths (if no A-level Maths) and C/4 in English.
- BTEC Diploma: DDM in a science related subject, which must include appropriate maths and science content. You may be required to take an additional maths assessment test.
- International Baccalaureate: Pass diploma with 26 points minimum, and must include appropriate maths and science content.
- Access to HE: Pass diploma with 24 Distinctions in a science related subject, which must include appropriate maths and science content. You may be required to take an additional maths assessment test.
- T-levels: Merit overall in Digital Production, Design and Development. Maths test required.
Other official national and international qualifications considered from across the world. You can review some of the qualifications we accept on our countries page and English Language equivalencies.
If your qualification or country is not listed, please contact us for more information, including the name and result of the qualification you have studied.
Contextual offers
The University of Leicester is committed to providing equitable opportunities for all applicants from all backgrounds. We make contextual offers to support students who may be impacted by the area they live in, their personal circumstances or who have completed one of our progression programmes. These offers are usually one or two grades lower than the standard entry requirements. To qualify for a contextual offer, you must apply for an eligible course and meet specific criteria – check if you’re eligible.
Selection Process
When considering your application, we will look for evidence that you will be able to fulfil the objectives of the course and achieve the standards required. We will take into account a range of factors including previous exam results.
English Language Requirements
IELTS 6.0 or equivalent. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability.
If you do not yet meet our requirements, our English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) offers a range of courses to help you to improve your English to the necessary standard.
International Qualifications
Find your country in this list to check equivalent qualifications, scholarships and additional requirements.
Countries listFees and funding
Fees and funding
UK Students
Starting in 2025
- £9,250 in your first year. Tuition fees are subject to government regulations and may change in future years
- Year Abroad: your fee will be £1,385 for that year
- Year in Industry: your fee will be 15% of the full-time tuition fee that applies in that year
Find out more about scholarships and funding.
International Students
Starting in 2025
- £24,500 fees per year
- Year Abroad: £6,125, which is 25% of the full-time tuition fee
- Year in Industry: £3,675, which is 15% of the full-time tuition fee
If you are resident outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland, you will need to pay a deposit of £3,000 to secure your place. This will be subtracted from your total tuition fee.
If you are an EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme, you may qualify for the UK fee (subject to criteria).
Scholarship
Find out more about scholarships and funding.
Accreditation
Accreditation
This degree is accredited by the British Computer Society (BCS).
Careers and employability
Careers and employability
Many of our modules feature external speakers who are able to give first-hand accounts of how the latest computing innovations are used in industry.
You will work on a project commissioned by a real client and gain an insight into the practices of design, implementation and professional project management. You will be taught how to specify, design and develop software systems, gaining the technical skills and insights that employers value very highly.
Graduate destinations
Graduates from Computing have gone on to many different careers, whether working for large companies, such as Accenture, BAE systems, Bloomberg and LogicaCMG, or for small, innovative start-ups. You may go on to apply your knowledge directly as a software engineer or systems analyst – or you may apply your IT skills and problem-solving abilities in a related field such as finance, marketing or general business.
Careers and Employability Service
Get career-ready at Leicester with guidance from our award-winning Careers and Employability Service . We're here to give you a lifetime offer of support, even after graduation. Our team of specialist careers advisers and mentors will help you every step of the way. From supporting you with CVs and interviews, to volunteering opportunities and placements, we're here to help you reach your professional goals.
Related courses
Related courses
Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goals
We are committed to providing skills and knowledge to help prepare you tackle global challenges. We have mapped our undergraduate degrees for learning which aligns to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
This degree includes learning which relates to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
- Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
- Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
- Goal 10: Reduced inequalities
- Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
- Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals
Course structure
Foundation Year
Foundation Year
Modules
- Mathematics 1
- Introductory Linux
- Algorithms and Logic
- The Digital World
- Introductory Data Analysis
- Introduction to Programming (double module)
- Academic Support
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Year 1
Year 1
The first year of the BSc proper (your second year at Leicester) provides a solid grounding in the theories and technologies that underpin software engineering. We will cover Python and Java programming and program development environments (such as Eclipse) along with basic discrete mathematics for applications. You will also learn about the architecture of modern computers and foundations of computer science such as formal languages.
Modules
- Computing Fundamentals
- Programming Fundamentals
- Mathematics Fundamentals
- Computer Architecture
- Introduction to Object Oriented Programming
- Requirements Engineering and Professional Practice
- Algorithms, Data Structures and Advanced Programming
- Foundations of Computation
After the first semester you may be able to transfer to the BSc in Software Engineering.
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Year 2
Year 2
Year 2 of the BSc course is your third year at Leicester. During your second year you will become an expert in all aspects of the software engineering process and apply your skills in a software engineering group project. In addition, you will learn about operating systems, networks, user interfaces, human-computer interactions, and functional programming or data analytics.
In the second year project, you will be part of a team of students working together to develop software that has typically been commissioned by a real client. You will learn to work with, and manage, a team. Each team works within a teaching framework, broad enough to allow you to work flexibly and innovatively, but moderated to ensure that teams are performing and progressing. You will learn to prepare written reports, and give a group presentation (these are skills that employers rate very highly).
Core modules
- Software Architecture and System Development I
- Project Management
- Operating Systems and Networks
- Databases and Domain Modelling
Option modules
Choose one option module from:
- Software Architecture and System Development - II
- Software Engineering Group Project
- User Interfaces Design and Evaluation
- Data Analytics
- Entertainment Technology and Design
- Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Year in Industry or Abroad (optional)
Year in Industry or Abroad (optional)
If you want to, you can spend the third year of the BSc - which will be your fourth year at Leicester - studying abroad at one of our partner institutions or working in an industrial placement. Alternatively, you can opt to continue studying at the University and complete your degree in four years.
Year Abroad
We’ll make sure you have everything you need for your future career: not just by awarding you a high quality degree, but also by helping you to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to make your mark in the world as a Citizen of Change. One way you can do this is by opting to take a Year Abroad between Years 2 and 3 of your degree.
Studying abroad is not just for people who are interested in travelling and meeting new people. It is about acquiring life skills that are becoming increasingly significant for a wide range of jobs in our modern globalised society. Whether you go on to a career in the private, public or third sector - or plough your own furrow as an entrepreneur – you will find the experience invaluable.
For more information, including a list of destinations, please visit our Study Abroad website.
Please note
- A year spent abroad still incurs a tuition fee, but this is much lower than for a normal year at Leicester. See the Fees and Funding tab of this page for details.
- You may be eligible for a travel grant from Student Finance England.
- Places are offered on a competitive basis, and eligibility is dependent on your academic performance in Years 1 and 2.
- Language courses, at beginners or advanced level, are available through our Languages at Leicester scheme.
Year in Industry
An industrial placement is normally a paid company position, more than offsetting the additional cost of the extra year. It is a fantastic opportunity to gain experience of a working environment. You must apply for your placement yourself, but we will help you with the process.
During your placement you will be visited by a member of staff; when you return to the University you may give a presentation of your work experience. You will be provided with a log book to document your placement and will write a final report detailing your work, which will be assessed as part of your degree.
We provide excellent careers support, and our Industrial Advisory Board assists us in keeping our degrees fit for industrial needs. A year in industry is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the type of profession that you can choose after you graduate, and can also point you towards postgraduate studies that may help you strengthen the profile that you have identified for your career.
Your placement effectively begins in year two when you will be briefed in writing a CV, interview techniques and the procedures that you need to follow to obtain a placement. In addition, a list of potential industrial partners who have taken students in past years will normally be provided.
A year in industry still incurs a tuition fee, but this is much lower than for a normal year at Leicester. See the Fees and Funding tab of this page for details.
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Final Year
Final Year
Your final year is an opportunity to specialise in the areas of computing that interest you. The third year project is a chance to follow your own interests in depth, with one-to-one supervision.
Core modules
- Computer Science Project (double module)
- Computers, Society and Professionalism
Option modules
Choose two option modules from:
- Computational Intelligence and Software Engineering
- Software Measurement and Quality Assurance
- Mobile and Web Applications
- C++ Programming
- Internet and Cloud Computing
Then choose two option modules from:
- Analysis and Design of Algorithms
- Big Data and Predictive Analytics
- Foundations of Cybersecurity
- Technology Management
- Emerging Technologies
- Functional Programming
- AI for Space
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Why Leicester?
In your second-year group project you will get the experience of working in a software development team and delivering a solution to a real client.
You will have 24-hour access to general-purpose labs, containing fully-networked Windows/Linux dual-boot PCs, and wireless access for laptops.
92.5% positivity score in subjects aligned to Computer Science for ‘Availability of teaching staff’ in the NSS 2024 (according to Times Higher Education NSS 2023 methodology applied to the NSS 2024 data). View the NSS questions all students were asked for individual themes.
This degree is accredited by the British Computer Society (BCS).
Teaching and learning
Teaching in the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences includes lectures and lab classes together with small group tutorials. Lectures include innovative software demonstrations as well as more traditional presentations.
State-of-the-art web-based materials, automated feedback and marking systems, on-line tests and electronic coursework submission all provide an excellent modern learning environment. Apart from project work, which is assessed by coursework only, most modules are assessed partly by coursework and partly by exam.
You will be assigned your own personal tutor who can provide advice about not just academic matters but also welfare concerns and careers development. You can see your personal tutor at any time by appointment or during office hours.
Independent learning
When not attending lectures, seminars or other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for exams. To help with your independent learning, you can access the Library and our social study spaces in halls of residence.
Your contact hours will depend on the option modules you select. You can see details of the contact hours on individual module pages.
Academic support
Our Centre for Academic Achievement provides help in the following areas:
- study and exam skills
- academic writing
- presentations
- dissertations
- numerical data skills
- referencing sources
Our AccessAbility Centre offers support and practical help for students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties, including physical, mental health or mobility difficulties, deafness, or visual impairment.
Teaching staff
You will be taught by an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. PhD research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader. Our teaching is informed by the research we do. You can learn more about our staff by visiting our staff profiles.
Apply now
Course | Qualification | Duration | UCAS Code | Availability |
---|---|---|---|---|
Course Computer Science with Foundation Year | Qualification BSc | Duration 4 years full-time | UCAS Code G991 | Availability How to apply |
Course Computer Science with Foundation Year with Year Abroad | Qualification BSc | Duration 5 years full-time | UCAS Code G991 | Availability How to apply |
Course Computer Science with Foundation Year with Year in Industry | Qualification BSc | Duration 5 years full-time | UCAS Code G991 | Availability How to apply |
Data about this course
Through my placement year at Nissan, I have been able to see how well Leicester prepares us for all aspects of work.