Modern Languages (French and Spanish)
Entry requirements
A level
Overall: BBB Required subjects: Grade B in French and Spanish. Applicants with predicated grades ABC with AB in required subjects, or BBC with B grades in the required subjects will be considered. Applicants with one of these languages at the required grade at A level can be considered if they would like to study the second language ab initio. Ab initio study will involve additional contact hours and intensive study during the first year of the programme. Applicants taking an A level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass the practical element. We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers.
Access to HE Diploma
Overall: QAA recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits overall including 27 at Distinction and 18 at Merit. Required subjects: Please contact us to discuss suitability.
Extended Project
Applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) will receive our standard A level offer, plus an alternate offer of one A level grade lower, subject to achieving an A grade in the EPQ. The one grade reduction will not apply to any required subjects.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English Language at Grade C(4) and Mathematics at Grade C (4) (or equivalent).
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Overall: 32 Required subjects: HL5/SL6 in French and Spanish. Applicants with one of these languages at the required grade can be considered if they would like to study the second language ab initio. Ab initio study will involve additional contact hours and intensive study during the first year of the programme. GCSE or Equivalent: English, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths Studies, SL4.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Overall: DDM Required subjects: Please contact us to discuss suitability.
Scottish Advanced Higher
Overall: BBB Required subjects: Grade B in French and Spanish. Applicants with one of these languages at the required grade can be considered if they would like to study the second language ab initio. Ab initio study will involve additional contact hours and intensive study during the first year of the programme. GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C Maths: Scottish National 5 - C
Scottish Higher
Overall: ABBBB Required subjects: French and Spanish. Applicants with one of these languages at the required grade can be considered if they would like to study the second language ab initio. Ab initio study will involve additional contact hours and intensive study during the first year of the programme. GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C Maths: Scottish National 5 - C
Overall: Pass overall with BBB from a combination of the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate and two A levels. Alternatively, ABC with A in one of the languages. BBC with B in both languages may also be considered. Applicants taking an A level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass the practical element. Required subjects: A level grade B in French and Spanish. Applicants with one of these languages at the required grade can be considered if they would like to study the second language ab initio. Ab initio study will involve additional contact hours and intensive study during the first year of the programme. We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
**Why choose this course**
Our flexible BA (Hons) Modern Languages (French and Spanish) course focuses on training you to be a world-class language expert.
You will need an A-level or equivalent in at least one of the languages, but you can take one of them ab initio. You will study both French and Spanish to a high level, be taught in and gain near-native fluency in both languages and develop your understanding of how languages work. You’ll have the opportunity to focus more on one language in the final year.
We’re one of the UK’s leading universities for modern languages, our courses were ranked 4th by the Guardian University Guide 2023 and top 10 by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 for French and for Iberian languages. We are ranked 5th in the UK for Iberian Languages by the Complete University Guide 2023. We are ranked top 10 in Iberian studies and French studies in the National Student Survey 2022.
Our award-winning Professional Training Placements scheme prepares students for roles in industry. We were shortlisted for University of the Year in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.
**What you will study**
Our BA (Hons) Modern Languages (French and Spanish) course will improve your practical language skills and allow you to gain a strong understanding of how languages work.
You’ll have the opportunity to take translation modules in each year of your course. You’ll also learn about the cultures and societies of the countries where your chosen languages are spoken in interactive modules taught in the target language.
The course includes a Professional Training placement abroad, giving you the choice between work, study, or a combination of the two.
Modules
To see the full range of modules for this course please visit our website – the link is under the Course contact details. You will also find full details of the programme, including programme structure, assessment methods, contact hours and Graduate prospects.
Extra funding
The University of Surrey offers a range of scholarships and bursaries to support our students, please visit https://www.surrey.ac.uk/fees-and-funding/scholarships-and-bursaries for more details.
The Uni
Stag Hill
FASS - School of Literature and 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?
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Iberian studies
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
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.
£38k
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.
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.
£38k
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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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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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?
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