Get degree ideas using our A level explorer tool

Chinese Studies and French Studies

Entry requirements


A level

A,B,B

A level Chinese and/or French. Native Mandarin or French speakers will not be accepted onto this scheme.

Access to HE Diploma

D:30,M:15

in a relevant subject with 30 Level 3 credits at Distinction and 15 Level 3 credits at Merit, alongside French and/or German at an advanced level

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects including 6 in Chinese HL and/or French HL

Considered alongside A level Chinese and/or French

UCAS Tariff

128

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

French studies

Chinese studies

This four-year joint degree combines the study of the languages and cultures of China and France, and the Sinophone and Francophone worlds. It includes a year’s international placement in Chinese- or French- speaking countries or split between the two. The degree provides the opportunity to acquire both high-level language skills and a thorough understanding of the sensitivities of Chinese and French cultures and societies within a global context.

You will learn language and culture in innovative and engaging ways. For example, students learn the Chinese language in its social and cultural context by participating in a wide range of activities through the Chinese Friendship Project. Recent activities have included a day trip to Manchester Chinatown, Chinese Food Corner, Chinese Film Night, Chinese festival celebration, and more.

Besides studying the core language modules, you will also choose from a broad range of specialist cultural, historical and political modules that provide comparative insight into relevant countries in global contexts.

In addition to language modules, in year one you will also select one module from other related subjects.

In the second year, you will continue to take Chinese and French language modules (an oral and a written module for each language), as well as the core modules 'Shaping Contemporary China' and 'Shaping Contemporary France'. You will be able to choose three optional modules.

Your third year will be spent studying or working in Chinese- and/or French-speaking countries. The year abroad is an immersive experience that gives you the opportunity to greatly improve your language proficiency while deepening your intercultural awareness. You can study at a partner academic institution or conduct a work placement. As a joint major student, you can spend your time in a French- or Chinese-speaking country, or split the year between the two.

When you return to Lancaster for your final year, you will continue to develop your core Chinese and French language oral and written skills, combining this with a further choice of specialist courses. If you are interested in exploring a particular topic in depth, perhaps a subject you have studied previously in the course, you could take a dissertation module.

The language modules are designed so that you can attain CEFR levels C1-C2 (equivalent to HSK5-6) upon successful completion of the degree.

The optional modules offered will vary from year to year depending on availability and areas of expertise of staff.

The Uni


Course location:

Lancaster University

Department:

Languages and Cultures

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.

69%
French 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.

French studies

Teaching and learning

69%
Staff make the subject interesting
82%
Staff are good at explaining things
55%
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

77%
Library resources
88%
IT resources
93%
Course specific equipment and facilities
49%
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?

91%
UK students
9%
International students
17%
Male students
83%
Female students
99%
2:1 or above
3%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

Asian studies

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

94%
UK students
6%
International students
25%
Male students
75%
Female students
99%
2:1 or above
3%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
C
A

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.

£20,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

21%
Teaching and educational professionals
17%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
13%
Business, research and administrative professionals

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.

£20,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

22%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
13%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
11%
Teaching and educational professionals

China plays an important role in world economics and politics, and business can be very interested in graduates with good Chinese language skills. In 2015, just over 180 degrees were awarded in this subject to UK graduates, so it is still an unusual and specialist degree to take - take that into consideration before drawing definitive conclusions from the data. About one in five graduates went on to further study (mostly at Masters level) and of those who were working, a quarter went to work abroad. Most of the rest were working in the UK after six months, mainly in London. But remember — whilst employers say they rate graduates who have more than one language, you need to have them as part of a whole package of good skills, even if that language is rare and valuable to business.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

French 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

£20k

£26k

£26k

£27k

£27k

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.

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.

£20k

£20k

£26k

£26k

£27k

£27k

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...

Share this page

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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