Guides in this series:
- Who advises about higher education options?
- Making choices about higher education
- Higher education qualifications
- Funding options for higher education study
- Foundation degrees: a brief guide
- Foundation degrees: the benefits
- How do Foundation degrees fit with other qualifications?
- Choosing to do a Foundation degree while working – what do I need to know?
Foundation degrees are higher education qualifications at Level Five in the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ)[1].
The FHEQ states that Level 5 qualifications (including Foundation degrees) are awarded to students who have demonstrated:
- Knowledge and critical understanding of the well-established principles of their area(s) of study, and of the way in which those principles have developed
- Ability to apply underlying concepts and principles outside the context in which they were first studies, including, where appropriate, the application of those principles in an employment context
- Knowledge of the main methods of enquiry in the subject(s) relevant to the named award, and ability to evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems in the field of study
- An understanding of the limits of their knowledge, and how this influences analyses and interpretations based on that knowledge
The FHEQ states that typically, holders of a Level 5 qualification (including a Foundation degree) will be able to:
- Use a range of established techniques to initiate and undertake critical analysis of information, and to propose solutions to problems arising from that analysis
- Effectively communicate information, arguments and analysis in a variety of forms to specialist and non-specialist audiences, and deploy key techniques of the discipline effectively
- Undertake further training, develop existing skills and acquire new competences that will enable them to assume significant responsibility within organizations.
The FHEQ states that holders of a Level 5 qualification will have:
- The qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of personal responsibility and decision making.
How do Foundation degrees fit with other qualifications?
Qualifications frameworks in the UK are changing
The relationship between the FHEQ and the NQF (National Qualifications Framework) is made clear in the Education and Learning section of the Directgov website www.direct.gov.uk , under the heading, ‘Qualifications: what the different levels mean’. There is also a section on ‘Routes into university and higher education’. There are currently eight levels applicable to Further and Higher Education.
| FHEQ Level | Typical higher education qualifications within each level |
| 8 | Doctoral degrees (eg., PhD/ Dphil, EdD, DBA, DclinPsy) |
| 7 | Master’s degrees (eg., Mphil, Mlitt, MA, Msc, Mres); Integrated master’s degrees (eg. Meng, Mchem, Mphys, Mpharm); Postgraduate diplomas; Postgraduate Certificate in Education, Graduate diplomas, Graduate certificates. |
| 6 | Bachelor’s degrees, Postgraduate Certificate in Education, Graduate diplomas, Graduate certificates. |
| 5 | Foundation degrees, Diplomas of Higher Education, Higher National Diplomas |
| 4 | Higher National Certificates, Certificates of Higher Education. |
FHEQ levels
A new framework, the QCF (Qualifications and Credit Framework), is being introduced for England, Wales and Northern Ireland as part of a major reform of the qualifications system. It is a new way of recognising skills and qualifications, and aims to simplify the system and make qualifications more relevant to the needs of employers, and more flexible and accessible for learners. It is intended that the QCF will be aligned with the FHEQ, so that learners will be able to build up credit to help them to enter Foundation Degree courses in a different way.
The Qualifications and Credit Framework (reproduced with permission from QCA)
If you want to find out more about the QCF, you can download the following leaflets from the QCA website www.qcq.org.uk/qcf :
- The Qualifications and Credit Framework: an introduction
- The Qualifications and Credit Framework and Higher Education
