International Relations and French
UCAS Code: LR2C
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
BBC: Standard offer // BCC: If the student is also presenting either Core Maths or Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) grade B // CCC: Contextual offer (Please see this webpage for more details - https ://www2aston.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/contextuaIoffer) // This course is available at Beginners' level (ab-initio). This means that students do not need to have an A level in the featured language. Students with an A level in the featured language will be able to study the advanced version of this course.
Pass Access to HE Diploma with Merit in each module. Humanities, Social Sciences or Business Access course preferred, but other courses considered on an individual basis.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English Language and GCSE Mathematics are required at minimum grade C/4.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
5,5,4 in 3 Higher level subjects
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
DDM: standard offer // DMM: If the student is also presenting either Core Maths or Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) grade B or if the student is eligible for a Contextual offer (Please see this webpage for more details - https ://www2aston.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/contextuaIoffer) // The University also accepts the BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate/BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma and BTEC Level 3 National Diploma/BTEC Level 3 Diploma for entry onto degree programmes, provided that they are studied in combination with other qualifications that are equivalent to three full A2 Levels.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
This programme highlights the benefits of an interdisciplinary course of study. A combination of courses reflecting the current state of global affairs, with a particular European focus, allows students to maximize their understanding of political institutional arrangements and practices while honing their chosen language skills while focusing on topics of contemporary social and political interest. Students will begin their course of study acquiring a sound knowledge of domestic and international politics. Upon completion students will have a sound understanding of the nature of global and European and domestic political institutions, which, when combined with the year abroad component of this degree program, will set them on a strong career path further developing the language and critical thinking skills acquired during their four years at Aston University.
**Turn your talent for languages into serious future employment prospects.**
Acquire near-native linguistic fluency and the high-level political, social and cultural insights that make Aston’s students stand out.
Spend a year abroad on a study, or work placement and return equipped with the experience, resilience and emotional intelligence needed to flourish in the world of work.
Whether you are coming to us post-A-level or picking up a new language from beginner’s (or ab initio) level, a BSc joint honours degree in Modern Languages at Aston offers something quite different:
- A GOLD standard ranking in the Teaching Excellence Framework;
- World-leading academics with cutting-edge research and teaching experience on French, German, Spanish and Mandarin-speaking regions of the world (from Beijing to Brussels to Berlin to Bogotá);
- Teaching almost exclusively in your chosen language(s) to work quickly towards the kind of fluency and adaptability that employers value;
- Innovative assessment techniques tasks based on real-world professional scenarios;
- A small and friendly department where you’ll be at the heart of a supportive academic community.
**What jobs can I get with a languages degree?**
Our recent graduates are often our best ambassadors, with former Aston students now working at companies such as Bloomberg LP, Deutsche Bank and Apple, as well as for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and in schools, colleges and universities across the UK and overseas.
**Key benefits of the Aston Modern Languages Joint Honours BSc:**
- Modern Languages at Aston are ranked 5th for Teaching Satisfaction (Guardian, 2020)
- Comparing our students’ entry grades (A Levels/BTECS/IB etc) with their final degree shows the quality of our teaching: We’re ranked 1st in the UK by this measure (Guardian, 2020)
- 84% of Aston students achieve first or 2:1 degrees, ranking us 20th in the UK (CUG, 2020)
- Employed Aston languages graduates are ranked 12th in the UK for earnings one year after graduation (Longitudinal Educational Outcomes, 2018).
Modules
Please visit our website for module information: https://www2.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/international-relations-and-languages-bsc
Assessment methods
You will take part in interactive seminars, presentations and group work as well as attending lectures and tutorials. There are also opportunities for individual research and guided study. We teach our courses in French/German/Spanish, which means that our students are at a real advantage when it comes to gaining maximum benefit and experience from the year abroad.
You will be allocated a Personal Tutor when you join us and you will be encouraged to make regular contact with them throughout your studies. Personal Tutors are there to help discuss academic and, in some cases, personal issues. Personal Tutors can also often offer support by writing references for placement/graduate employment and academic research.
Assessment is through a combination of written and oral exams, coursework, essays, translation tasks, presentations and an extended dissertation during your Final Year. Exams take place in January and May/June.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Aston University, Birmingham
School of Social Sciences and Humanities
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction 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.
French 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)
Politics
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.
French 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
Politics
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
The numbers of people taking politics degrees fell sharply last year and we'll keep an eye on this one - it can't really be because of graduates getting poor outcomes as politics grads do about as well as graduates on average. Most politics or international relations graduates don't actually go into politics - although many do, as activists, fundraisers and researchers. Jobs in local and central government are also important. Other popular jobs include marketing and PR, youth and community work, finance roles, HR and academic research (you usually need a postgraduate degree to get into research). Because so many graduates get jobs in the civil service, a lot of graduates find themselves in London after graduating. Politics is a very popular postgraduate subject, and so about one in five politics graduates go on to take another course - usually a one-year Masters - after they finish their degrees.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Languages 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
£26k
£31k
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.
Politics
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£22k
£26k
£31k
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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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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