Program Overview

---

Integrated Foundation Year BA/BSc(Hons)

Course Overview

The Integrated Foundation Year degree is designed to equip students with the skills needed to thrive in the creative industries. This four-year course includes an introductory year to help students build the core skills required for specialist degree-level study.

Key Details

• Location: Falmouth Campus
• Course duration: 4 years
• Attendance: Full-time
• Subject to validation during this academic year: Yes

Course Details

In the foundation year, students will study five core modules: three short modules in the first study block and two in the second (one short, one long). These modules are designed to help students explore the foundational elements of both creative practice and their chosen specialism.

Modules (Foundation Year)

• Explore: Students will work collaboratively with others to explore themes of the future, taking risks, experimenting through play, and being supported to break through barriers.
• Technique: Students will take subject-specific workshops and develop essential technical and practical skills in their area of study, enhancing their analytical and organisational abilities.
• Apply: Students will work with their peer group to think beyond discipline by addressing a societal or global issue, showcasing their work to their peers, and delivering an accompanying evaluation of their process.
• Industry: Students will enhance their creative and practical skills in their subject specialism by responding to typical industry briefs, underpinned by focused research and experiments, and gaining industry insights through guest lectures and workshops.
• Launch: Students will develop their unique identity in their specialism through the production of a self-initiated body of work, with their final project serving as a bridge to their next year, fully supported by evaluative reviews and critical analysis of the work they have created.

Choosing Your Specialism

When choosing to study an Integrated Foundation Year degree, students will need to choose the subject they wish to specialise in before applying. For instance, they might want to study Computing for Games BSc(Hons), and they'll be able to choose the Integrated Foundation Year route.

Integrated Foundation Year Specialisms

• Animation BA(Hons)
• Commercial Photography BA(Hons)
• Computer Science BSc(Hons)
• Computing for Games BSc(Hons)
• Costume Design for Film & Television BA(Hons)
• Creative Advertising BA(Hons)
• Documentary & Editorial Photography BA(Hons)
• Drawing BA(Hons)
• Fashion Design BA(Hons)
• Fashion Marketing BA(Hons)
• Fashion Photography BA(Hons)
• Fashion Styling & Art Direction BA(Hons)
• Film BA(Hons)
• Fine Art BA(Hons)
• Game Animation BA(Hons)
• Game Art BA(Hons)
• Game Development BA(Hons)
• Graphic Design BA(Hons)
• Illustration BA(Hons)
• Marine & Natural History Photography BA(Hons)
• Marketing Communications BA(Hons)
• Media BA(Hons)
• Photography BA(Hons)
• Post Production & Visual Effects BA(Hons)
• Software Engineering BSc(Hons)
• Television & Film Production BA(Hons)
• Textile Design BA(Hons)

How You'll Learn

• Our Integrated Foundation Year degrees are designed to equip students with the skills they need to thrive in the creative industries.
• At Falmouth, we use a 'digitally enhanced learning & teaching' approach.
• Students' experience will always be predominantly in-person, including seminars, tutorials, and studio teaching, with some targeted elements being online either live (synchronous) or pre-recorded (asynchronous).

Assessment Methods

• Foundation year assessments are 100% coursework-based.
• Assessment will take place at the end of each module, and students will get feedback and evaluation throughout the year.
• Students will be assessed through visual, verbal, and written assignments, including their portfolio and a reflective journal.
• In the foundation year, all assessments are pass/fail to encourage students to take risks and engage with the feedback provided.

Facilities

• Our industry-standard facilities, spread across two campuses, are carefully designed and developed to ensure students are more than equipped to succeed in their chosen specialism.
• Explore all our facilities:
  • Media
  • Fashion & textile
  • Performance
  • Photography
  • Art & design
  • Games academy
  • Printmaking
  • Library
  • Sports centre

Staff

• Specialist staff from the course discipline will contribute to the learning and teaching on the Integrated Foundation Year degree.
• Our lecturers are often practising professionals and academic researchers who can give students first-hand knowledge of the creative industries.

Staff Members

• Duncan Cameron: Senior Lecturer & Course Leader for the Falmouth Integrated Foundation Year
• Adam Blackmore: Lecturer, Game Art & Animation (Integrated Foundation Year)
• Gina Burney: Lecturer: Illustration & Graphic Design (Integrated Foundation Year)
• Kate Lowe: Lecturer Photography Integrated Foundation Year Degree
• Roger Troup: Lecturer Integrated Foundation Year Film and Television
• Cassie Henderson: Fashion and Textiles IFY Lecturer and Module Leader
• Lucy Stent: Game Programming and Game Development Foundation Lecturer

Careers

• From exhibitions to award wins, positions in leading creative businesses to launching their own ventures, our graduates are blazing a trail.
• Read about our graduates from across the course specialisms.

Graduate Stories

• "Creative autonomy is worth more than fleeting validation": Meet Pete Jordi Wood
• From the Royal Opera House to Broadway: an interview with textile designer Sara Lowes
• Q&A with Graphic Designer, George Sutton
• Graduate Spotlight: Textile Designer Lucy Martin
• From CHANEL to Queen Camilla: a catch-up with Textile Design graduate Beth Somerville
• Aimee Shardlow: Fine Art Graduate starts her own business
• Fine Art graduate joins The Great Women Artists Residency in Italy
• More Rookies recognition for animation alumni
• From Sustainable Product Design student to inspiring sustainability leader
• Sustainable Product Design student bags multiple industry awards
• Games Academy alumni release their latest game on Nintendo Switch
• From a BA and MA to LGBTQ+ fairytales and a PhD: meet Pete Jordi Wood
• Falmouth artists feature in Royal Academy of Arts exhibition on art, colonialism and change
• Falmouth graduate’s vodka brand design wins Bulletproof 100%Proof competition
• Falmouth duo launch dynamic new publication BLEACH Magazine
• Knights of Borria set to launch new game ‘Leximan’ with major European publisher
• Textile Design graduate launches collection with Oasis
• Alice Moore on starting her own handwoven textile business
• Graduate shares her experience as an international student at Falmouth University

How to Apply

• Apply via UCAS.
• You'll need to reference the course and University code (F33).
• You can find your Integrated Foundation Year course code on the individual course page.
• Select your course to retrieve your course code and read more about what you'll study in the remaining three years of your degree after your Integrated Foundation Year.

Deadlines

• For starting your studies in 2025:
  • UK applications: 29 January 2025 (for equal consideration)
  • Applications after the 31 January will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis as long as there are places available.
• International fee payers can apply throughout the year, but we recommend applying as early as possible to make time for visa and travel arrangements.

Entry Requirements

• We consider all applications on their own individual merit and potential.
• We invite all applicants to an interview day or audition to give them the opportunity to demonstrate this along with what inspires and motivates them in their field.
• Applicants will also be able to show their portfolio or give a performance depending on the course.
• We welcome applications from all subject backgrounds, whether you've specialised in STEM, the arts or humanities.

Course Routes & Entry Requirements

• Integrated Foundation Year BA/BSc(Hons) four-year degree: 80 – 120 UCAS Tariff points
• Check how many points your qualifications are worth.

Language Requirements

• For applicants whose first language is English, we require you to have or be working towards GCSE English Language Grade 4 (C), or equivalent.
• If English is not your first language, you will need to meet the same standard, which is equivalent to the IELTS Academic 6.0 overall score, with at least 5.5 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.
• We accept a range of in-country equivalencies and approved tests.

Fees, Costs & Funding

Tuition Fees

• Tuition fees for students starting the course in September 2025:
  • Annual tuition fee: £9,535 per year (Full-time UK)
  • Annual tuition fee: £17,950 per year (Full-time EU/international)
• Tuition fees for students starting the course in September 2024:
  • Annual tuition fee: £9,250 per year (Full-time UK)
  • Annual tuition fee: £17,950 per year (Full-time EU/international)
• The below courses have a lower tuition fee of £5,760 during the Integrated Foundation Year, starting in September 2025:
  • Fashion Marketing BA
  • Creative Advertising BA
  • Marketing Communications BA

Additional Typical Course Costs for Integrated Foundation Year Pathway

• £250 for materials
• A laptop/desktop computer
• Adobe Creative Suite

Funding

• For information about funding available, please visit our student funding pages.

Ask a Student

• What better way to find out about life at Falmouth University than by asking our current students?
• From course details and academic support, to the social scene and settling in, our students are ready and available to answer any questions you might have.
• Simply set up your account, send them a question, and they'll get back to you within 24 hours.