Diagnostic Radiography BSc (Hons) with Foundation Year

What makes Diagnostic Radiography with Foundation Year at Worcester special?

This four-year programme will equip you with the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to start your journey towards a successful Diagnostic Radiography career.

The course is underpinned with a School-wide commitment to interprofessional learning that aims to develop skilled and compassionate practitioners who have the confidence to engage with and promote professional, social, and political change in health and social care.

By the end of the course you will be ready to become a practising Diagnostic Radiographer, able to examine patients safely using X-Ray, CT scanning, Fluoroscopy, MRI and more. Successful completion of the course gives you eligibility to apply for registration with Health and Care Professions Council and membership of the Society of Radiographers (SoR).

You will be taught alongside other Foundation Year students with an interest in other Allied Health specialisms such as Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Nursing, Paramedic Science and Dietetics for the first year of the course before joining the other Diagnostic Radiography BSc students for the remaining three years.

Overview

Key features

A supportive teaching team with expertise in Personal Academic Tutorship
Strong emphasis on inter-professional learning and teaching, with healthcare professional staff
Throughout years 2, 3 and 4 of the course you will spend 2 days a week, each week, gaining placement experience
We work in partnership with service users and carers to inform the design of the programme as well as involving them in aspects of delivery, enabling you to directly interact with, and learn from, service users and carers
You will develop effective team working and communication skills through inter-professional learning, projects and placements. This will empower you to work within a multi-disciplinary team
Practice placements will be supported by a team of expert educators and our placement team

Accreditation

Successful completion of the course gives you eligibility to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council and membership of the Society of Radiographers.

Entry requirements

32

UCAS tariff points

Academic entry requirements

32 UCAS tariff points

You should be at least 18 years old and normally have GCSE English and Maths at grade c/4 or above, and 1 A Level (or equivalent Level 3 qualification).

However, all applicants will be judged on their individual merits and we may take other skills, qualifications and life experience into account. We welcome mature students without the usual formal qualifications and will consider your application based on your suitability and preparedness to complete the Foundation Year.

The Diagnostic Radiography BSc with Foundation Year course is aimed at individuals who may have few or no relevant formal qualifications but who can demonstrate a clear commitment to pursuing a career in Diagnostic Radiography. Personal, professional and educational experiences will be considered to determine motivation and ability to progress onto the degree course.

Applicants are particularly encouraged from:

Low participation neighbourhoods
People from ethnic minority backgrounds
First in family to study Higher Education
Care leavers.

Starting with a year's foundation is a way to build your knowledge of health topics, science and research, so that you can then progress onto the degree programme and take your career forward.

All applicants are required to complete:

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check*
Occupational Health Checks*

*All information will be treated in confidence and only taken into account when absolutely necessary.

If you meet the subject requirements for Diagnostic Radiography BSc without foundation year we are unable to consider you for the course with Foundation Year.

Additional information

No offers will be made without Interview. Meeting the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee an interview, or a place on the course. For full details please see the UCAS website.

All offers are subject to satisfactory Health Clearance and Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

Students will also be required to sign a Code of Conduct and Fitness to Practice disclosure on commencement of the course.

English Language Requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English and who are required to provide a language test certificate as evidence of their proficiency must ensure that it is, or is comparable to, IELTS level 7.0 with no element below 6.5. (HCPC 2017)

Course content

Year 1 (foundation year)	Mandatory Essential skills for learning in healthcare Science for healthcare Health and wellbeing in today’s society Becoming a healthcare professional
Year 2	Personal and Professional Development Research Methods: Introduction to Evidence Essential Science for Diagnostic Radiography Diagnostic Imaging Practice 1 Diagnostic Imaging Practice 2
Year 3		Developing Professional Skills, Values and Attributes Research Methods: Developing the Evidence Science and Technology in Imaging Cross-Sectional Anatomy, Physiology and Pathophysiology Diagnostic Imaging Practice 3 Diagnostic Imaging Practice 4
Year 4	Leadership in Diagnostic Imaging Dissertation Diagnostic Imaging Practice 5 Diagnostic Imaging Practice 6 Evolution in Imaging

Teaching and assessment

The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support through the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will enable you to flourish and be successful.

Teaching

You will be taught through a combination of interactive workshops, lectures, seminars and e-learning. Throughout the Course, you benefit from an integration of both innovative and traditional teaching methods. Large group lectures and cutting-edge research seminars delivered by academics as well as external speakers will complement your studies. Lectures may contain students from a variety of different courses for which the lecture content is also relevant.

A variety of stimulating, cutting-edge resources are also available to support your learning. Your learning will be supported by the University’s virtual learning environment. You will have individual access to electronic journals, content-rich study guides, and interactive online learning materials covering various science disciplines, formative online assessments and group discussion forums.

In tutor-led seminar groups you will investigate key concepts and systems that includes case studies. These small group sessions will also develop your critical thinking, problem design and solving, teamwork, presentation and lifelong learning skills which are essential for your career development.

In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors are scheduled on at least four occasions in the first year and three occasions in each of the other years of a course. Throughout your degree you will have the opportunity to apply your developing knowledge and build on the depth of your understanding.

Contact time

A typical week in year 1 (level 3) is likely to be a minimum of 12 hours per week. Typically contact time will be structured around:

Lectures and seminars (face to face and online)
Workshops
Group work (problem and enquiry-based learning)

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 22 hours of personal self-study per week. Typically, this will involve completing online activities, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library and online, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including The Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Duration

The course is full time and will be delivered over 4 years. There is a placement requirement in Years 2, 3 and 4 but no placement in year 1.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior academics and professional practitioners. Service users and practicing professionals, who may deliver sessions related to their clinical speciality or health condition and experiences, as well as supporting your teaching.

Teaching is based on research and consultancy; all permanent members of the Diagnostic Radiography staff have a higher education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or ‘formative’ assignments.

Each module has one or more formal or ‘summative’ assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade. Assessment methods include written examinations and a range of coursework assessments such as essays, reports, portfolios, presentations.

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the mandatory and optional modules taken, but a typical formal summative assessment pattern for each year of the course is:

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or ‘formative’ assignments.

Each module has one or more formal or ‘summative’ assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade. Assessment methods include written examinations and a range of coursework assessments such as essays, reports, portfolios, performance, supervisors report, presentations and a final year independent studies project.

See the Diagnostic Radiography BSc course page for details of the assessment pattern in the remaining three years of the course.

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and how these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.

Careers

Graduates will be eligible to apply for registration with the HCPC as Diagnostic Radiographer. This will enable you to pursue careers within the NHS and private sector.

Fees and funding

Full-time tuition fees	UK and EU students The Government has announced that it will increase tuition fees and maintenance loans by 3.1% from the 2025/26 academic cycle. Subject to approval, the University intends to increase our tuition fees in line with this and as per our terms and conditions. This means that from September 2025 the standard fee for full-time home and EU undergraduate students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees will be £9,535 per year. For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.	International students The standard tuition fee for full-time international students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the 2025/26 academic year is £16,700 per year. For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.
Course-related costs not included in the fees	We offer a wide range of professionally accredited and vocational courses that require the purchase of, among other things, uniforms, equipment, subscriptions, professional body memberships and Enhanced DBS checks, and may require you to pay to attend conferences or participate in placements. Students are required to meet all costs associated with placement e.g. travel costs to and from placement.
Accommodation	Finding the right accommodation is paramount to your university experience. Our halls of residence are home to friendly student communities, making them great places to live and study. We have over 1,000 rooms across our range of student halls. With rooms to suit every budget and need, from our 'Traditional Halls' at £131 per week to 'Ensuite Premium Halls' at £228 per week (2025/26 prices). For full details visit our accommodation page.

Full-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The Government has announced that it will increase tuition fees and maintenance loans by 3.1% from the 2025/26 academic cycle. Subject to approval, the University intends to increase our tuition fees in line with this and as per our terms and conditions. This means that from September 2025 the standard fee for full-time home and EU undergraduate students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees will be £9,535 per year.

For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fee for full-time international students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the 2025/26 academic year is £16,700 per year.

For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.

Course-related costs not included in the fees

We offer a wide range of professionally accredited and vocational courses that require the purchase of, among other things, uniforms, equipment, subscriptions, professional body memberships and Enhanced DBS checks, and may require you to pay to attend conferences or participate in placements. Students are required to meet all costs associated with placement e.g. travel costs to and from placement.

Accommodation

Finding the right accommodation is paramount to your university experience. Our halls of residence are home to friendly student communities, making them great places to live and study.

We have over 1,000 rooms across our range of student halls. With rooms to suit every budget and need, from our 'Traditional Halls' at £131 per week to 'Ensuite Premium Halls' at £228 per week (2025/26 prices).

For full details visit our accommodation page.

How to apply

Applying through UCAS

Diagnostic Radiography BSc with Foundation Year - B822

UCAS is the central organisation through which applications are processed for entry onto full-time undergraduate courses in Higher Education in the UK.

Read our How to apply pages for more information on applying and to find out what happens to your application.

UCAS Code

B822

Apply Via UCAS

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.

Admissions Office

admissions@worc.ac.uk

01905 855111