Business and Management including Foundation Year
The Business Foundation Year introduces key business ideas while developing essential academic, personal and professional skills. Through practical learning and reflection, you’ll gain confidence and prepare to progress into degree-level study.
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Key Course Details
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UCAS Code
N10F
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Start Date
September
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Location
Cardiff
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Campus Code
B
Fees
Home students
£5,760*
International students
£16,800*
- Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
You’ll learn through interactive tasks, collaborative projects and independent study, building skills in communication, problem-solving, teamwork and digital fluency. Reflective activities help you connect theory to real business contexts, giving you a strong foundation to succeed in your Business and Management degree and future career.
Designed for
Students who do not currently meet the admissions criteria for direct entry onto a degree course or students returning to education who wish to build confidence and the academic skills needed to progress onto their chosen degree program.
Career paths
- Manager
- Entrepreneur
- Business Advisor
- Project Manager
- Management Consultant
- Business Analyst
- Business Development
- Chartered Management Accountant
- Stockbroker
- Supply Chain Manager
Skills taught
- Critical thinking
- Evaluation skills
- IT skills
- Independent learning
- Communication skills
Course Highlights
Module Overview
The Business Foundation Year builds academic confidence and core business understanding through practical learning, reflection and collaboration, preparing you to progress into degree-level business study with clarity, resilience and purpose.
Starting your University Journey
Develop academic, personal and professional skills for university study. You’ll reflect on your progress, build confidence, and create an evidence-based portfolio to support your future learning.
Business in Action
An introduction to how businesses work, covering key areas like marketing, finance and people. You’ll apply ideas to real scenarios while building confidence, teamwork, communication and study skills.
Institutional Power Dynamics
Explore how people think, feel and act at work. You’ll learn about teamwork, leadership and motivation, apply ideas to real challenges, and build academic and professional skills.
The Impact Challenge: Shaping Real World Solutions
The Impact Challenge is a Foundation Year project module where students work in teams to tackle real-world issues, developing solutions through research, curiosity, teamwork, and responsible problem-solving.
For details of the modules you will study after successful completion of the Foundation Year, please see the main course page.
Course Highlights
How you’ll learn
You will learn through active, real-world learning experiences that encourage curiosity, collaboration and independent thinking. Teaching helps you understand how learning works at university, while building academic confidence, critical thinking and self-reflection. You’ll work independently and with others through discussions, practical activities and guided reflection, supported by digital tools. Regular feedback helps you recognise progress and plan next steps, supporting wellbeing, resilience and a strong sense of belonging as you prepare for a higher level of study.
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How you'll be assessed
You’ll be assessed in different ways, including short tasks, coursework, presentations, and group work. Early assessments are designed to support your learning and help you understand what is expected at university. Most assessments are coursework-based and help you develop key skills such as research, academic writing, teamwork, and communication. You’ll also reflect on your progress and use university systems and digital tools. Clear, timely feedback will help you understand how to improve and support your next steps.
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Placements and work experience
Our Business and Management degree actively encourages internships so, if you choose to take a sandwich year during your degree, we’ll support you with applications to help you get your foot in the door. Our team will keep an eye on you during your placement, speaking with your employer and visiting your place of work.
Students are also offered 10 weeks in industry during their second year of the undergraduate degree. This is a great opportunity to become part of an organisation, with a range of fantastic employers in the region. It will create experience to bolster your CV, helping you maximise your employability once you graduate.
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Sumaya Khan
Business student
Chidinma Fofah
Procurement student
Nadifa Saleh
Business graduate
Shane Richard Jordan
Business graduate
Hassan Raza
Human Resource Management student
Alicia Smith
Business Graduate
Daljeet Choda
Business student
Why USW?
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100% of USW Foundation Degree Business Management students were satisfied with their course (National Student Survey 2025).
Why USW?
Top in Wales
Business Management at USW is top for Teaching Quality in Wales (Guardian University Guide 2025)
100% of USW Foundation Degree Business Management students were satisfied with their course (National Student Survey 2025).
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ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
UCAS points: 48 (or above)
Typical qualification requirements:
- A Level: DD
- BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma Pass Pass Pass or BTEC Diploma Pass Pass
- Access to HE: Pass the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 48 UCAS Tariff points
- T Level: Pass (D or E)
Additional requirements include:
The University normally requires a minimum 3 GCSEs including Mathematics and English at Grade C or above, or their equivalent but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.
USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.
International applications welcomed:
We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.
English language requirements
International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 4 overall and a minimum of 4 in each component or equivalent.
Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.
If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.
If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.
We're here to help
Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.
Fees and Funding
Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
Foundation Year Tuition Fee
Where applicable, the Tuition Fee for international students is as listed in the fees section above
Further Information
Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy. We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.
Fees and FundingAdditional Costs
Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of stationery, printing, or equipment during your foundation year. For costs after you progress to year 1 of your degree programme, please see the list below.
Students are offered the opportunity to complete an internship during their second year of study. Students undertaking an internship may incur costs associated with travel and expected workplace attire and this will vary according to the placement.
Cost: Up to £300
Textbooks are provided via the USW library but students may wish to purchase their own private copies. This cost is optional.
Cost: Up to £300
The University has computers available on campus and laptops for loan. However, it is highly recommended that you have your own personal laptop, which will be capable of running Microsoft Office 365. As a student you will be able to download a free copy of any software relevant to the course.
Cost: Up to £250
Optional professional body registration fees.
Cost: Up to £210
University Quality Assurance
At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.
If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.
How to apply
All applications for full-time undergraduate courses or foundation degrees should be made via UCAS. Take the next step: Apply through UCAS. You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time).
Advanced entry
If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.
Applicants accepted through advanced entry may study a different combination of modules to those advertised, as they will be joining a course already in progress. You will be contacted and advised about these modules once your application has been processed and an offer made.
International admissions
International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.
Life at USW
Halls are a big part of your student experience and there’s accommodation at all three of our locations. If you don’t want to live near the campus, there are great transport links to keep you connected.
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