Modern Languages BA Honours
Newcastle University Undergraduate programs
Key Information
Campus location
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 21,000 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Request info
* international students; GBP 9,250 - home students
Introduction
Master up to three languages on our highly flexible Modern Languages degree course and prepare yourself for a career as an engaged, global citizen.
This four-year Modern Languages BA Honours degree immerses you in the study of foreign culture and society. Focusing on the development of your language skills in your chosen languages, you'll graduate with an appreciation for other cultures and multilingual skills sought by employers.
You can choose to study up to three languages from a choice of:
- Chinese
- French
- German
- Japanese
- Portuguese
- Spanish
Through our multidisciplinary approach to teaching, you'll gain an in-depth insight into how culture, cinema, history, politics and society shape the countries where your chosen languages are spoken. You will have the knowledge and understanding you need to engage with people in their native language.
You'll become a confident multilinguist, ready to embark on your career journey as a global citizen.
Year abroad
This Modern Languages degree includes a compulsory year abroad.
Students studying a European language can:
- study at one of our partner universities
- undertake a work or voluntary placement
- undertake a combination of both (ensuring they do not overlap)
You usually divide the year between the countries relating to your chosen languages, although it may be possible to spend the entire year in one country.
If you are studying three languages we encourage you to spend some time during the summer vacation in the country of your third language.
If you're studying Chinese or Japanese, you'll spend the year studying at one of our partner universities in China or Japan.
Support for year abroad
You will receive lots of help to prepare for your year abroad, including:
- briefings covering practicalities like insurance, visas and student safety
- support in finding a work placement
- a Tandem Learning Scheme, to practise conversation in your foreign language and make in-country contacts, before you travel
- a training course for language assistants
There are also events in your second year where you can meet students who have already done their year abroad, students from our partner universities in Europe, and Chinese and Japanese exchange students from our host universities in East Asia.
You'll be in contact with our Year Abroad team during your time abroad and communicate with your personal tutor. You'll also write blog posts, reflecting on your linguistic, personal and professional development.
Rankings
- 7th in the UK – The Complete University Guide 2023 (French category)
- 10th in the UK – The Complete University Guide 2023 (German category)
- 4th in the UK – The Complete University Guide 2023 (Asian Studies category)
- 19th in the UK – The Complete University Guide 2023 (Iberian Languages category)
- Global Top 125 University - QS World University Rankings 2023
- Top 135 for Arts and Humanities - QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022
- Top 200 for Modern Languages - QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022
- 65% increase in research power since 2014 – Research Excellence Framework 2021
- 42% of our research is classified as 4* world-leading research – Research Excellence Framework 2021
- 13th in the UK – Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 (French category)
- 10th in the UK – Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 (Iberian Languages category)
- 8th in the UK – Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 (German category)
- 1st in the UK and 8th in the world for sustainable development – Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2022
- Top 150 for Arts and Humanities – Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2022
- Global Top 140 University - Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023
Curriculum
Stage 1
You will build on your current language skills, by studying up to three languages.
Alongside your language studies, you'll have a range of optional modules. These modules will allow you to explore the history and cultures of the countries where your languages are spoken.
Optional Modules
- Introduction to Chinese Culture 20
- Level A (HE Entry Level) Chinese I 20
- Level A (HE Entry Level) Chinese II 20
- Level B (HE Intermediate) Chinese 40
- La France de 1789 à nos jours 20
- Level A (HE Entry Level) French I 20
- Level A (HE Entry Level) French II 20
- Level B (HE Intermediate) French 20
- Deutschland zwischen 1871 und 1945 20
- Level A (HE Entry Level) German I 20
- Level A (HE Entry Level) German II 20
- Level B (HE Intermediate) German 20
- Introduction to Japanese History and Culture 20
- Level A (HE Entry Level) Japanese I 20
- Level A (HE Entry Level) Japanese II 20
- Level B (HE Intermediate) Japanese 40
- Introducción a América Latina 20
- Level A (HE Entry Level) Portuguese I 20
- Level A (HE Entry Level) Portuguese II 20
- Introduction to Literature 20
- Introduction to Linguistics 20
- Introduction to International Film 20
- Introduction to Cultural Studies 20
- Introduction to History, Culture and Society of the Iberian Peninsula 20
- Level A (HE Entry Level) Spanish I 20
- Level A (HE Entry Level) Spanish II 20
- Level B (HE Intermediate) Spanish 20
Stage 2
In Stage 2, you take an advanced study of your chosen languages.
This is complemented by a wide range of cultural modules. You can explore a range of subjects such as Contemporary Japanese Popular Culture or Classic French Cinema.
You will also have the opportunity to study beginners’ modules in:
- Catalan or Italian if you study Spanish
- Catalan or Italian if you study French
- Dutch if you study German
Optional Modules
- Contemporary Chinese Society: Issues and Challenges 20
- Level B (HE Intermediate) Chinese 40
- Level C (HE Advanced) Chinese 40
- La France de 1789 à nos jours 20
- Level B (HE Intermediate) French 20
- Paris: Aspects of History and Culture 20
- Explorations of the Self in Contemporary French & Francophone Writing and Visual Culture 20
- French for Business 20
- Linguistic Variation in French 20
- French Caribbean Literature 20
- Level C (HE Advanced) French 20
- Deutschland zwischen 1871 und 1945 20
- Level B (HE Intermediate) German 20
- Berlin: culture, literature and film from the Weimar Republic to the Berlin Republic 20
- M for Murder: Crime, Law and Justice in Modern German Literature and Film 20
- Beginners' Dutch 20
- Level C (HE Advanced) German 20
- Contemporary Japanese Popular Culture 20
- Level B (HE Intermediate) Japanese 40
- Level C (HE Advanced) Japanese 40
- Introducción a América Latina 20
- Cultura y poder en América latina: debates desde la antropología 20
- Comparative History of Hispano-America and Brazil: from Independence to the Mexican Revolution (1789/1810-1917) 20
- Envisioning Identities in Latin American Film 20
- Cultures and Societies of the Portuguese-Speaking World 20
- Level B (HE Intermediate) Portuguese 20
- Introduction to Literature 20
- Introduction to Linguistics 20
- Introduction to International Film 20
- Introduction to Cultural Studies 20
- Cities in East Asian Cinema: Culture, History and Identity 20
- An Introduction to Italian language and culture 20
- Reading in Translation 20
- Introduction to Korean 20
- Introduction to History, Culture and Society of the Iberian Peninsula 20
- Level B (HE Intermediate) Spanish 20
- Spanish linguistics II: variation and change 20
- Introduction to Catalan 20
- Representaciones de Revolución, Dictadura y Democracia en España y América Latina 20
- Language Diversity in Spain 20
- Food, Football and Fiction: Constructing Catalan Cultural Identity 20
- Level C (HE Advanced) Spanish 20
Stage 3
You will spend Stage 3 working or studying abroad. This year abroad exposes you to the life and cultures of the countries you're studying, further developing your language skills.
Compulsory Modules
- Year Abroad Tutor Posts (100 credits)
Optional Modules
- Study Abroad (20 credits)
- Year Abroad Work Placement Report (Semester 1) (20 credits)
- Year Abroad Work Placement Report (Semester 2) (20 credits)
- Year Abroad Project (Semester 1) (20 credits)
- Year Abroad Project (Semester 2) (20 credits)
Stage 4
In Stage 4, your language studies build on the levels you have developed during your year abroad and include advanced writing skills, translation, and interpreting.
You also have further optional modules to explore the cultures and histories of the countries where your chosen languages are spoken.
Optional Modules
- Contemporary Chinese Society: Issues and Challenges 20
- China and its Peripheries: Repression, (In)stability and Conflict in the 21st Century 20
- Level C (HE Advanced) Chinese 40
- Historical and Cultural Interpretations of China through classics and newspaper reading 20
- Level D (HE Further Advanced) Chinese 40
- Paris: Aspects of History and Culture 20
- Explorations of the Self in Contemporary French & Francophone Writing and Visual Culture 20
- French for Business 20
- Linguistic Variation in French 20
- French Caribbean Literature 20
- Level C (HE Advanced) French 20
- Occupation and Resistance: Literary and Cinematic Responses to the Second World War in France 20
- Contemporary French Cinema 20
- Images d'Algerie 20
- Explorations of the Self in Contemporary French & Francophone Writing and Visual Culture 20
- Level D (HE Further Advanced) French: Advanced Writing Skills 10
- Level D (HE Further Advanced) French: Language for Professional & Academic Purposes 10
- Level D (HE Further Advanced) French: Translation & Interpreting 10
- Berlin: culture, literature and film from the Weimar Republic to the Berlin Republic 20
- M for Murder: Crime, Law and Justice in Modern German Literature and Film 20
- Level C (HE Advanced) German 20
- Intermediate Dutch 20
- German Representations of the Holocaust 20
- A Comparative History of German and English: phonology, morphology, syntax and lexicon. 20
- The Future: Between Utopia and Dystopia 20
- Level D (HE Further Advanced) German: Advanced Writing Skills 10
- Level D (HE Further Advanced) German: Language for Professional & Academic Purposes 10
- Level D (HE Further Advanced) German: Translation & Interpreting 10
- Contemporary Japanese Popular Culture 20
- Contemporary Japanese Animation 20
- Literary and cultural expressions in contemporary Japan 20
- Level C (HE Advanced) Japanese 40
- Level D (Further Advanced) Japanese 40
- Cultura y poder en América latina: debates desde la antropología 20
- Comparative History of Hispano-America and Brazil: from Independence to the Mexican Revolution (1789/1810-1917) 20
- Envisioning Identities in Latin American Film 20
- Multilingualism and Society in Latin America 20
- Latin American Art and Theory 20
- Cultura y Política en Colombia 20
- Translation for Singing 20
- Identidades Pós-Coloniais no Cinema e na Literatura Luso-Afro-Brasileira Contemporanea 20
- Level C (HE Advanced) Portuguese 20
- Cities in East Asian Cinema: Culture, History and Identity 20
- Reading in Translation 20
- Advocating and Teaching Languages in Schools 20
- Intermediate Italian 20
- Dissertation 20
- Spanish linguistics II: variation and change 20
- Representaciones de Revolución, Dictadura y Democracia en España y América Latina 20
- Language Diversity in Spain 20
- Food, Football and Fiction: Constructing Catalan Cultural Identity 20
- Level C (HE Advanced) Spanish 20
- Intermediate Catalan 20
- Cultura Popular en España y Cuba 20
- Spanish linguistics III: sound change and morphological change 20
- Youth Cultures in Spain, Portugal & Latin America 20
- Level D (HE Further Advanced) Spanish: Advanced Writing Skills 10
- Level D (HE Further Advanced) Spanish: Language for Professional & Academic Purposes 10
- Level D (HE Further Advanced) Spanish: Translation & Interpreting 10
Student Testimonials
Career Opportunities
Ability in languages is highly regarded by employers across all sectors, including industry and business. Employers value the linguistic skills and cultural awareness of graduates.
With ever more European and international connections, language skills are important and give you a real advantage in applying for a wide range of graduate jobs.
For some graduates teaching is a popular career choice, undertaking primary and secondary Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) or teaching English abroad. Others go into jobs where their language skills are desirable, such as the media, sales, e-commerce, and areas of finance.
Admissions
Gallery
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the university website for more information.
Program Tuition Fee
Program delivery
The majority of language modules are taught by native speakers. You also work in language laboratories and undertake self-study in our award-winning Language Resource Centre.