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Chinese Studies and Linguistics

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,B

A level Chinese, or if this is to be studied from beginners’ level, AS grade B or A level grade B in another foreign language, or GCSE grade A or 7 in a foreign language. Native Mandarin speakers will not be accepted onto this scheme.

Access to HE Diploma

D:36,M:9

in a relevant subject with 36 Level 3 credits at Distinction and 9 Level 3 credits at Merit, alongside appropriate evidence of language ability

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

35

with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects including 6 in a HL Literature subject, and appropriate evidence of language ability

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDD

accepted alongside appropriate evidence of language ability

UCAS Tariff

136

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

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time with time abroad | 2024

Subjects

Linguistics

Chinese studies

This four-year combined degree is provided by our renowned Department of Languages and Cultures and the highly-ranked Department of Linguistics and English Language. The international placement year gives you the unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the language and culture. You don’t need to have studied Chinese before as we offer an Intensive course for beginners.

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.

In Chinese Studies, we aim to help you become truly fluent. Taking Linguistics in tandem with Chinese Studies will give you increased awareness of the grammar of the language, and allow you to really understand the structure of English, Chinese, and a wide range of other languages from around the world.

The first year comprises an exploration of the Chinese language and its cultural context, as well as a core module in Linguistics. Alongside this, students can choose a minor subject.

Building on your language skills in Year 2, you will study the culture, politics and history of the Chinese-speaking world in more depth in the module, Shaping Chinese Society: Moments and Movements, as well as selecting a module, which is international in scope and promotes comparative understanding at a global level, such as Understanding Cultures. You will combine these with core Linguistics modules, such as Structures of the World's Languages, and choose from a range of linguistics option modules.

Your third year - the International Placement Year - will deepen your intercultural sensitivity and your command of the language. You can study at a partner institution or carry out a work placement and practise your language skills in a real-world context. Staff members within the department will work with you to ensure that you are fully prepared before embarking on your placement in a Chinese-speaking country.

In your final year, you will consolidate your Chinese language skills, and study specialist culture and comparative modules, such as Sinophone Literature and Film, Mirrors across the Media, or Translation as a Cultural Practice. You will also choose from modules such as Psycholinguistics or Linguistic Theory. You could choose to complete a dissertation on a topic you would like to explore in depth, which provides the opportunity to combine your interests in both subjects. Given the range of expertise available, our academics will be able to supervise most topics that fit your interests.

**Beginners Languages**
Studying a language from beginners level is somewhat intense in nature so we only allow students to study one language from beginners level. Please bear this in mind when looking at our first year module options. If you apply to study a degree with a language from beginners level, your optional modules will only include higher level languages and modules in other subject areas.

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.

87%
Linguistics

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.

Linguistics

Teaching and learning

89%
Staff make the subject interesting
96%
Staff are good at explaining things
80%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
75%
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

81%
Library resources
98%
IT resources
96%
Course specific equipment and facilities
76%
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?

78%
UK students
22%
International students
23%
Male students
77%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
4%
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.

Linguistics

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.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
99%
high
Employed or in further education
51%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

24%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
14%
Teaching and educational professionals
10%
Childcare and related personal services

This is not a particularly common subject at first degree level and most of the degrees that fall in this category are offered by the University of Durham. If you fancy one of these broad degrees, it is probably best to speak directly to tutors to find out what your options on your degree might be and what they can lead to,

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.

Linguistics

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£17k

£17k

£23k

£23k

£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...

Lower entry requirements
University of Westminster, London | City of Westminster
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BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time with time abroad 2024
UCAS Points: 104-120
Higher entry requirements
SOAS University of London | Camden
Chinese and Linguistics
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time with time abroad 2024
UCAS Points: 128-147
Nearby University
University of Manchester | Manchester
Linguistics and Chinese
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time with time abroad 2024
UCAS Points: 128
Same University
Lancaster University | Lancaster
French Studies and Linguistics
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time with time abroad 2024
UCAS Points: 136

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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:

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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here