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Birkbeck, University of London

UCAS Code: RR1F | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Entry requirements

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Minimum of GCSE (A2 CEFR) in one of the two languages studied, except where one of the languages is Japanese, in which case there is no language level requirement (i.e. both languages can be from beginners).

UCAS Tariff

48

The UCAS tariff score is applicable to you if you have recently studied a qualification that has a UCAS tariff equivalence. UCAS provides a tariff calculator for you to work out what your qualification is worth within the UCAS tariff.

About this course

This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

4years

Full-time including foundation year | 2025

Other options

6 years | Part-time | 2025

Subject

Modern languages

Would you love to develop your understanding of the cultures and values of different countries and become a highly proficient linguist in the process? Taught by world-leading researchers, our flexible and exciting BA Modern Languages opens a window onto other cultures. This degree gives you the opportunity to specialise in one or two modern languages - from French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish - and to study the literature, history, film, thought and visual culture associated with each language.

If you take two languages, you can study one from beginner level and the other from A-level (or equivalent), allowing you to raise your language skills to near-native standard in at least one language.* Your eventual degree title will name both languages, for example, BA French and Spanish.

If you choose to study one language**, you will normally enter with at least A-level (or equivalent) in that language.

* Korean is a new addition to our languages portfolio - you can start at beginner level, but we currently only offer this language up to intermediate level.

** Please note that Italian, Korean and Japanese can currently only be taken together with another language. If you wish to study Japanese only, please see our separate page for BA Japanese Studies.

**Why choose this course?**

- The study of languages allows you to better understand other people, cultures and the worlds in which they live.

- The development of advanced communication skills and intercultural awareness is a key employability skill.

- We also offer this course with an International Experience pathway which gives you the chance to spend a year abroad in France, Germany, Italy, Japan or Spain.

**What you will learn**

You will gain a high level of proficiency in your language(s) and develop your cultural understanding through modules exploring literature, film, popular culture, history, visual art and linguistics. In addition, we offer cross-cultural modules which allow you to analyse comparative themes across a variety of linguistic, cultural and historical contexts. At the same time, you will master transferable skills such as essay writing, presentations and reports, critical and logical thinking, and translating.

**How you will learn**

Teaching takes place in small-group seminars giving you plenty of opportunities to participate actively and interact with your peers and our experienced tutors, who are all experts in their fields. Language teaching is delivered in the target language, allowing you full immersion in your chosen linguistic area.

This course is available to study full- or part-time. **It has an evening timetable with classes taking place in the evening**.

**Foundation Year**

If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didn't achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree.

**Highlights**

- Ours is a community of scholars with shared interests in interdisciplinary topics and cross-cultural research.

- We are surrounded by cultural institutes relevant to the study of languages and literature, such as the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies, the Goethe Institute, German Historical Institute, Institut Français, Instituto Cervantes, and Japan House London.

- We also offer a range of combined language courses in which you can study another subject, such as art history, English, law, linguistics, journalism, politics or digital media, along with learning a language and its culture too.

**Careers and employability**

This course will prepare you for career paths in fields such as:

- teaching languages

- banking and finance

- publishing

- journalism

- the Civil Service

- translation

- diplomacy

- international relations

- the cultural sector

- further study and research.

Modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.

Assessment methods

Essays and written and oral examinations.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£5,760
per year
International
£18,060
per year
Northern Ireland
£5,760
per year
Scotland
£5,760
per year
Wales
£5,760
per year

The Uni

Course location:

Birkbeck, University of London

Department:

School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

89%
Modern languages

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Others in language and area studies

Teaching and learning

85%
Staff make the subject interesting
90%
Staff are good at explaining things
81%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
57%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

55%
Library resources
72%
IT resources
69%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
30%
Male students
70%
Female students
81%
2:1 or above
24%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
B
C

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Modern languages

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£30,000
high
Average annual salary
95%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

This is a broad subject for a variety of European languages. No matter which you take, the general theme is that some graduates go to that country to work, often as English language teachers, some go into further study, often to train as teachers or translators, but most get jobs in the UK in education - most often as language tutors, unsurprisingly, or translators. Modern language grads can also be in demand in business roles where communication and language skills are particularly useful, such as marketing and PR, and in finance or law. But remember — whilst employers say they rate graduates who have graduates who have more than one language, you need to have them as part of a whole package of good skills.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Others in language and area studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£25k

£25k

£23k

£23k

£37k

£37k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Lower entry requirements
place
University of Plymouth | Plymouth
English and Creative Writing with Foundation
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time including foundation year 2025
UCAS Points: 32-48
Nearby University
place
Oxford Brookes University | Oxford
Modern Languages with Translation
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2025
UCAS Points: 104-120

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here