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Information Technology with Foundation Year

Entry requirements


A level

D,D,D

Access to HE Diploma

D:0,M:24,P:21

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE Maths and English Grade 4/Grade C (or above) or equivalent qualification

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MMP

T Level

P

UCAS Tariff

72

We encourage you to outline all your qualifications and achievements in your application to provide us a full picture. Your offer will typically be based on your predicted and/or achieved grades from full level 3 qualifications or above e.g. A levels, BTEC Ext Diploma, Access to HE, etc. Any subject specifics are outlined below in the Further Information section, and these specifics are applicable across all equivalent qualifications. A strong application/performance and appropriate experience will be taken into account where typical criteria is not met.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Business computing

Including a foundation year as part of your four-year study programme will give you a head start in your academic and professional life. The foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change.

This Information Technology degree will appeal to highly motivated students who have a strong interest in data analysis and the management of IT systems. The course captures how our modern global society and the developing world are increasingly reliant on IT products and services.

**KEY FEATURES OF THIS COURSE**

- **WORK EXPERIENCE:** Gain valuable experience on an optional year in industry, supported by our dedicated and highly experienced placement staff.

- **LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES:** The team project in year two challenges you to develop an IT product or service for a real client, such as a local charity. You’ll take part in debates, group and individual work, practical sessions in computer labs, tutorials, seminars and presentations by in-house and guest lecturers.

- **INDUSTRY SOFTWARE:** Use tools such as R, Python, Watson Analytics, SAS JMP and Tableau.

- **FLEXIBILITY**: Benefit from the option to transfer to another degree in your Computing portfolio after your first year.

- **NO EXAMS!:** We’ll assess you via other methods throughout your degree.

**WHAT YOU'LL COVER:**
Our Information Technology degree focuses on two key themes: data analysis and the use of big data, and management of computer systems in business. A range of closely related computing and business topics support these. You'll gain fundamental knowledge in your first year studying modules alongside students on our other Computing degrees. In your second year, you'll study specialist modules specifically chosen for your degree, with your final year offering further options to tailor your studies to an area of your interest.

**HOW YOU'RE ASSESSED:**
Instead of exams, a wide range of feedback and assessment methods is used throughout this course, from short exercises in computer labs to writing a dissertation for your Final Year Independent Studies project. You will also submit short research papers, take computer-based tests, produce presentations of your work and provide portfolios documenting the design and implementation of IT products and services, such as web design projects. 

**YOUR CAREER:**
You’ll find career opportunities in virtually any area of computing and information technology, particularly data analysis and business intelligence. You could progress to become a data analyst, an IT trainer, a reporting specialist, a project manager or even advance to IT director roles. You could even start your own business. This degree also prepares you for an MSc in Information Technology.

**STUDY OPTIONS:**
This course is available without a Foundation Year option.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£14,900
per year
International
£14,900
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Derby

Department:

Department of Computing and Mathematics

Read full university profile

What students say


How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Business computing

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

87%
UK students
13%
International students
83%
Male students
17%
Female students
67%
2:1 or above
21%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
D

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Business computing

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£21,500
med
Average annual salary
94%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

48%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
14%
Design occupations
12%
Information technology technicians

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Business computing

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£23k

£23k

£25k

£25k

£31k

£31k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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