In the United Kingdom a new degree was introduced. It is called the "Foundation" Degree and began in September 2001. http://www.foundationdegree.org.uk/ One interesting distance learning Foundation Degree program is offered by the University of Leicester's Scarman Centre. It is a degree in "Security and Risk Management." Foundation Degree in Security & Risk Management http://www.le.ac.uk/scarman/fdsrm.html According to my correspondence with one of the lecturers at Scarman, successful completion of the Foundation degree makes one eligible to enter the distance MSc program in the same subject area. Interesting... Frank
It is a level below an "Honours" degree. I am not sure if this is an appropriate comparison or not but it seems to me that the Foundation degree is similar to the American "Associates" degree.
why do they call it "Foundation degree" ? Is it same as any other UK (Honours) Bachelor degree in terms of recognition or is it a sub degree?
Scarman Foundation Degree You are correct, The Foundation degree or FdA is the equilivent to an Associate degree in the USA. The Foundation degree is not neccesarily new or unique to Scarman Centre (University of Leicester). Foundation degrees are also available at universities in the British Commonwealth countries such as South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Foundation degrees are geared to students fresh out of High School (A- Levels) and adult learners that lack the basic academic skills to pursue a Bachelors or Honours degree as their first university undertaking. This degree provides a first step on the ladder of further academic study and provides a foundation for further independent research endeavors. This is the rationale for the term "foundation degree". The degree is by no means substandard but is academically below a Bachelor or Honours degree. In respect to Scarman Centre, students can continue their study in the foundation track and also earn a Bachelors or Honours degree. In regards to being admitted to the MSc degree program in the same subject that is on a case by case basis and mainly for adult students that have a significant amount of time or work experience in the security/risk field.
