We use a lot of special vocabulary in the University Preparation department. Most of this is language that is used in schools and universities around the UK as well, so it’s definitely worth learning the key words:
- Academic Programme or Course: All of your studies at the school, your lessons, your homework, your assignments and exams. This is all of the teaching and assessment that leads to your qualification.
- Academic Year: The basis of the calendar for academic programmes across the UK and around the world. An academic year usually lasts for nine months and corresponds to one qualification level.
- Module: A set of lessons and assessments in one subject. At EF, you will study each module for one term. There are two groups of modules:
- Core Modules: These teach you the essential skills that everyone needs for university.
- Specialist Modules: These teach you the specific subject content you will need for entry to and success in your chosen subject at university.
- Pathway: A set of modules specifically chosen to prepare you for your studies at university. The pathways are prescribed (i.e. they come as a set group so no ‘pick and mix’) and are based on what you have told us about what you want to study at university. The pathways available are:
- Art, Design and Architecture
- Business, Finance and Management
- Humanities and Social Sciences
- Science (Life Science or Science and Technology)
- Pre-Masters courses are not divided into pathways but give you the freedom to explore your subject through independent projects in skills-based modules.
- Qualification: The certification that you receive at the end of the programme and the skills and knowledge that it stands for. This qualification essentially means that you are ready for university!
- Qualification Level: Studies and qualifications meeting particular standards of complexity, depth and breadth and showing how much you know or how much you can do. These are defined both nationally and internationally. Our University Foundation programmes are categorized as Level 3 (equivalent to A-levels); Pre-Masters programmes are at Level 6.
- Semester: Shorter than a year, longer than a term. This is a programme consisting of two terms (six months). Semester courses are only suitable for students who can also use their previous (home-country) qualifications as the basis for entry to UK universities.
- Term: The basic building block of an academic year. One academic year contains three terms, which roughly correspond to the seasons (Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer). Each term lasts between seven and ten weeks. At EF, you will study different modules each term and will have an exam week at the end of each term.