BA (Hons)

Public Services including Foundation Year

The Foundation Year in Public Services forms part of an integrated four-year degree programme and is designed for students who do not currently meet the admissions criteria for direct entry onto a degree course such as BA (Hons) Public Services. 

How to apply Apply through UCAS Book an Open Day Chat to Us

Key Course Details

  • UCAS Code

    L44F

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £5,760*

  • International students

    £17,200*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
Make an Enquiry

Prepare for a career in public services while building the academic skills needed to succeed at university. 

Designed for

If you're ready to start a rewarding and fulfilling journey to a career in Public Services but don’t yet meet the entry requirements for the degree or you need extra support, this foundation year provides the perfect stepping stone into higher education.

Career paths

  • Civil service and local government  
  • Uniformed public services:
  • Policing
  • Fire and Rescue services
  • Ambulance Services
  • Armed Forces 
  • Policy development and design  
  • Charitable and voluntary organisations   
  • Social and academic research  

Skills taught

  • Collaboration
  • Time management
  • Researching
  • Critical Thinking
  • IT Skills

We make a difference in practice, not just on paper. Our courses are designed by people who offer jobs - and taught by people who have real work experience.

A blue police sign on the side of the road with a police car and police officer in the distance
public services graduates john and gareth standing in front of a fire engine in fire fighter uniform

Course Highlights

Gain a strong academic foundation

Develop a range of essential skills such as IT skills and critical thinking that will prepare you for your degree.

Taught by experts

You will be supported by passionate academics who are leaders in their field of study.

Develop your understanding

Gain a solid grounding in key areas of policing and crime that will prepare you to tackle real-life challenges.

Career Opportunities

Open doors to careers in diverse fields, from government and healthcare to education, environment and beyond.

Module Overview

Prepare for university study by developing academic skills and exploring real-world public service issues. Through teamwork, reflection and applied learning, you’ll build confidence and understanding across the foundation year. 

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. 

Crime, Media and Culture  
Focusing on crime and justice in society, this module examines how media, identity and public opinion shape understanding and policy. You’ll engage with key debates and propose evidence-informed reforms.  

Inside the Investigation: Understanding Crime and Policing Practice  
An introduction to criminal investigations in England and Wales, exploring investigative processes, ethical decision-making and professional practice. You’ll apply investigative thinking to realistic scenarios across different types of crime. 

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. 

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.    

Placements and work experience

Students who progress onto the BA (Hons) Public Services degree will complete a ten-week placement that aligns with their career goals and interests to gain real industry insights and develop valuable skills for the future. This will be in your second year of study on the degree program (third year of study if you are completing the foundation year).

You’ll collaborate with the university’s placement officer and your host organisation to tailor your experience to suit your needs. You could find yourself working with local authorities, South Wales Fire and Rescue, NHS, Citizen’s Advice, police forces, or even HM Prison Parc in Bridgend, gaining unique experience in various settings.  

Facilities

You will be taught at our Pontypridd site, which has modern learning spaces and a vibrant and welcoming community. From here, you can explore all that South Wales has to offer - whether it’s relaxing on stunning beaches, hiking historic mountains, or experiencing city life and culture. Studying in Pontypridd provides the perfect base to discover both the natural beauty and vibrant urban life of South Wales.  

Once you progress onto the BA (Hons) Public Services degree, you will have access to extra facilities that will enhance your experience including our Hydra suite and VR headsets that allow us to simulate a range of scenarios that students tackle as part of their learning.

Careers and Employability

Graduate Careers

Our Public Services foundation year prepares you to confidently progress onto the BA (Hons) Public Services degree, leading to diverse career opportunities across the public sector—one of the UK's key areas for graduate employment.

Recent graduates have landed roles as prison officers, trainee paramedics, firefighters, police officers, and call handlers, as well as positions in rescue services and the armed forces. You can also explore non-uniformed roles like civil service, local government, housing, youth work, policy development, social research, and charitable work.

Careers Support

You’ll have access to advice from our careers and employability service throughout your studies and when you graduate. This includes one-to-one appointments with career advisers either in person or virtually through video call or email. We also have online resources to help explore career options and ensure you present yourself well to employers. These include psychometric tests, career assessments, a CV builder, an interview simulator, and application help. We also have over 2,000 registered employers targeting business graduates, so we’ll sign you up to receive weekly email alerts for jobs that match your interests too. 

Industry partners

We team up with top organisations to make sure your course is always in tune with what employers need. 

Each year, we work with big names like the National Crime Agency, the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner, and the Welsh Government to keep our curriculum cutting-edge. 

You’ll also benefit from our connections with emergency services, local authorities, and charities, who offer placements, practical projects, and guest speakers. This means you'll get hands-on experience and insider knowledge that will set you apart in the job market.  

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

UCAS points: 48 (or above)

Typical qualification requirements:

  • A Level: DD to exclude General Studies
  • BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma Pass Pass Pass
  • Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate: CC
  • Access to HE: Pass the Access to HE Diploma.
  • T Level: P (D or E)

 

Additional requirements include:

The University normally requires a minimum 3 GCSEs including Mathematics and English at Grade C/Grade 4 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 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.

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

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 Funding

Additional 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.

A student sat smiling and talking to friends off camera in Treforest Student's Union
Student Life
The University's Ty Crawshays building at Treforest, Pontypridd.
Pontypridd Campus, Treforest
A double room at our Pontypridd accommodation featuring a large window.
Accommodation

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.
 

Next Steps

How to apply
Apply Through UCAS
Book an Open Day
Chat to Us