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International Relations and Spanish

Entry requirements


A level

B,C,C-B,B,C

Pass Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 106 UCAS Tariff points

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

DMM

104-112 UCAS tariff points from up to four SQA Highers or Advanced Highers and to include minimum Grade C in Advanced Higher Spanish

T Level

M

T Levels - We welcome applications from students undertaking T Level qualifications. Eligible applicants will be asked to achieve a minimum overall grade of Merit as a condition of offer.

UCAS Tariff

104-112

A level Spanish at Grade B or above, or accepted equivalent, is required for all applicants. Applicants without A level Spanish should contact the University to discuss options.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time with time abroad | 2024

Subjects

Spanish studies

International relations

This course gives you the opportunity to study international relations in combination with Spanish.

**International Relations**

An international relations degree will help you to gain appreciation of how states, international organisations, and non-state actors interact on the global stage. This course is about using theories and models to best explain and understand power in the world, why the world is the way it is, and how we can change it. This takes place at all levels, from individuals to whole global systems, and understanding this allows us to question what we think we know, what we think matters, and how we can develop a better world. Supported by knowledgeable and passionate staff, you’ll start by looking at the core critical and emancipatory theories of International Relations and their underlying methods.

**Spanish**

Proficiency in modern languages could help you to gain a competitive edge in the global jobs market. In both the private and public sectors there is demand for professionals with strong language skills who can work in culturally diverse environments.

Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages around the world both in terms of the numbers of speakers, and the global geographical spread. On this degree you will be absorbed into the everyday use of foreign languages as our multi-cultural community includes academics from all over the world, British, exchange and international students, and foreign language assistants.

Our department is home to a wealth of research expertise and that expertise is transferred directly into the classroom. With extensive experience in both private and public sector roles, our Languages team offer a range of expertise in working across disciplines such as professional interpreting and translating, language teaching, and global consultancy. With such strong local, national, and global links. Our languages team are continuously recognised in the field for their innovation. Initiatives include the globally recognised FLAME project integrating film, language, and media in education. With this expertise here for you to draw on, your learning is not only relevant, but it's also cutting edge, and our strong local, national and global links will help you to enhance your study and future employment opportunities.

Our Spanish studies students are required to spend a year abroad in Spain. The experience of being immersed in another culture for several months is one our students find both beneficial and rewarding. They return having made new friends, experienced new places and having grown in confidence.*

This course has a foundation year available.

*Period of residence abroad will take place in a Spanish-speaking country and will be subject to any international travel restrictions and/or availability.

**Features and Benefits**

- Enhance your employability through internships and volunteering - our award-winning ‘Rise at Manchester Met’ programme encourages you to learn career-ready skills beyond the focus of your course and potentially gain extra academic credits towards your degree.

- We coach practical skills for work for your future employment opportunities.

- Our 30+ academic, research and support staff are native speakers of French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese.

- You will have access to the Language Resource Centre, providing a range of language learning software and study spaces to practise and interact with languages students from across the programme.

- You will have the opportunity to spend your third year studying overseas or on placement.

- Flexibility and choice is central to International Relations with a variety of option units available, from human rights protection and global terrorism, to Brexit and climate change.

- International relations staff are research-active and have expertise in areas including critical international relations, digital politics and US foreign policy.

The Uni


Course location:

Manchester Metropolitan University

Department:

Languages, Information and Communications

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.

75%
Spanish studies
75%
International relations

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.

Iberian studies

Teaching and learning

75%
Staff make the subject interesting
96%
Staff are good at explaining things
62%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
74%
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

93%
Library resources
97%
IT resources
87%
Course specific equipment and facilities
63%
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?

95%
UK students
5%
International students
40%
Male students
60%
Female students
68%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
D

Politics

Teaching and learning

86%
Staff make the subject interesting
87%
Staff are good at explaining things
76%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
71%
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

79%
Library resources
90%
IT resources
85%
Course specific equipment and facilities
69%
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?

93%
UK students
7%
International students
47%
Male students
53%
Female students
90%
2:1 or above
8%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
C

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.

Iberian 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.

£17,000
low
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

14%
Other elementary services occupations
12%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
12%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

It's often said there's a shortage of modern language graduates, and graduates from Spanish courses have a lot of options available to them when they complete their courses. In 2015, nearly 1300 UK graduates got degrees in Spanish and the subject is seeing its popularity increase. About one in five got jobs overseas — often as English teachers. If you want to put your degree to work in the UK, teacher training is a common option, and businesses see Spanish-speaking countries as important markets, leading to graduate opportunities in marketing, human resources, sales and project management. 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.

Politics

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.

£16,500
low
Average annual salary
93%
low
Employed or in further education
30%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

23%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
11%
Other elementary services occupations
10%
Welfare and housing associate professionals

The numbers of people taking politics degrees fell sharply last year and we'll keep an eye on this one - it can't really be because of graduates getting poor outcomes as politics grads do about as well as graduates on average. Most politics or international relations graduates don't actually go into politics - although many do, as activists, fundraisers and researchers. Jobs in local and central government are also important. Other popular jobs include marketing and PR, youth and community work, finance roles, HR and academic research (you usually need a postgraduate degree to get into research). Because so many graduates get jobs in the civil service, a lot of graduates find themselves in London after graduating. Politics is a very popular postgraduate subject, and so about one in five politics graduates go on to take another course - usually a one-year Masters - after they finish their degrees.

What about your long term prospects?

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

Iberian 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.

£19k

£19k

£22k

£22k

£24k

£24k

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.

Politics

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

£19k

£19k

£24k

£24k

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...

Higher entry requirements
University of Westminster, London | City of Westminster
Spanish and International Relations
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time with time abroad 2024
UCAS Points: 104-120
Nearby University
University of Chester | Chester
International Relations and Spanish
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time with time abroad 2024
UCAS Points: 112

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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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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