Year Abroad

All students for a degree with Spanish and/or Portuguese are required to spend a part or all of their third year in residence in a country where the relevant languages studies are spoken.  Single Honours students of Spanish and Joint students studying Spanish or Portuguese with either Drama, History of Art, Politics or Philosophy spend a full academic year of 9 months in residence abroad: students of Hispanic Studies spend 6 months in a Spanish-speaking country and 3 months in a Portuguese or Catalan-speaking country; School of Modern Languages students divide their time into two equal periods of four and a half months in countries where each of the two languages they study are spoken. 

A variety of options regarding what students do during their year abroad is open to them: British Council teaching assistantships for those going for a full 9 months; self-organised study at a university; Socrates exchanges with Universities in Barcelona, Évora, Granada, Oporto, Vic, Vigo and Zaragoza; self-organised work or one of several current job placements offered through links with firms in Spain and Latin America established and maintained over several years by the Department.

Students are supported fully in making the right choice for their individual interest and needs through a series of meetings with staff and fourth-year students, a series of handouts covering the many issues relevant to this study focussing on the different cultural, social and educational contexts of the wide number of places in the world open to students and through individual discussions with their tutors who have to approve their final choice of destination.

Refer to the current students page for more information and documentation relating to the year abroad or see the Frequently Asked Questions.

Letter for Students on their Year Abroad - please see Current Students page