About this course
With this BA Modern Languages degree you’ll develop advanced skills in 3 languages and learn about the societies they're rooted in. You’ll also spend a year living and working abroad, building your fluency and boosting your employment prospects.
Using our proven language development system, we’ll make sure you start at a level that matches your ability in your chosen languages. This ensures that you make rapid progress. You can also start a third language from scratch (this doesn't apply to English).
The languages offered are:
-
French
-
German
-
Spanish
-
Portuguese
-
Chinese
-
English, if you're a non-native English-speaker
You’ll have excellent resources to support you. The Centre for Language Study at the Avenue Campus has everything you need.
You’ll also have the freedom to tailor your degree to areas that interest you. You could, for instance, take modules from other subject areas, go deeper into Linguistics, or explore more about European and Latin American history and culture.
In your year abroad you can choose to:
-
work as an English assistant in a school
-
study at a university
-
take a work placement
Where you go will depend on the languages you choose. We have partner universities across Europe, but also further afield in Canada, Brazil, Mexico and China.
Course location
This course is based at Avenue.
Awarding body
This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.
Download the programme specification
The programme specification sets out the learning outcomes of this course and details how the course is taught and assessed.
Entry requirements
For Academic year 202223
A-levels
ABB including two languages
A-levels additional information
Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.
A-levels with Extended Project Qualification
If you are taking an EPQ in addition to 3 A levels, you will receive the following offer in addition to the standard A level offer:
BBB including two languages, and grade A in the EPQ
A-levels contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all applicants with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise an applicant's potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience.
Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme, as follows:
BBB including two languages
International Baccalaureate Diploma
Pass, with 32 points overall with 16 points at Higher Level, including 5 at Higher Level in two languages
International Baccalaureate contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
International Baccalaureate Career Programme (IBCP) statement
Offers will be made on the individual Diploma Course subject(s) and the career-related study qualification. The CP core will not form part of the offer. Where there is a subject pre-requisite(s), applicants will be required to study the subject(s) at Higher Level in the Diploma course subject and/or take a specified unit in the career-related study qualification. Applicants may also be asked to achieve a specific grade in those elements.
Please see the University of Southampton International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP) Statement for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
BTEC
Distinction in the BTEC Extended Diploma plus AB in two A level languages.
Distinction in the BTEC Diploma plus AB in two A level languages.
Distinction in the BTEC Subsidiary Diploma plus AB in two A level languages.
BTEC additional information
No additional information
Access to HE Diploma
60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at Level 3, of which 30 must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit, plus BB in two A level languages
Access to HE additional information
No additional information
Irish Leaving Certificate
Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2017)
H1 H2 H2 H2 H3 H3 including two languages
Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2016)
A2 A2 B1 B1 B2 B2 including two languages at B1
Irish certificate additional information
No additional information
Scottish Qualification
Offers will be based on exams being taken at the end of S6. Subjects taken and qualifications achieved in S5 will be reviewed. Careful consideration will be given to an individual’s academic achievement, taking in to account the context and circumstances of their pre-university education.
Please see the University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement (PDF) for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
Cambridge Pre-U
D3 M2 M2 in three principal subjects including two languages
Cambridge Pre-U additional information
No additional information
Welsh Baccalaureate
ABB from 3 A levels including Grades AB in two languages
or
AB from two A levels including two languages and B from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate
Welsh Baccalaureate additional information
Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Welsh Baccalaureate contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
European Baccalaureate
77% overall including grade 8 in two languages
Other requirements
GCSE requirements
Applicants must hold GCSE English language (or GCSE English) (minimum grade 4/C) and mathematics (minimum grade 4/C)
Find the equivalent international qualifications for our entry requirements.
English language requirements
If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum:
IELTS score requirements
- overall score
- 6.5
- reading
- 6.0
- writing
- 6.0
- speaking
- 6.0
- listening
- 6.0
We accept other English language tests. Find out which English language tests we accept.
You might meet our criteria in other ways if you do not have the qualifications we need. Find out more about:
-
our Access to Southampton scheme for students living permanently in the UK (including residential summer school, application support and scholarship)
-
skills you might have gained through work or other life experiences (otherwise known as recognition of prior learning)
Find out more about our Admissions Policy.
For Academic year 202122
A-levels
ABB including two languages
A-levels additional information
Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.
A-levels with Extended Project Qualification
If you are taking an EPQ in addition to 3 A levels, you will receive the following offer in addition to the standard A level offer:
BBB including two languages, and grade A in the EPQ
A-levels contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all applicants with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise an applicant's potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience.
Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme, as follows:
BBB including two languages
International Baccalaureate Diploma
Pass, with 32 points overall with 16 points at Higher Level, including 5 at Higher Level in two languages
International Baccalaureate contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
International Baccalaureate Career Programme (IBCP) statement
Offers will be made on the individual Diploma Course subject(s) and the career-related study qualification. The CP core will not form part of the offer. Where there is a subject pre-requisite(s), applicants will be required to study the subject(s) at Higher Level in the Diploma course subject and/or take a specified unit in the career-related study qualification. Applicants may also be asked to achieve a specific grade in those elements.
Please see the University of Southampton International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP) Statement for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
BTEC
Distinction in the BTEC Extended Diploma plus AB in two A level languages.
Distinction in the BTEC Diploma plus AB in two A level languages.
Distinction in the BTEC Subsidiary Diploma plus AB in two A level languages.
BTEC additional information
No additional information
Access to HE Diploma
60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at Level 3, of which 30 must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit, plus BB in two A level languages
Access to HE additional information
No additional information
Irish Leaving Certificate
Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2017)
H1 H2 H2 H2 H3 H3 including two languages
Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2016)
A2 A2 B1 B1 B2 B2 including two languages at B1
Irish certificate additional information
No additional information
Scottish Qualification
Offers will be based on exams being taken at the end of S6. Subjects taken and qualifications achieved in S5 will be reviewed. Careful consideration will be given to an individual’s academic achievement, taking in to account the context and circumstances of their pre-university education.
Please see the University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement (PDF) for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
Cambridge Pre-U
D3 M2 M2 in three principal subjects including two languages
Cambridge Pre-U additional information
No additional information
Welsh Baccalaureate
ABB from 3 A levels including Grades AB in two languages
or
AB from two A levels including two languages and B from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate
Welsh Baccalaureate additional information
Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Welsh Baccalaureate contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
European Baccalaureate
77% overall including grade 8 in two languages
Other requirements
GCSE requirements
Applicants must hold GCSE English language (or GCSE English) (minimum grade 4/C) and mathematics (minimum grade 4/C)
Find the equivalent international qualifications for our entry requirements.
English language requirements
If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum:
IELTS score requirements
- overall score
- 6.5
- reading
- 6.0
- writing
- 6.0
- speaking
- 6.0
- listening
- 6.0
We accept other English language tests. Find out which English language tests we accept.
You might meet our criteria in other ways if you do not have the qualifications we need. Find out more about:
-
our Access to Southampton scheme for students living permanently in the UK (including residential summer school, application support and scholarship)
-
skills you might have gained through work or other life experiences (otherwise known as recognition of prior learning)
Find out more about our Admissions Policy.
Got a question?
Please contact our enquiries team if you're not sure that you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.
Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000
Course structure
COVID-19: we've made some changes to the structure of the course for this academic year. Download the programme specification addendum in 'About this course' to learn more.
Each year combines compulsory modules to build your mastery of your 3 chosen languages with a wide range of options. This allows you to tailor your learning to suit your interests and ambitions.
You can also take modules from different subject areas, or learn a fourth language. If you find a subject you love, you can even make it an official part of your degree as a minor subject.
To give you the best possible start, we use our system of 7 language levels to work out your proficiency in your chosen languages. We can then make sure our teaching develops your skills as effectively as possible.
Year 1 overview
We’ll introduce you to the study skills you’ll need as a Modern Languages student and you’ll take compulsory language modules to develop your speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in your 3 chosen languages.
You’ll then be able to choose from a wide range of optional modules. Topics could include:
-
applications of linguistics
-
modern French culture
-
The history and politics of the Hispanic world
-
German history, politics and society
-
modules from other subject areas, including other languages
Year 2 overview
You’ll continue to develop your language skills in your 3 chosen languages. You'll also take a module that prepares you for your year abroad, including the research project that you’ll do while you’re away.
You’ll be able to choose from a wide range of optional modules to tailor your degree to areas that interest you. These might include:
-
psycholinguistics
-
studying language structure
-
learning about culture through ethnography
-
the EU and European identity
-
gender, race and nation in modern Latin America
-
media perspectives on Germany after 1968
-
post-war French thought
-
modules from other subject areas, including other languages
Year 3 overview
You can spend this year abroad:
-
as an English language assistant in a school
-
studying on a university course
-
on an approved work placement
You’ll also do an independent study project.
Find out more about the year abroad.
Year 4 overview
We will support you in your return to university from your year abroad and we’ll help you to talk about your experiences in a way that enhances your employability. You’ll continue to develop your written and spoken language skills and you’ll be able to choose from a range of other module options.
Module choices may include areas such as:
-
language and identity among US Latinos
-
public service interpreting
-
language teaching
-
writing in a Second Language
-
exploring multicultural Germany
-
audiovisual translation
-
modules from other subject areas, including other languages
Want more detail? See all the modules in the course.
Modules
For entry in Academic Year 2021-22
Year 1 modules
You must study the following modules in year 1:
This module is designed to ease the transition from A-level to the first year of a single or combined honours degree programme by setting out clearly what we expect of you at undergraduate level and equipping you with the resources to be able to operate a...
The aim of every language course at the University is to enable you to communicate in your target language (TL) at that particular level and in your particular area of interest. We use the word ‘communicate’ in its widest sense, meaning that you will not ...
The aim of every language course at the University is to enable you to communicate in your target language (TL) at that particular level and in your particular area of interest. We use the word ‘communicate’ in its widest sense, meaning that you will not ...
This module is intended to provide an outline for some of the main aspects of Linguistics.
You must also choose from the following modules in year 1:
This unit will introduce you to the main areas relevant to applied language studies.
This introductory course will give you an overview of the history of literary and cultural studies, and to make you aware of a range of different approaches to cultural texts.
This module will introduce you to studying questions of history, society and culture through the prism of Southampton in order that you can apply those approaches to the study of cities in the French-, Spanish- and German-speaking world.
Year 2 modules
You must study the following module in year 2:
The module will clarify the links between the Year Abroad project and modules in years two and four.
You must also choose from the following modules in year 2:
This module will introduce you to psychoanalytic theories of trauma and their relation to post-war film and literature in French. You will be asked to consider how writers and filmakers have sought to remember both national and personal traumas, and how...
This course is designed to expand and deepen students’ knowledge of the cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world, bringing together written texts, visual and conceptual art, political materials, and cinema from twentieth-century Portugal, Brazil, and Lus...
This course highlights and analyses the link between language structure and its situation of occurrence.
This module uses ethnographic approaches to understand the diversity of Latin America’s peoples and cultures. Emphasizing the emergence within Latin American anthropology of focuses on everyday life through topics such as kinship and family, ritual and re...
This module explores the French language from different perspectives in linguistics.
The unit introduces you to relevant issues of contemporary Spanish linguistics and establishes the basis for future application of linguistic principles.
The course examines major turning points in Spanish and Portuguese America from the middle nineteenth century to the present, with a focus on how these upheavals affected and reflected the politics of class, gender and race.
This course will examine high, popular and mass cultural forms in twentieth century Spain and Latin America. It will discuss notions of mass reproduction and its cultural consequences for cultural form and audience response, including the appropriation of...
This module gives students a practical understanding of the importance of the questions of immigration, race and ethnicity in France.
The first part of the course considers the position of German in the world: the importance of the geo-political position of the German-speaking countries in the centre of Europe and the status of German as an international language.
This module explores language in its social context. The main aim of this module is to introduce you to key research approaches to the study of language attitudes and ideologies and to encourage you to reflect on how attitudes and beliefs about language e...
This module will introduce you to the notion of ‘Multilingualism’, how this is understood and represented in different ways, and why it matters to you. You will explore how people become multilingual, and whether it makes a difference if multilinguals are...
This unit provides an introduction to the study of French post-war French thought and society.
This course examines three areas of psycholinguistics which help to understand what the relationship between language and the human mind might be.
This course builds on the basic concepts of phonetics introduced in the first year, with an introduction to acoustic science for the study of speech sounds.
This course will provide you with an introduction to syntax within current linguistic theory.
This unit will introduce you to key issues, concepts and methods in teaching English as a second/foreign language.
The course seeks to provide an overview of the evolution of the European Union (EU) from its early stages to the present. In so doing, it examines the ideas and history of the EU, the institutions of the EU, examples of specific issue areas and the presen...
This module takes an empirical approach to questions such as: - Are there patterns of speech and language associated with males and females in varieties of English? - What is the role of teenagers in the propagation of change in English? - After a...
This module will introduce you to German metropolitan culture and politics in the 20th century with particular reference to Vienna and Berlin, using a wide range of sources which will include literature, film and architecture.
Year 3 modules
You must study the following module in year 3:
The YEAR Abroad Research Project is a 6000 word piece of independent academic writing which you complete in the target language during your residence abroad (or during the summer between your second and final year, in case of exemption from the Year Abroa...
Year 4 modules
You must study the following module in year 4:
This module is designed to accompany you as you resume your programme of studies in Southampton and grapple with the challenges of re-entry. We will support you as you reflect upon your experience of study abroad, enable you to articulate those experience...
You must also choose from the following modules in year 4:
This unit introduces you to some key definitions and concepts before providing an overview of the main phases of immigration in France from the 1880s to the late 1940s.
This module will introduce you to the different types of audiovisual translation and the various kinds of subtitles produced nowadays. You will learn about the interaction between text and image and the technical issues and constraints involved in creatin...
The module will introduce the main theoretical ideas of language and identity alongside tracing the historical, social and linguistic background to the presence of the so-called Latinos in the US. Issues of language policies in general and those affectin...
Based on literary texts, films and visual materials from and about Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique, this course is intended to reflect the cutting edge of Lusophone cultural production and Lusophone Studies research, whi...
This module explores the rise of English as a global language focusing on the factors that have led to, and the issues that have arisen from, its dominant status. You will learn about the interrelation between globalisation, standardisation and variabilit...
This option will examine the relationship between French identity and culture since 1981 with the elections of François Mitterrand by exploring the ways in which identities of different social groups are expressed within the economic, political and cultur...
This module in French sociolinguistics aims to build on and re-evaluate your existing knowledge of the French language from a sociolinguistic perspective. The module has three major themes: language change, language variation and language identity in rela...
The turbulent history of Austrian and German Jews during the twentieth century was accompanied by the production of a diverse and influential body of German-language literature by Jewish authors. Prior to World War Two, Jews played a crucial role in the c...
This unit examines the theory and practice of language teaching and explores 'reflective practice' as a set of skills that can be applied to your future working life.
This module develops awareness of how language testing and assessment have developed in educational and wider social contexts. It focusses on both purposes and processes of language testing and assessment, and critically examines applications in policy ar...
One of the socially and culturally most significant consequences of transnational mobility is that urban populations in particular are increasingly multilingual: in global cities such as London, New York and Berlin there are speakers of hundreds of differ...
Germany has had a long tradition of immigration and is one of the most multi-cultural countries in Europe today. We will examine the impact of diverse immigration movements on recent German history and notions of German identity. This includes examining b...
This unit will allow students to undertake independent research to produce an in-depth study of a specific topic located in one of the fields within Modern Languages.
Fuelled by the sexual revolution, the women’s movement and gay activism, the late twentieth century saw a flourishing of critical interest in questions of sex, gender and desire and their relation to literature and culture. This module will develop your u...
This course will introduce you to a range of examples of Spanish American (e.g. Puerto Rican, Argentinean, and Mexican [American]) and Iberian cultural production from the period of the 1980s to the 21st century, in order to provide a sense of the variet...
This final year module builds on the theoretical grounding students gained in LING 2011 Variation and Change in English and the instrumental analysis techniques from LING 2008 Sound and Voice. In Sociophonetic Project Module, students will put the theory ...
Translation plays a major role in the exchange and circulation of practical information and culture production. This means that even if they do not enter the translation profession, in a society that is increasingly global, Modern Linguists are frequently...
The unit will take you through the process, the product and the place of writing. Process will deal primarily with modelling cognitive operations, analysis of composing strategies, and individual differences and changes in processes over time. Product wil...
Learning and assessment
The learning activities for this course include the following:
- lectures
- classes and tutorials
- coursework
- individual and group projects
- independent learning (studying on your own)
Course time
How you'll spend your course time:
Year 1
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 1:
How we'll assess you
- composition portfolios
- debates
- dissertations
- essays
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
- written and practical exams
- written exams
Your assessment breakdown
Year 1:
Year 2
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 2:
How we'll assess you
- composition portfolios
- debates
- dissertations
- essays
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
- written and practical exams
- written exams
Your assessment breakdown
Year 2:
Year 3
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 3:
How we'll assess you
- composition portfolios
- debates
- dissertations
- essays
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
- written and practical exams
- written exams
Your assessment breakdown
Year 3:
Year 4
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 4:
How we'll assess you
- composition portfolios
- debates
- dissertations
- essays
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
- written and practical exams
- written exams
Your assessment breakdown
Year 4:
Academic support
You’ll be supported by a personal academic tutor and have access to a senior tutor.
Course leader
Irina Nelson is the course leader.
Careers
As a Modern Languages graduate, you can choose from a wide variety of employment options.
These will make the most of your skills in:
-
gathering and interpreting information
-
working with and leading teams
-
understanding and adapting to different cultures
Language careers include:
-
translation
-
interpreting
-
teaching
-
marketing
-
publishing
-
international development
-
advertising, film and television
Many of our graduates go on to further study. Subjects taken include interpreting and translating, law, accountancy, management and international relations.
There are work experience opportunities to help you understand how your transferable skills apply in the workplace. The university’s Excel placement scheme offers around 150 Christmas, Easter and summer placements in a range of companies.
Careers services at Southampton
We are a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2019). Our Careers and Employability Service will support you throughout your time as a student and for up to 5 years after graduation. This support includes:
work experience schemes
CV and interview skills and workshops
networking events
careers fairs attended by top employers
a wealth of volunteering opportunities
study abroad and summer school opportunities
We have a vibrant entrepreneurship culture and our dedicated start-up supporter, Futureworlds, is open to every student.
Fees, costs and funding
Tuition fees
Fees for a year's study:
- UK students pay £9,250.
- EU and international students pay £18,520.
What your fees pay for
Your tuition fees pay for the full cost of tuition and all examinations.
Find out how to:
Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. Explore:
Bursaries, scholarships and other funding
If you're a UK or EU student and your household income is under £25,000 a year, you may be able to get a University of Southampton bursary to help with your living costs. Find out about bursaries and other funding we offer at Southampton.
If you're a care leaver or estranged from your parents, you may be able to get a specific bursary.
Get in touch for advice about student money matters.
Scholarships and grants
You may be able to get a scholarship or grant that's linked to your chosen subject area.
We award scholarships and grants for travel, academic excellence, or to students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Support during your course
The Student Services Centre offers support and advice on money to students. You may be able to access our Student Support fund and other sources of financial support during your course.
Funding for EU and international students
Find out about funding you could get as an international student.
How to apply
When you apply use:
- UCAS course code: R990
- UCAS institution code: S27
What happens after you apply?
We will assess your application on the strength of your:
- predicted grades
- academic achievements
- personal statement
- academic reference
We normally invite all candidates to an interview.
We aim to respond to you within 2 to 6 weeks with a decision about your application.
Equality and diversity
We treat and select everyone in line with our Equality and Diversity Statement.
Got a question?
Please contact our enquiries team if you're not sure that you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.
Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000
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