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Modern Languages (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish)

Entry requirements


A level

C,C,C-A,B,B

We welcome applications from students on Access to Higher Education Diplomas.

UCAS Tariff

96-128

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About this course


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

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

4 years | Part-time | 2024

Subject

Modern languages

Would you love to develop your understanding of the cultures and values that lie at the heart of different countries and become a highly proficient linguist in the process?

Our BA Modern Languages gives you the opportunity to specialise in one or two languages from a choice of French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish.

If you choose to study one language, you will normally enter with at least AS- or A-level (or equivalent) in that language (except Japanese, which allows beginner-level entry), and your eventual degree title will be one of the following to reflect this specialisation*: 

- BA French Studies  

- BA German Studies 

- BA Japanese Studies  

- BA Spanish and Latin American Studies 

If you decide to take two languages, you can study one from beginners’ level and the other one from A-level or equivalent level, which will allow you to raise your language skills to near-native standard in at least one of the two languages. Your eventual degree title will name both languages, for example, BA French and Spanish.

Whichever language or languages you choose, you will develop your cultural understanding through modules exploring literature, film, popular culture, visual art or linguistics. Cross-cultural modules will also allow you to analyse comparative themes across a variety of linguistic and cultural contexts.

At the same time, you will also master transferable skills such as summary and essay writing, oral presentations and written reports, critical and logical thinking, and translating.

If you choose the four-year full-time BA Modern Languages with International Experience (**https://digital.ucas.com/coursedisplay/courses/1b967cd0-e61d-451c-ad04-057714d25a28?academicYearId=2023**) you will normally spend your third year abroad at a partner institution to allow you to develop your language skills and knowledge of the culture further. 

If you opt for the Foundation Year route (**https://digital.ucas.com/coursedisplay/courses/d2708945-2037-42a7-aa6c-455e03c3c5bf?academicYearId=2023&courseOptionId=d3735c28-4886-45d5-a995-f9dcd4da12e4**), 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. 

*Please note that Italian can currently only be taken together with another language, not on its own. 

**Highlights**

- You will be taught by specialists from a centre of teaching and research excellence that prides itself on research-led teaching in French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish, making it an outstanding multidisciplinary department.

- Ours is a community of scholars with shared interests in interdisciplinary topics and cross-cultural research. Our affiliated research centres, the Centre for French, Francophone and Comparative Studies (CFFCS) and the Centre for Iberian and Latin American Visual Studies (CILAVS), provide an important platform for this exchange.

- All teaching takes place in our central London location in Bloomsbury, a stone’s throw from research libraries and all the cultural richness that London has to offer by way of theatre, museums and galleries.

- You could be studying in a building that was once home to Virginia Woolf and frequented by members of the Bloomsbury Group. The building houses our own creative hub which includes the Peltz Gallery, the Gordon Square Cinema and a theatre and performance space.

**Careers and employability**

Graduates can pursue career paths in education, publishing, or commerce and banking. Possible professions include:

- translator

- interpreter

- secondary school teacher

- broadcast journalist

- English as a Foreign Language teacher.

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
£9,250
per year
International
£17,620
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Birkbeck, University of London

Department:

School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication

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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.

69%
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


We don't have more detailed stats to show you in relation to this subject area at this university but read about typical employment outcomes and prospects for graduates of this subject below.

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.

£18k

£18k

£25k

£25k

£32k

£32k

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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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (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.

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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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