Marketing including Foundation Year
This foundation year will help you to build your confidence and lay the foundations for you to successfully complete a full degree in Marketing.
How to apply Apply Through UCAS Book an Open Day Chat to Us/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/03-courses/marketing/bsc-marketing-foundation-year-1.jpg)
Key Course Details
-
UCAS Code
N52F
-
Start Date
September
-
Location
Pontypridd
-
Campus Code
A
Fees
Home students
£5,760*
International students
£15,850*
- Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
A foundation degree introduces you to university-level academic study. You will explore modules including business, organisational psychology and statistics, giving you the skills and confidence to complete your studies and have a successful career in a wide range of marketing roles.
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
- Marketing communications specialist (in-house and agency)
- Digital marketer
- Account manager
- Marketing executive
- Content creator
- Copywriter
- Event manager
- Brand manager
- Sales and retailing management
- Market researcher
- Social media manager
- Public relations officer
- Running your own business
Skills taught
- Critical thinking
- Evaluation skills
- IT skills
- Independent learning
- Communication skills
Course Highlights
Module Overview
This foundation year is designed to prepare you for further study at degree level through various modules covering essential academic, business and IT skills. The modules are tailored with study skills and support in mind to build your confidence and have a strong foundation for success in your degree and future career.
Study Skills
This module will teach you the required skills to progress to higher education study whilst developing your academic reading, writing, speaking and examination abilities.
Digital Capability
Develop your confidence using the digital tools required for higher education including blackboard, google scholar and Microsoft.
Investigative Project
You will independently research a topic of your choice before planning, evaluating and presenting your findings.
Organisational Psychology
Understand the key areas of organisational psychology from workplace stress to group dynamics.
Business Administration
Learn about achieving business goals through effective planning and how to deliver excellent customer service through staff management and organisational structure.
Statistics
You will gain the foundational knowledge required to understand and present data in a real-world context.
Course highlights
How you’ll learn
You will be taught through a range of methods including traditional lectures and seminars as well as interactive workshops and group work. Our smaller class sizes create a supportive learning environment giving opportunities for meaningful assistance and feedback from lecturers throughout your studies.
Our modules have been designed to be delivered across two days per week, giving you the time and flexibility to learn at a comfortable pace and build on key skills such as time management and independent study over the course.
Assessments range from examinations and written assignments to oral presentations designed to grow your confidence in university-style assessments and prepare you for the rest of your time studying following completion of the foundation year.
/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/07-student-life/71-study-spaces/student-life-study-spaces-cardiff-50444.jpg)
Teaching staff
Our teaching staff are dedicated to creating a supportive, student-centred learning environment and are all qualified academics with experience working in the industry.
Each student is assigned a Personal Academic Coach (PAC) in the foundation year and the first year, so that students can benefit from support and guidance throughout their studies. Students can also choose to be mentored by peers in higher years of the degree. These mentors can provide support with transitioning to university life, dealing with assessments, time management as well as a range of other questions you may have along the way.
/prod01/channel_2/media/video-course-marketing.png)
Placements and work experience
Our Marketing degree prioritises real-world experience and industry connections. After progressing from the foundation year, you'll complete a 10-week work placement in Year 2 of the degree with top regional and national employers.
You’ll reap the rewards of the strong practitioner connections that the South Wales Business School has built over the last ten years. This includes guest lectures led by practitioners, field trips, career advancement activities, observational and hands-on research, internships, and assessments based on real-world scenarios. Previous placements have included London brand agencies, the NHS, GoCompare, charities and housing associations.
/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/16-other/business-services/business-services-business-generic.jpg)
Facilities
Discover a world of opportunities at our Treforest campus, located in the scenic South Wales Valleys. It’s a vibrant student hub with a student union, sports centre, restaurants, shops, and much more. Our on-campus Business Clinic gives you the opportunity to work with other students, providing consultancy advice on live projects and briefs with industry; a great way to prepare you for a future in marketing or business.
/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/03-courses/business-and-management/course-business-and-management-business-clinic-42261.jpg)
/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/04-profiles/41-undergraduate-student/profile-ug-marketing-Holly-Rose-Jenkins-49809-1.jpg)
Business, Management and Marketing is top 5 in UK and top in Wales for Teaching Quality (The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025).
Top in Wales
Marketing at USW is top in Wales for academic support, student voice, assessment and feedback.
(National Student Survey 2024)Business, Management and Marketing is top 5 in UK and top in Wales for Teaching Quality (The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025).
/prod01/channel_2/media/event-graduation-cardiff-28660-857X857-1.jpg)
/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/01-campus-and-facilities/12-campus-spaces/campus-spaces-newport-library-27766-3-785X785.jpg)
/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/01-campus-and-facilities/12-campus-spaces/campus-spaces-newport-library-27717-3-857X857.jpg)
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 and obtain a minimum of 48 UCAS tariff points.
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.
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 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing 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.
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.
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
The Tuition Fee for UK students on classroom-based foundation years is £5,760. Fees for subsequent years of the degree course will be charged in line with our standard full-time Home undergraduate fees. Where applicable, the Tuition Fee for international students is £15,850 per year.
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.
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.
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.
/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/07-student-life/75-cafe-bars-pubs/student-life-students-on-campus-treforest-su-52657-1.jpg)
/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/01-campus-and-facilities/11-campus-exterior-shots/campus-exterior-treforest-ty-crawshay-49783.jpg)
/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/02-accommodation/23-pontypridd-accommodation/accommodation-pontypridd-double-room-50964-1.jpg)
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.
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.
