For an overview of the course and entry requirements information, see the Modern Languages course page. 

Please be aware that there may be changes to course structures during your degree, so the information below is indicative.

The languages we offer are French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. With the exception of Portuguese (beginners only), we offer beginners’ and post-A level (or equivalent) routes in all languages.

How many and which languages you choose is largely up to you. The only restriction is that you may only do one beginners’ degree language (so three-language students must start with at least two languages at A level or equivalent standard).

Course principles and units

Whether you are studying one, two or three languages, each year you will take 120 credit points. Most units are worth 20 credits.

Language Teaching
Years 1, 2 and 4

You will do a mandatory year-long “Language and Cultures” unit in each of your degree languages (incorporating reading, writing, grammar, speaking, listening and translation). In Year 1, the beginners’ units are double-weighted (worth 40 credits, not 20).

This means that each year:

One-language students take 20 credits of language study (40 in Year 1 if beginners)
Two-language students take 40 credits of language study (60 in Year 1 if beginners)
Three-language students take 60 credits of language study (80 in Year if beginners)

Your remaining credit points come from 20-credit cultural units relating to your languages of study or to Modern Languages as a discipline - these are known as 'contextual' units. We make sure that your timetable is as balanced as possible across the year (which means not all unit combinations are possible).

Contextual units
Year 1

One-language students take at least two units relating to their language of study

Two-language students take two units relating to any post-A level languages and one relating to any beginners’ language.

Three-language students take one optional unit in their post-A level (or equivalent) languages. They do not take an optional unit in any beginners’ language in Year 1.

Year 2 

One-language students take five of these units; two-language students take four; three-language students take three.

All students must take a combination of ‘showcase’ and other contextual units.

Three-language students who did a beginners’ language in Year 1 must take a showcase unit relating to that language.

All students are required to take a minimum number of language-specific units; remaining credit points can be used on School-wide units where available.

Year 3 (the Year Abroad)

You will spend time abroad in each of your languages of study.

One-language students spend a minimum of six months abroad. This can be spent in one place or split between two. 

Two-language students spend a minimum of three months abroad for each language.

Three-language students spend a minimum of three months abroad for two of their languages, and a minimum of four weeks abroad for the third language.

You can spend your year studying at a partner university, working (subject to obtaining any necessary work permits and/or visas), on a language course or as a British Council Teaching Assistant. You can also split your year between these, e.g. study in Argentina for three months and then work in Austria for three months.

For a list of our current partner universities, please see our Centre for Study Abroad.

On your year abroad, you will complete credit-bearing skills-based assessments in the target language(s).

Students of Russian currently spend their placement on specialist Russian language courses in Latvia, Estonia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan.

Year 4

One-language students take five of these units; two-language students take four; three-language students take three.

All students are required to take a minimum number of language-specific units; any remaining credit points can be used on School-wide units.

One-language students do a mandatory 20-credit research dissertation or extended translation ('Independent Study').