What are University Pathway Courses

You may want to begin studying abroad but find that you don’t quite meet the requirements for the course you want to study. Be it a lack of language skills or falling short of academic requirements, how do you bridge this gap?

This is when you can consider the many pathway and foundation options available to you. These types of courses exist to bring you up to speed and help you begin studying your ideal course as quickly as possible.

All such pathway courses will help to familiarize you with teaching techniques and environments that you can expect during your undergraduate or postgraduate degree courses, as well as boosting your confidence before you embark on your studies.

Pathway Courses

University pathway courses exist to teach you everything you need to get up to speed to begin your studies on a university degree course. They will get you used to the style of teaching you can expect, as well as improving your language and academic levels. Some pathway courses exist as part of a four year undergraduate degree course.

Upon completing a pathway course and achieving the required result, you are then able to begin your chosen degree course.

There are still language requirements, such as IELTS for English speaking Institutes, and academic requirements to enroll on a pathway course, but they will be lower than the requirements to go straight into an undergraduate degree course.

Foundation Courses

Foundation courses are similar to pathway courses (the names are often used interchangeably) in that they exist to build up your study or language skills so you are at the right level to start an undergraduate degree. Foundation courses can differ in that they can be taken as a stand alone course.

This gives you flexibility in that you can choose what degree course you would like to enrol upon after completing your foundation course, or choose one provider with which to complete your foundation course and then browse other providers to choose your undergraduate course when you are ready.

Pre-Masters Pathway Programmes

If you want to embark on postgraduate studies but need to top up your study skills or language skills, a pre-masters pathway course is perfect for you. On a pre-masters pathway course you will learn more about the subject that you wish to study at masters level, as well as boosting your general study skills in preparation.

You will also be able to work on your language skills in a pre-masters course, so that when you finish your pre-masters pathway with the required grades, you will be able to start a masters course right away.

The length of a pre-masters course may vary depending on your knowledge of the subject and language skills, but generally they will take between two and three semesters. Pre-masters courses may also be taken part-time.