First degrees
There is a vast range of courses on offer. You can choose from languages of the wider world including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish and many more. There are four main routes to language learning at university: Route 1: take a language degree Route 2: take a degree in another subject that incorporates language study, e.g. Leisure and Tourism Resource Management Route 3: combine a language with another subject
Universities and colleges of higher education. Courses are listed on www.educationuk.org, and you can search by subject and by where you would like to study. Universities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland usually offer four-year degrees (with one year abroad). Some three-year courses are also available. In Scotland, languages degrees may be (but are not always) five years, including a year abroad. Go to: www.ucas.com. University websites also contain detailed information on courses available.
Route 4: take a language module available at some point in the degree or on an institution-wide language programme. Many degree courses offer the possibility of supported residence abroad at some point. Placements can be found around the world. Opportunities include studying at a partner university, teaching English on the assistantship scheme or doing a work placement.
First degrees for beginners
Postgraduate degrees
There are degrees available for students who are total beginners in the language they wish to study. Entry requirements vary depending on the language and the university. In some cases you would be asked for a qualification in another language, e.g. a qualification in French for beginners Spanish. Some other degree courses will also accept you if you are a total beginner. You will need to research your options.
Universities and colleges of higher education. Go to www.educationuk.org, and search under ‘beginners’ – you will see the beginners courses listed or go to www.ucas.com.
You can take postgraduate degrees (Master’s and doctorates) in many languages and related studies.
Universities and colleges of higher education. Search www.educationuk.org, under ‘postgraduate’. Go to Prospects website: www.prospects.ac.uk. University websites also contain information on postgraduate courses.
Degrees for teaching languages
You can combine learning a language with learning to teach – many languages are available, and courses often offer two modern languages.
Universities and colleges of higher education – go to www.ucas.com and search under the language you wish to study, then look for ‘… and teaching’. You may also find the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) website useful: www.tda.gov.uk.
Learning languages
www.education.uk