Language Studies
University of Portsmouth
UCAS Code: R905 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
University of Portsmouth
UCAS Code: R905 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
96-104 points, to include a minimum of 2 A levels.
96-106 Tariff points from the Access to HE Diploma.
Cambridge Pre-U score of 42-44.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
2 GCSEs at grade C/4 or above to include English.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
24 points from the IB Diploma, with 444 at Higher Level.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
H3,H4,H4,H4,H4-H3,H3,H3,H4,H4
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
96-104 Tariff points to include a minimum of 2 Advanced Highers.
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
T Level
UCAS Tariff
96-104 points, to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent.
96-104 points from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate including 1 A level, plus the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
**This is a Connected Degree**
Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course.
**Overview**
On this BA (Hons) Language Studies degree course, you'll develop the skills to communicate professionally in one or two languages. Immerse yourself in intercultural communication and awareness, and graduate with the confidence to pursue a career in the international community.
Begin your studies as a complete novice, or with some knowledge of the language, and successfully complete your studies to a professional level – C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) – without being required to spend a whole year abroad.
You'll have the choice to study either:
- One language in-depth
- Two languages at advanced level
- Two languages at different levels: one language at advanced level and one language at beginner level
When you complete this course, you'll be well prepared to begin work that showcases your intercultural awareness and language skills – such as an international English language teacher, a translator for a multinational corporation in any sector, a tour guide for an international travel agent, or a bilingual language editor or publisher.
**Course highlights**
- Put your language skills into practice in simulations, scenario exercises, television broadcasts and debates, so you’re ready to thrive in the wide world of work
- Develop multilingual IT skills including the use of desktop publishing and podcast recording software
- Immerse yourself in learning a language (or two) to fluency without needing to spend a year abroad - although you'll have the option to study abroad if you want to
- Choose to mix and match optional modules, or tailor your course by selecting modules specifically within one of four specialisms: Teaching and education; Translation and interpreting; Culture and linguistics; Business and industry
- Enhance your degree with additional, widely recognised qualifications in Initial Teacher Training or Teaching English as a foreign language
**Careers and opportunities**
Having the ability to communicate effectively with people from different cultures in different contexts can lead to a rewarding career in areas such as tourism, teaching, journalism and marketing, in the UK and internationally.
The additional skills that knowing a language brings can also make you more employable in an increasingly global workforce. The growing use of tools such as video conferencing means you're more likely to work with colleagues in other countries, regardless of whether your own role is mobile or not.
The language skills, intercultural awareness and proficiency in communication you gain from studying this course are especially sought after by businesses and organisations that operate across national borders and cultures.
You'll graduate with the skills and understanding to take up roles in many fields including:
- teacher
- international journalist or editor
- translator/interpreter
- tourist guide
- bilingual consultant
- publishing assistant
- market analyst
What areas can you work in with a language studies degree?
Learning a second language is useful in all sectors, including:
- international management
- translation and interpreting
- marketing
- journalism and the media
- teaching
- tourism
- finance
You could also continue your studies at postgraduate level with a Master's in a subject such as Translation Studies or Applied Linguistics and TESOL.
Whatever comes next after your studies, our Careers and Employability service will give you support and advice for up to 5 years after you graduate.
Modules
Year 1
Core modules
- Investigating Language Practices
- Language, Learning & Teaching
Optional modules
- French Grade 1&2 - General Language
- French Grade 1&2 - Language in Use
- German Grade 1&2 - General Language
- German Grade 1&2 - Language in Use
- Language Project (French)
- Language Project (German)
- Language Project (Spanish)
- Mandarin Grade 1&2 - General Language
- Mandarin Grade 1&2 - Language in Use
- Nation, Language & Identity
- Spanish Grade 1&2 - General Language
- Spanish Grade 1&2 - Language in Use
- French General Language Grade 3
- German General Language Grade 3
- Spanish General Language Grade 3
- General Language Grade 6 (English)
Year 2
Optional modules
- Clinical Linguistics
- Comparative European Politics
- Development and Democracy in Latin America
- East Asian States and Societies
- Empire and Its Afterlives in Britain, Europe, and Africa
- Engaged Citizenship in Humanities and Social Sciences
- English Forms and Functions
- Forensic Linguistics: Language As Evidence
- French General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 1)
- French General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 2)
- French General Language Grade 4
- German General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 1)
- German General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 2)
- German General Language Grade 4
- Global Security
- Intercultural Perspectives On Communication
- Introduction to Teaching
- Introduction to Translation
- Language and Social Justice
- Language for Professional Communication (French)
- Language for Professional Communication (German)
- Language for Professional Communication (Spanish)
- Language of Human Resource Management
- Language Project (Mandarin)
- Language Project Part 2 (French)
- Language Project Part 2 (German)
- Language Project Part 2 (Spanish)
- Managing Across Cultures
- Mandarin General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 1)
- Mandarin General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 2)
- Marketing & Communication
- Modernity and Globalisation
- Nationalism and Migration: Chaos, Crisis and the Everyday
- News, Discourse, and Media
- Principles of Economic Crime Investigation
- Professional Experience
- Puritans to Postmodernists: American Literature
- Second Language Acquisition (20 credits)
- Spanish General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 1)
- Spanish General Language Grade 3 & 4 (Part 2)
- Spanish General Language Grade 4
- Tesol
- Transitional Justice & Human Rights
- Trinity Certificate Teaching Practice
- Wildlife Crime: Threats and Response
- Working With Languages Today
- World and Transnational Cinema
Placement year (optional)
Have the opportunity to do a work placement year after your second or third year on this Connected Degree - we're the only UK university to offer flexible sandwich placements for undergraduates
Year 3
Optional modules
- Advanced Language Project
- Business & Markets in a Global Environment
- Business Planning
- Corpus Linguistics and Lexicology
- Creativity in the Language Classroom
- Dissertation
- English Through Time
- Englishes in the World
- Forensic Linguistics: Language and the Law
- France in the World: Global Actor Or Global Maverick?
- Gender, Language and Sexuality
- General Language Grade 6 Part a (French)
- General Language Grade 6 Part a (German)
- General Language Grade 6 Part a (Italian)
- General Language Grade 6 Part a (Mandarin)
- General Language Grade 6 Part a (Spanish)
- General Language Grade 6 Part B (French)
- General Language Grade 6 Part B (German)
- General Language Grade 6 Part B (Italian)
- General Language Grade 6 Part B (Mandarin)
- General Language Grade 6 Part B (Spanish)
- Holocaust Literatures
- International Security in the Asia-Pacific
- Language and Social Media
- Major Project
- Professional Development: Recruiters and Candidates
- Professional Experience
- Research Project
- Sell Study Abroad
- Spoken Discourse in the Workplace
- The European Union: A Global Power in the Making?
- Translation Theory & Practice
- Writing for Different Audiences
Assessment methods
You’ll be assessed through:
- oral presentations
- essays
- written work, including reports, articles, case studies, book or film reviews
group and individual projects
- translations and commentaries
- interviews
- examinations
- use of software (desktop publishing, podcasts, vlogs)
You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.
You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.
The Uni
University of Portsmouth
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Others in language and area studies
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.
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.
£20k
£24k
£27k
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.
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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.
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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
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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?
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