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Durham University

UCAS Code: T203 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

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About this course

Course option

5years

Full-time with time abroad and foundation year | 2025

Subject

Japanese studies

The Foundation Programme is designed for students from under-represented groups in higher education, who have the potential to achieve the standard for admission to Durham, but who, because of educational disadvantage or disruption, do not have the level of attainment or access to qualifications required for entry to a Durham University course. The Foundation Programme is delivered by a dedicated team of academic tutors from Durham’s Centre for Academic Development (DCAD). Each year it provides places for 100 students and supports them to progress to Level 1 study in over 33 academic subjects from every academic department in the university.

The Foundation Programme supports students to develop the skills and subject knowledge required for successful study at degree level. The content focuses on developing epistemological maturity, metacognitive skills, and independent learning, becoming increasingly specialised as the course progresses. On successful completion of the Foundation Year, students will progress to the first year of their degree T202 – Japanese Studies with year abroad. https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/courses/japanese-studies-with-year-abroad-t202/

Modules

Course Structure

The Foundation Programme provides 120 academic credits divided into modules, with 20 hours of taught content and 10 hours of tutorial or small group seminar support for every 15 credits. We also expect our students to engage in a further 100 hours of self-directed study (including assignments and tests) for every 15 credits they study. This is broadly in-line with the majority of academic departments across Durham University, although individual variation does exist between departments.

The modules of study for this course are:

• Concepts, Methods and Theories in Arts and Humanities
• Scholarship in Higher Education (Extended)
• Advanced Scholarship in Higher Education for Arts, Business and Social Sciences

Assessment methods

This programme provides high-quality teaching and learning in a supportive and productive environment which encourages self-awareness, reflective practice, and cross-discipline awareness. The course is delivered through a mixture of lectures, tutorials/workshops, and practical classes.

Typically, lectures provide key information on a particular area, and this is consolidated through tutorials and/or workshops and practical classes where appropriate, particularly for laboratory skills. The course provides up to 16 contact hours per week, but further consolidation takes place through independent study and/or voluntary workshops provided outside the course’s formal contact hours. Emphasis is placed on developing confidence and classes are generally small, to ensure individual learning needs can be met.

Students who require additional writing and academic support are normally provided with additional contact time and opportunities to take part in small group and individual tutorials.

Towards the end of the year, greater emphasis is placed on independent study, not just in preparation for classes and reading around the subjects, but also with students completing an individual project related to their progression route.

Throughout the course, all students also have access to an academic adviser who will provide them with academic support and guidance. Students will normally meet weekly with their adviser. However, in addition, academic advisors and teaching staff are normally available to meet with students by appointment.

After the initial year, you should refer to the teaching and learning information for your chosen degree subject.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

We're committed to supporting the best students irrespective of financial circumstances. https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/scholarships/

The Uni

Course location:

Durham City

Department:

Adult and Continuing Education2

Read full university profile

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.

21%
Japanese studies

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.

Asian studies

Teaching and learning

58%
Staff make the subject interesting
47%
Staff are good at explaining things
63%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
42%
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

74%
Library resources
79%
IT resources
71%
Course specific equipment and facilities
5%
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?

84%
UK students
16%
International students
52%
Male students
48%
Female students
96%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
B

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.

Asian 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.

£24,000
high
Average annual salary
92%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

21%
Business, research and administrative professionals
13%
Other elementary services occupations
13%
Teaching and educational professionals

In 2015, only 150 students graduated from the UK with degrees in Japanese, so anyone studying the subject will get a very rare qualification — so take that into consideration when drawing conclusions from the data above. This subject does seem to have a higher unemployment rate than the average, but this may be more to do with the very small number of graduates than any lack of demand for the degree. A third of graduates went to work abroad, and those working in the UK tended to be in London and in jobs in business and the media. Employers rate graduates who have more than one language, but you'll 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.

Asian 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

£31k

£31k

£40k

£40k

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
Oxford Brookes University | Oxford
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UCAS Points: 104
Same University
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Durham University | Durham
Japanese Studies (with Year Abroad)
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time with time abroad and foundation year 2025
UCAS Points: 136-160
Higher entry requirements
place
University of Oxford | Oxford
Japanese
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time with time abroad and foundation year 2025
UCAS Points: 112-165
Nearby University
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Chinese or Japanese Studies
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time with time abroad and foundation year 2025
UCAS Points: 128-147

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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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:

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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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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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