BENV3003
15 credits
What topic fascinates you about cities and their development? Explore new research skills, how and where to collect data, review existing reports and write a...
Foundation Year Built Environment Foundation
Build the academic knowledge, study skills and confidence to prepare for the next stage of your studies.
Key facts
- Duration
- Full time: 1 year
- Part time: 2 years
- Starts
- September 2027
- Level
- Undergraduate
- UCAS code
- K111
- Location
- Headington
- School
- School of the Built Environment
About this course
Our Built Environment Foundation prepares you to study at degree level. As well as make plans for your future professional education and career.
You will develop your understanding and problem-solving and gain other key skills in the design and development of cities. To help develop your practical skills our course combines:
- theory and contextual case studies
- field trips
- live projects.
On completing your course, you can progress to one of the following degree courses here at Oxford Brookes;
- Sustainable Urban Design and Planning
- Construction Project Management
- Property Development and Planning
- Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management
- Building Surveying
- Real Estate
If you want to progress to Architecture or Interior Architecture you must have an acceptable portfolio of artistic work.
Freedom to explore
Get to know your preferences and explore the differences between various built environment disciplines before choosing which subject to study for your degree.
Interesting assessment
You’ll be assessed through coursework such as individual and group presentations, critical commentaries and reflective journals, or exams. All programmes use live projects.
Study abroad
You may be able to go on a European or international study exchange while you are at Brookes. Most exchanges take place in the second year. Although we will help as much as we can with your plans, ultimately you are responsible for organising and funding this study abroad.
Language courses
Our university-wide language programme is available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
| Qualification | Typical offer |
|---|---|
| UCAS tariff points | 48 |
| A-level | DD |
| BTEC Extended Diploma | PPP or MP |
| International Baccalaureate | 24 |
Specific subject requirements
48 points from 2 A Level or equivalent
We welcome applications from candidates with alternative qualifications, and from mature students.
Fees and funding
Fees
| Fee types | 2026/27 | 2027/28 |
|---|---|---|
| Home full-time | £9,790 | £10,050 |
| Home part-time | £1,220 per single module | £1,255 per single module |
| International full-time | £17,250 | £18,500 |
Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.
For further information please see our tuition fees FAQs.
Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page.
Questions about fees?
Learning and assessment
We have designed this course to;
- give you a good introduction to university life
- develop your problem-solving skills in the design and development of cities
- to introduce you to subjects that will help you to your progress to one of the relevant built environment degree courses.
You'll sample degree subjects relating to the built environment and discover new areas of study, such as:
- planning and urban design
- environmental sustainability
- construction management.
We offer field trips and live projects to develop your practical skills. We'll ask you which degree you want to pursue to assess if you require additional support with a portfolio. If your interests change, you can consider other degree courses.
You will learn in a lively and stimulating environment.
In semester 1, you take a range of modules to learn core skills required for a successful student experience in built environment programmes. This includes digital skills, professional development, research and sustainability.
In semester 2 you will study all the different disciplines within the School of Built Environment and the School of Architecture. This helps you clarify your further study choices here at Oxford Brookes.
We use a variety of teaching and learning methods, including;
- lectures
- seminars
- workshops
- tutorials.
| Contact hours | Total workload | Timetabled |
|---|---|---|
| about 9 hrs a week | 1,200 hrs a year | Mon–Fri, 09:00–18:00 |
Assessment
We will assess you through coursework, in a variety of ways such as reports, quizzes, presentations and your digital skills. The coursework will be based on live projects and will work across the different disciplines with a final presentation in semester 2. There are no examinations for this programme.
All our modules involve:
- regular reading to prepare for lectures
- problem-solving exercises.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
BENV3004
15 credits
Who are the professionals in the built environment? What do they do and why are they needed? How can I start to make a career of my foundation studies? You will...
BENV3005
15 credits
In this module, you will learn how to create 2D site layouts and simple 3D models of buildings using Sketch-up. You will also learn how the use of the internet...
BENV3006
15 credits
- What does sustainability mean for the built environment and what are professionals doing about this? In this module, you will be introduced to the...
BENV4005
15 credits
This module aims to introduce you to basic planning issues, mainly within the UK but also touching on global issues as well. You will develop a knowledge of...
BENV4006
15 credits
Are you interested in studying and having a career in urban design or architecture? This module introduces you to the nature and role of urban design and...
BENV4007
15 credits
Our introduction to construction module introduces you to the key principles of construction and their application through real-life case studies of various...
BENV4008
15 credits
This module introduces you to the full range of studies included within the BSc (Hons) Real Estate degree, including development, valuation, investment, agency...
Field trips
Field trips to London and across Oxford will introduce the live projects used in assessment. You will meet different professionals and understand first hand how projects develop and are managed.
Careers
Foundation Built Environment is principally intended as a route to further study at degree level - and exists to develop and enhance academic skills. It will allow you to choose the most suitable area of degree specialism within the School, and make plans for the subsequent professional education that ensues. Various teaching and learning methods are employed - lectures, seminars, tutorials, and workshops - which will test written expression, presentation skills, independent learning, and working in groups. Underpinning this, students will access information from various sources and work to deadlines.
Successful completion of the Foundation course can lead you on to one of the following degree courses at Oxford Brookes. All of the courses will have specific progression rules which will be highlighted to you during your induction programme. We will also provide you with advice and guidance on how you can meet the progression rules.
(Pass all relevant compulsory modules and achieve an average of 55%)
(Pass all relevant compulsory modules.)
(Pass all relevant compulsory modules.)
(Pass all relevant compulsory modules.)
(Pass all relevant compulsory modules.)
(Pass all relevant compulsory modules.)
(Pass all relevant compulsory modules, achieve an average of 55% and have a portfolio of artistic work approved by an architecture tutor.)
(Pass all relevant compulsory modules, achieve an average of 55% and have a portfolio of artistic work approved by an architecture tutor.)
How to apply
Our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, so module availability and course structures may vary from what is listed here. On rare occasions, we may also need to make updates to our course programmes after publication; for full details, please visit our changes to programmes page (opens in a new tab)