Course Essentials
Congratulations on gaining a place at CCCU! We look forward to welcoming you to the School of Business, Law & Policing. The Foundation Year provides a supportive pathway into your chosen degree, helping you develop the knowledge, confidence and academic skills needed for undergraduate study. You'll build essential skills such as academic writing, research, critical thinking and time management in a supportive learning environment with smaller class sizes and personalised tutor support. On successful completion of the Foundation Year and progression requirements, you will be guaranteed entry onto your chosen undergraduate degree programme.
Dr Aga Gordon
Foundation Year Lead
Teaching for your course will begin w.c 21 September 2026.
To help you plan your first few weeks, you can view an overview of the teaching activities for your course.
View your first semester teaching timetable.
On a mobile device, click the arrow next to “Search” at the top right of the page to view your timetable.
If your course is taught in groups, the overview will show activities for all groups. You will only need to attend sessions for your allocated group.
Once teaching begins, your individual timetable and group allocation will be available in MyTimetable provided you have completed online registration and created your computing account.
| Your Semester 1 Modules |
| The Big Picture* |
| The Business World |
*All Foundation Year students take The Big Picture during Semester 1. The module includes shared lectures and smaller seminar and pastoral groups.
Seminar groups are arranged broadly by subject area so that discussions, examples, and activities can connect to your intended degree course.
The Unitimetables page shows an overview of all scheduled teaching for the module. You will not be expected to attend every seminar shown there.
Your confirmed lecture, seminar, and pastoral group will be available in MyTimetable once course registration and group allocations have been completed.
Academic Calendar: Semesters
View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2026-27 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.
Welcome to Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) - we look forward to meeting your during Welcome Week.
During this week, you'll attend essential sessions that will help you settle into university life, understand what to expect from your studies, and meet the people who will support you throughout your time here.
We strongly encourage you to attend all Welcome Week activities—they're designed to help you feel confident and prepared for the exciting year ahead.
Our lecturers will guide you academically through in-class interactions and activities, and you will be assigned and meet with your personal academic tutor (PAT) in your first few weeks of study. Our aim is to support you to develop both personally and academically and to offer you a sense of community and belonging that helps you to succeed.
The Foundation Year is a great opportunity for you to develop your skills in order to succeed in your chosen degree, within a supportive environment. Here, you will learn and acquire essential knowledge and skills to succeed in your degree programme, such as academic writing, research, critical thinking, and time management. It also provides an excellent opportunity for you to bridge the gap between your current educational background and the demands of undergraduate studies.
In your first semester, you will study two core Foundation Year modules:
This module introduces you to the interconnected nature of contemporary global challenges and helps you develop critical thinking skills essential for university-level study.
This module provides a foundation in business concepts and economic thinking, preparing you for your future studies.
Your Module leads will be confirmed during Welcome Week, and you'll have the opportunity to meet them during your induction sessions.
Your teaching will consist of weekly lectures and seminars, some of these will be online.
Lectures introduce key concepts and theories, while seminars provide opportunities for discussion, group work, and applying what you've learned.
Both are essential components of your learning, and attendance is expected at all sessions.
During your first few weeks, we'll focus on helping you transition to university-level study. You'll develop academic skills such as critical reading, note-taking, referencing, and academic writing.
Don't worry if these feel challenging at first, that's exactly what the Foundation Year is designed to help you with.
All your learning materials, lecture slides, reading lists, and assignment briefs will be available on Blackboard, our virtual learning environment. You'll be able to access Blackboard when you have set up your computing account and you will receive an introduction to Blackboard during Welcome Week. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the platform early—it will be your primary resource throughout your studies.
We strongly recommend completing courses from the Learning Skills Hub, particularly those on academic writing, time management, and effective note-taking. These will give you a head start and build your confidence.
Once you have been invited to register for your course, there are some key tasks you'll need to complete to make sure you are ready to become a CCCU student.
Registration invitations are sent towards the end of August. We'll send yours to the email address you used when you applied, so please check this inbox regularly to make sure you don't miss any important information.
Have a question?