Modern Languages and Cultures (with Year Abroad)
Durham University
UCAS Code: R002 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
General information on subjects/grades required for entry: At least one language at A Level.Grade A at A level in French, German, Italian, Russian or Spanish is required to study that subject at advanced level. Grade A at A level in a modern European language is required to begin the study of a new beginners’ language, including Arabic Specific subjects excluded for entry: General Studies and Critical Thinking. Information: Applicants taking Science A-levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This refers only to English A Levels.
Access to HE Diploma
We require 60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3 (or equivalent). Applicants may be required to meet additional subject-specific requirements for particular courses at Durham. French, German, Italian, Russian or Spanish is required to study that subject at advanced level. A modern European language is required to begin the study of a new beginners’ language, including Arabic
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
French, German, Italian, Russian or Spanish is required to study that subject at advanced level. A modern European language is required to begin the study of a new beginners’ language, including Arabic
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
General information on subjects/grades required for entry: Eighteen points (6, 6, 6) in Higher Level subjects including Higher Level 6 in a language French, German, Italian, Russian or Spanish is required to study that subject at advanced level. A modern European language is required to begin the study of a new beginners’ language, including Arabic
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
French, German, Italian, Russian or Spanish is required to study that subject at advanced level. A modern European language is required to begin the study of a new beginners’ language, including Arabic
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
To include a Distinction in French, German, Italian, Russian or Spanish is required to study that subject at advanced level. Distinction in a modern European language is required to begin the study of a new beginners’ language, including Arabic
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
To include a Distinction in French, German, Italian, Russian or Spanish is required to study that subject at advanced level. Distinction in a modern European language is required to begin the study of a new beginners’ language, including Arabic
Scottish Advanced Higher
Grade A at Advanced Higher in French, German, Italian, Russian or Spanish is required to study that subject at advanced level. Grade A at Advanced Higher in a modern European language is required to begin the study of a new beginners’ language, including Arabic
Scottish Higher
Departments will normally make offers based on Advanced Highers. In the absence of 3 Advanced Highers, where these are not offered by the applicant’s school, offers comprising of Advanced Highers and Highers or a number of Highers may be made on a case by case basis.
At Durham we welcome applications from students of outstanding achievement and potential from all educational backgrounds. We will consider applicants studying T level qualifications for entry to many of our courses. Where a course requires subject specific knowledge and this is not covered within the T level being studied, you may need to supplement your T level studies with a suitable qualification to meet this requirement, for example at A level. Where this is needed this will be clearly stated in our entry requirements. Detailed entry requirements can be found on individual course entries on our courses database.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
This BA offers you the opportunity to combine the development of high-level language skills with in-depth critical engagement with other cultures through studying literature, art, film, history and politics.
If you already have an A level (or equivalent) in French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish, we offer advanced courses in those languages. You will also have the choice to study beginner courses in the above languages or Arabic. Whether you are a beginner or a post-A level student in your chosen languages, you will also study cultural modules together, and the beginner and advanced streams fully merge in the final year.
In Year 1 you can study up to three languages, focusing on the key skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. You will also explore aspects of the literature, film, art, history and politics of the cultures you are studying.
In Year 2 you will be able to study one or two languages, building on your skills and allowing you to begin to specialise in areas that interest you.
You will then spend Year 3 abroad, either as an English assistant in a school or university, as a student or on a work placement. You will divide your time between countries whose languages you will study in your final year. This is a time of enormous linguistic and personal development, when you should gain fluency in your language and enjoy a unique opportunity to make new friends, appreciate other cultures and learn to work and study in new ways. You can also apply to add a placement year to your degree, increasing the course from four years to five.
In Year 4 you will develop your advanced skills in one or two chosen languages. You will also continue your cultural studies, focusing on your areas of interest (such as the work of a particular writer or the culture of a particular period).
Modules
Year 1
One to three core language modules:
Arabic (Beginner)
French (Beginner or Advanced)
German (Beginner or Advanced)
Hispanic Studies (Beginner or Advanced)
Italian (Beginner or Advanced)
Russian (Beginner or Advanced).
Examples of optional modules:
Introduction to Middle Eastern Cultures
Islam Observed: Ethnographic Accounts of Muslim Practice
Reading French Literature (Beginner or Advanced)
Society and its Outsiders in Modern France
The Invention of France
Picturing the Past of the German-Speaking Countries
Reading German Culture
Italy and the Arts
Understanding Russian: Arts and Ideologies.
Year 2
One or two core language modules:
Arabic (Beginner)
French (Beginner or Advanced)
German (Beginner or Advanced)
Hispanic Studies (Beginner or Advanced)
Italian (Beginner or Advanced)
Russian (Beginner or Advanced).
Examples of optional modules:
Arabic Literature
Persian
Modernity and Disenchantment: 19th and 20th Century French Literature and Culture
Sex and Identity in Germanic Cultures
Catalan (Beginners)
Latin American Texts
Narratives of Fascist and Post War Italy
The Languages of Italy
Russian and Soviet Cinema.
Year 3
The third year is spent abroad as an English assistant in a school, as a student in a university or in employment of some kind. During the year abroad you complete a summative Year Abroad assignment with guidance from Durham staff.
Year 4
You will produce an Extended Dissertation or a Dissertation depending on the number of languages studied.
One or two core language modules:
Arabic (double module)
French
German
Hispanic Studies
Italian
Russian.
Examples of optional modules:
Trends in Modern Arabic Literature and Film
French Cinema 1930s to 1990s
German Interpreting
Berlin: City of Diverse Cultures
Representing Women: Sex and Power in Colonial Latin America
Centres and Margins Across Italian Literatures and Media
Italian Cinema
The Poet and the State
The Making of the Russian Intelligentsia (1762–1917).
Assessment methods
Cultural and historical modules are assessed by essays, commentaries, projects and examinations, while language modules are assessed by a mixture of oral, listening and written examinations. You will also complete a dissertation or extended dissertation in your final year. During your year abroad you will complete a Year Abroad assignment.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Durham City
College allocation pending
Modern European Languages
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?
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After graduation
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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.
£25k
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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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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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