The Foundation Year is a great opportunity for you to develop 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. The learning environment is very supportive with smaller class sizes and personalized attention from tutors, allowing you to build your confidence and develop your academic skills. Successful completion of the foundation year programme guarantees you entry onto your chosen undergraduate degree course, provided you meet the progression requirements. Overall, the foundation year programme presents an excellent pathway for you to achieve your academic goals and embark on a successful university journey. It equips you with the skills and knowledge to excel in your studies and lays the foundation for a fulfilling and rewarding career.

Dr Idorenyin Etokakpan
Course Director

Key dates

Academic Calendar: Semesters

View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2024-25 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.  

Welcome

Welcome to Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) and here’s to you beginning your BSc in Economics and Finance with Foundation Year at Christ Church Business School! We have no doubt that you have made the right choice, and we will be with you every step of the way during the next four years of your study.

Christ Church Business School is a caring and supportive community. As your course Director, I will welcome you in person on your first day and with help from your lecturers will guide you through the course content. You will also make friends for life, as we make sure you have lots of opportunities to meet other students and have fun!

 

Employability

We care about developing your employability skills from day one. While your first graduate job may seem far in the future, it’s never too soon to start filling your graduate CV with social and professional activities and experiences. In your second year, you will spend a whole semester developing your professional identity as an Economics and Finance specialist (CV, LinkedIn, training for recruitment centres).

During your Foundation Year, in Semester 2, you will study the Personal and Career Development module. This will include external speakers who will share their experience of attaining graduate employment and their personal experience of taking a placement year. For example, former CCCU Business School student Luke Duffy is now a manager at Babcock Engineering in London and is keen to share his personal insights.

Furthermore, all students have the option to do a 12 month placement between their second and final year.

“The year I spent on placement not only gave me an insight into the reality of how businesses operate, it has given invaluable knowledge that I use every day in my final year studies.”

 

Support & Wellbeing

Importantly, we care about you as a person, your wellbeing, and your success. We make sure we have time for you, and we provide a large number of resources to support you with your finances, your mental health and your study skills. We will be with you every step of the way!

 

Here are some quotes from some of our students.

“Lecturers being very helpful and supportive giving guidance when you are unsure about a subject.”

“Communication with the tutor at each of the topics is of a high level."

“Learning new skills and new ways to help myself to do better, to write better and to be able to look for reliable information and make me want to give the best of me.”

 

You can stay up to date with what's happening in our Faculty with the Faculty Instagram page.

Getting started

Starting university can be daunting but fret not as this is completely normal. We understand that you have made a big step to achieving your future goals investing time, money, and energy to this degree.

Your Foundation Year at Christ Church Business School is divided into two semesters and you will study three modules in each one.

Module Title

 

 

Semester

 

Contemporary Issues in Accounting

1

Contemporary Issues in Business, Management and Marketing

1

Communication and Academic Skills

1

Individual Project in Business

2

Personal and Career Skills

2

The Business Environment

2

 

Learning at Christ Church Business School on the BSc Economics and Finance with Foundation Year

We care about you being at ease and confident about your studies and not worried. So, we have put in place a welcome week starting on the week of Monday 16th September 2024 with lots of activities for you to familiarise yourselves with the way we teach and the way we will mark your work and support you all the way through. Make sure you attend to start making friends!

 

Community

On the social side, the Student Union (CCSU) has a huge range of clubs and societies – all of which have unique social calendars of their own and offer endless opportunities to make lifelong friends and discover new hobbies. And you can always create your own society and cultivate your own community!

CCSU will be hosting their Welcome Fayre on Wednesday 18th September 2024. Make sure you keep checking the CCSU website for further details and how to get involved.

We understand that you may be nervous about your first few weeks on campus but rest assured - you'll be joining a nurturing and supportive environment where diversity, equality and individuality are part of everything we do.

You can find out more about our welcoming community and making friends.

If you are an International Student joining us then please see our International Student Support pages for further information and guidance.

 

Pre-course reading

  • Dyson, J. and Franklin, E. (2020) Accounting for non-accounting students (10th edition) Pearson Education Limited: Harlow.
  • Leatherbarrow, C., Fletcher, J. & Currie, D. (2018) “Introduction to Human Resource Management” (4th Edition) CIPD
  • Cottrell, S (2013) The Study Skills Handbook Palgrave MacMillan, Basingstoke
  • Gallagher, K. (2016) Essential study and employment skills for business and management students, 3rd Ed. Oxford: OUP
  • Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2016) Cite them right: The Essential Referencing Guide. 10th Edition. Palgrave Macmillan.

 

Websites:

You are expected to keep abreast of news, both specific to people in organisations and general news as well as other information published in websites. Websites you need to use and be aware of are:

Arbitration, conciliation and advisory service

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

 

Office of National Statistics

Government Website Portal

 

 

How you can prepare

It is very good practice to understand the news and what is happening in the world. It will help with your studies and it will help you perform better at interview. Why not start by spending five minutes each day reading BBC Business News? Then, when you get to the Business School, you can make the most of your free subscription to the Financial Times.

Given that you have worked very hard to get into University, we recommend that you use the summer to prepare yourself for your transition to higher education and take some time to relax and rejuvenate.

Here are some examples of things to watch to ease into the world of Accounting.

10 movies all Economists will love

4 Must Watch Films and Documentaries for Accountants.

10 Business and Accountancy Podcasts You Should Be Listening to.

However, if you are keen to get started, you can contact your Course Director for a full or recommended reading list.

International student success programme

International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.

Contact details

If you have any queries, please contact the course team at foundation.fsess@canterbury.ac.uk