Modern Languages BA Honours

Course overview

This four-year Modern Languages BA Honours degree immerses you in the study of foreign culture and society. Focusing on the development of your language skills in your chosen languages, you'll graduate with an appreciation for other cultures and multilingual skills sought by employers.

You can choose to study up to three languages from a choice of:

• Chinese
• French
• German
• Japanese
• Portuguese
• Spanish

Through our multidisciplinary approach to teaching, you'll gain an in-depth insight into how culture, cinema, history, politics and society shape the countries where your chosen languages are spoken. You will have the knowledge and understanding you need to engage with people in their native language.

You'll become a confident multilinguist, ready to embark on your career journey as a global citizen.

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Your course and study experience - disclaimers and terms and conditions  
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2022-23.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

Quality and ranking

Professional accreditation and recognition

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body.

Modules and learning

Modules

The information below is intended to provide an example of what you will study.

Most degrees are divided into stages. Each stage lasts for one academic year, and you'll complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each stage. 

Our teaching is informed by research. Course content may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Optional module availability
Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.

Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.

To find out more please see our terms and conditions.

You will build on your current language skills, studying up to three languages. 

Alongside your language studies, you'll have a range of optional modules. These modules will allow you to explore the history and cultures of the countries where your languages are spoken. 

Modules

Optional Modules	Credits
Introduction to Chinese Culture	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) Chinese I	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) Chinese II	20
Level B (HE Intermediate) Chinese	40
La France de 1789 à nos jours	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) French I	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) French II	20
Level B (HE Intermediate) French	20
Deutschland zwischen 1871 und 1945	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) German I	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) German II	20
Level B (HE Intermediate) German	20
Introduction to Japanese History and Culture	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) Japanese I	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) Japanese II	20
Level B (HE Intermediate) Japanese	40
Introducción a América Latina	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) Portuguese I	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) Portuguese II	20
Introduction to Literature	20
Introduction to Linguistics	20
Introduction to International Film	20
Introduction to Cultural Studies	20
Introduction to History, Culture and Society of the Iberian Peninsula	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) Spanish I	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) Spanish II	20
Level B (HE Intermediate) Spanish	20

In Stage 2, you take an advanced study of your chosen languages.

This is complemented by a wide range of cultural modules. You can explore a range of subjects such as Contemporary Japanese Popular Culture or Classic French Cinema.

You will also have the opportunity to study beginners’ modules in:

• Catalan or Italian if you study Spanish
• Catalan or Italian if you study French
• Dutch if you study German

Modules

Optional Modules	Credits
Contemporary Chinese Society: Issues and Challenges	20
Level B (HE Intermediate) Chinese	40
Level C (HE Advanced) Chinese	40
La France de 1789 à nos jours	20
Level B (HE Intermediate) French	20
Paris: Aspects of History and Culture	20
Explorations of the Self in Contemporary French & Francophone Writing and Visual Culture	20
French for Business	20
Linguistic Variation in French	20
French Caribbean Literature	20
Level C (HE Advanced) French	20
Deutschland zwischen 1871 und 1945	20
Level B (HE Intermediate) German	20
Berlin: culture, literature and film from the Weimar Republic to the Berlin Republic	20
M for Murder: Crime, Law and Justice in Modern German Literature and Film	20
Beginners' Dutch	20
Level C (HE Advanced) German	20
Contemporary Japanese Popular Culture	20
Level B (HE Intermediate) Japanese	40
Level C (HE Advanced) Japanese	40
Introducción a América Latina	20
Cultura y poder en América latina: debates desde la antropología	20
Comparative History of Hispano-America and Brazil: from Independence to the Mexican Revolution (1789/1810-1917)	20
Envisioning Identities in Latin American Film	20
Cultures and Societies of the Portuguese-Speaking World	20
Level B (HE Intermediate) Portuguese	20
Introduction to Literature	20
Introduction to Linguistics	20
Introduction to International Film	20
Introduction to Cultural Studies	20
Cities in East Asian Cinema: Culture, History and Identity	20
An Introduction to Italian language and culture	20
Reading in Translation	20
Introduction to Korean	20
Introduction to History, Culture and Society of the Iberian Peninsula	20
Level B (HE Intermediate) Spanish	20
Spanish linguistics II: variation and change	20
Introduction to Catalan	20
Representaciones de Revolución, Dictadura y Democracia en España y América Latina	20
Language Diversity in Spain	20
Food, Football and Fiction: Constructing Catalan Cultural Identity	20
Level C (HE Advanced) Spanish	20

You will spend Stage 3 working or studying abroad. This year abroad exposes you to the life and cultures of the countries you're studying, further developing your language skills.

Modules

Compulsory Modules

Year Abroad Tutor Posts (100 credits)

Optional Modules

Study Abroad (20 credits)

Year Abroad Work Placement Report (Semester 1) (20 credits)

Year Abroad Work Placement Report (Semester 2) (20 credits)

Year Abroad Project (Semester 1) (20 credits)

Year Abroad Project (Semester 2) (20 credits)

In Stage 4, your language studies build on the levels you have developed during your year abroad and include advanced writing skills, translation, and interpreting. 

You also have further optional modules to explore the cultures and histories of the countries where your chosen languages are spoken.

 

Modules

Optional Modules	Credits
Contemporary Chinese Society: Issues and Challenges	20
China and its Peripheries: Repression, (In)stability and Conflict in the 21st Century	20
Level C (HE Advanced) Chinese	40
Historical and Cultural Interpretations of China through classics and newspaper reading	20
Level D (HE Further Advanced) Chinese	40
Paris: Aspects of History and Culture	20
Explorations of the Self in Contemporary French & Francophone Writing and Visual Culture	20
French for Business	20
Linguistic Variation in French	20
French Caribbean Literature	20
Level C (HE Advanced) French	20
Occupation and Resistance: Literary and Cinematic Responses to the Second World War in France	20
Contemporary French Cinema	20
Images d'Algerie	20
Explorations of the Self in Contemporary French & Francophone Writing and Visual Culture	20
Level D (HE Further Advanced) French: Advanced Writing Skills	10
Level D (HE Further Advanced) French: Language for Professional & Academic Purposes	10
Level D (HE Further Advanced) French: Translation & Interpreting	10
Berlin: culture, literature and film from the Weimar Republic to the Berlin Republic	20
M for Murder: Crime, Law and Justice in Modern German Literature and Film	20
Level C (HE Advanced) German	20
Intermediate Dutch	20
German Representations of the Holocaust	20
A Comparative History of German and English: phonology, morphology, syntax and lexicon.	20
The Future: Between Utopia and Dystopia	20
Level D (HE Further Advanced) German: Advanced Writing Skills	10
Level D (HE Further Advanced) German: Language for Professional & Academic Purposes	10
Level D (HE Further Advanced) German: Translation & Interpreting	10
Contemporary Japanese Popular Culture	20
Contemporary Japanese Animation	20
Literary and cultural expressions in contemporary Japan	20
Level C (HE Advanced) Japanese	40
Level D (Further Advanced) Japanese	40
Cultura y poder en América latina: debates desde la antropología	20
Comparative History of Hispano-America and Brazil: from Independence to the Mexican Revolution (1789/1810-1917)	20
Envisioning Identities in Latin American Film	20
Multilingualism and Society in Latin America	20
Latin American Art and Theory	20
Cultura y Política en Colombia	20
Translation for Singing	20
Identidades Pós-Coloniais no Cinema e na Literatura Luso-Afro-Brasileira Contemporanea	20
Level C (HE Advanced) Portuguese	20
Cities in East Asian Cinema: Culture, History and Identity	20
Reading in Translation	20
Advocating and Teaching Languages in Schools	20
Intermediate Italian	20
Dissertation	20
Spanish linguistics II: variation and change	20
Representaciones de Revolución, Dictadura y Democracia en España y América Latina	20
Language Diversity in Spain	20
Food, Football and Fiction: Constructing Catalan Cultural Identity	20
Level C (HE Advanced) Spanish	20
Intermediate Catalan	20
Cultura Popular en España y Cuba	20
Spanish linguistics III: sound change and morphological change	20
Youth Cultures in Spain, Portugal & Latin America	20
Level D (HE Further Advanced) Spanish: Advanced Writing Skills	10
Level D (HE Further Advanced) Spanish: Language for Professional & Academic Purposes	10
Level D (HE Further Advanced) Spanish: Translation & Interpreting	10

Information about these graphs

We base these figures and graphs on the most up-to-date information available to us. They are based on the modules chosen by our students in 2020-21.

Teaching time is made up of:

• scheduled learning and teaching activities. These are timetabled activities with a member of staff present
• structured guided learning. These are activities developed by staff to support engagement with module learning. Students or groups of students undertake these activities without direct staff participation or supervision

Teaching and assessment

Teaching methods

The majority of language modules are taught by native speakers. You also work in language laboratories and undertake self-study in our award-winning Language Resource Centre.

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed through a combination of:

• 

  Assessments

• 

  Assignments – written or fieldwork

• 

  Coursework

• 

  Dissertation or research project

• 

  Dossier

• 

  Essays

• 

  Examinations – practical or online

• 

  Group work

• 

  Portfolio submission

• 

  Practical sessions

• 

  Presentations

• 

  Reflective report/journal

• 

  Reports

• 

  Seminar tasks/exercises

Skills and experience

Research skills

You have the option of writing a dissertation in your final year, which allows you to explore and discuss a topic of interest in great detail, while developing your research skills.

Opportunities

Year abroad

This Modern Languages degree includes a compulsory year abroad. 

Students studying a European language can: 

• study at one of our partner universities
• undertake a work or voluntary placement
• undertake a combination of both (ensuring they do not overlap)

You usually divide the year between the countries relating to your chosen languages, although it may be possible to spend the entire year in one country. 

If you are studying three languages we encourage you to spend some time during the summer vacation in the country of your third language.

If you're studying Chinese or Japanese, you'll spend the year studying at one of our partner universities in China or Japan.

Support for year abroad

You will receive lots of help to prepare for your year abroad, including: 

• briefings covering practicalities like insurance, visas and student safety
• support in finding a work placement
• a Tandem Learning Scheme, to practise conversation in your foreign language and make in-country contacts, before you travel
• a training course for language assistants

There are also events in your second year where you can meet students who have already done their year abroad, students from our partner universities in Europe, and Chinese and Japanese exchange students from our host universities in East Asia. 

You'll be in contact with our Year Abroad team during your time abroad, and communicate with your personal tutor. You'll also write blog posts, reflecting on your linguistic, personal and professional development.

Facilities and environment

Facilities

As a Modern Languages student, you'll be based at our city-centre campus, in the School of Modern Languages. We've been teaching modern languages in Newcastle for more than 100 years.

You will have access to language laboratories and the award-winning Language Resource Centre, with self-study resources for over 50 languages. You'll also have access to:

• specialist language learning software
• dictionaries
• films
• live foreign-language TV channels

Support

You'll have the support of an academic member of staff as a personal tutor throughout your degree to help with academic and personal issues.

Peer mentors will help you in your first year. They are fellow students who can help you settle in and answer any questions you have when starting university.

Your future

Ability in languages is highly regarded by employers across all sectors, including industry and business. Employers value the linguistic skills and cultural awareness of graduates.

With ever more European and international connections, language skills are important and give you a real advantage in applying for a wide range of graduate jobs.

For some graduates teaching is a popular career choice, undertaking primary and secondary Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) or teaching English abroad. Others go into jobs where their language skills are desirable, such as the media, sales, e-commerce, and areas of finance.

Make a difference

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Careers support

The School of Modern Languages works with the University’s Careers Service to run an annual Employability Week, including an opportunity to network with recent graduates.

We also collaborate on the Modern Languages careers blog, Careers Translated. The blog gives you access to a range of relevant jobs, training and work experience opportunities, as well as interviews with alumni and employers, and general advice.

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Recognition of professional qualifications outside of the UK

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for 2023 entry (per year)

Qualification: BA Honours
Home students full time 4 years	Tuition fees (per year) 9250
International students full time 4 years	Tuition fees (per year) 21000

Home Fee Students

The maximum fee that we are permitted to charge for home fee-paying students is set by the UK government.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

International Fee Students

Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.

EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support.

If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.

Read more about fees and funding

Scholarships

We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our undergraduate scholarship page for more information.

Year abroad and additional costs

For programmes where you can spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad, you will receive a significant fee reduction for that year. 

Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.

Find out more about:

• different tuition fees
• additional costs

Scholarships

Find out more about:

• scholarships for UK, EU and international students
• Student Loans and Government financial support for UK and EU students

How to apply

Apply through UCAS

To apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle University, you must use the online application system managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). All UK schools and colleges, and a small number of EU and international establishments, are registered with UCAS. You will need:

• the UCAS name and institution codes for Newcastle University (NEWC/N21)
• the UCAS code for the course you want to apply for
• the UCAS 'buzzword' for your school or college

If you are applying independently, or are applying from a school or college which is not registered to manage applications, you will still use the Apply system. You will not need a buzzword.

Apply through UCAS

Apply through an agent

International students often apply to us through an agent. Have a look at our recommended agents and get in touch with them.

Visit our International pages