Italian Studies and Modern Languages

Description

Our BA Italian Studies and Modern Languages allows you to study two or three languages, with two modules in Italian taken each year, which must be studied to mastery level. Additionally, your year abroad must be spent in a country where Italian is spoken.

Our BA Italian Studies and Modern Languages caters for post A-level Italian students and/or complete beginners. If you are without any background knowledge of Italian, you can fast-track your studies via our Intensive Initial Italian module which includes a four-week summer course in Italy. If you have an A-level in Italian, you will start your first year at level B2 (Vantage/Advanced). In addition, a thematic module designed to complement the study of the language and to increase the general knowledge of popular culture is offered within this course and is taught entirely in Italian.

The Italian section of our Department of Language and Linguistics is well established; we currently offer a variety of language and culture courses at all six levels recognised in the Common European Framework ranging from A1 Breakthrough (beginners) to Masters level, for specialist and non-specialist students. All our modules are taught by qualified and experienced native speakers.

In your second year, your skills can be further improved by taking two Italian modules in preparation of your year abroad. Your year abroad is an invaluable experience; for Italian it will be spent either at the prestigious, cosmopolitan University of Bologna or at the dynamic, social sciences-oriented University of Trento. Work placements as language assistants in Italy are also available through the British Council if you are looking for work experience together with improving your Italian.

In your final year, your modules are more specialised; in addition to your core module it is possible to either work on a project or to take a skill-based module including translation and interpreting.

Detailed Course Facts

• GBP 9000 Year (EEA)
• GBP 11950 Year (Non-EEA)

• English

Course Content

The special characteristics of our course are flexibility and choice. In your first, second and final years you take two compulsory modules and two optional language modules. You spend your third year abroad. There is a great deal of choice for these optional modules due to the extensive range of modules offered by our departments.
With a small number of exceptions, if you successfully complete the first year of your BA, then you are qualified to enter the second year of that course and a range of other courses: for example, if you take economics, politics, philosophy and sociology, then you have a choice of at least nine possible single or joint honours courses at the end of your first year. This means you can change your course, providing you have taken the appropriate pre-requisites and places are available.
We operate a credit framework for our awards, which is based on principles widely used across the UK university sector. Each module has a credit rating attached and our standard three-year course consists of 360 credits (120 credits in your first year, and 240 credits across your second and final years).
Please note that module information on our course finder provides a guide to course content and may be subject to review on an annual basis.

Year 1

Advanced Italian;
Italian Professional and Multimedia Skills; and
two language options

Year 2

Proficiency Level Italian;
Italian Cinema and Culture; and
two language options

Year 3

Year abroad

Year 4

Mastery Level Italian;
Italian Translation, Interpreting and Subtitling Skills; and
two language options Mastery Level Italian;
Italian Translation, Interpreting and Subtitling Skills; and
two language options

English Language Requirements

IELTS band : 6

To study at this university, you have to speak English. We advice you to

Requirements

• A-levels: ABB-BBB
• GCSE English: C
• IB: 32-30 points (we consider IB certificates at the Higher Level on a case-by-case basis)
• Achievement of the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 6 level three credits at distinction and the remainder at merit (or above) or achievement of the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 45 level three credits at merit (or above).
• If French or Portuguese is taken as the major language, A-level French or Portuguese/Spanish (or equivalent) is required. German, Italian and Spanish can be studied as the major language either from scratch, via our intensive route, or via our post A-level route. All languages can be studied from scratch as the minor language.
• If you are interested in studying a language for which you consider yourself to be a native speaker, please contact our Undergraduate Admissions Office.

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall with minimum 5.5 in each component (or equivalent). Different requirements apply for second year entry.

Work Experience

No work experience is required.

Related Scholarships*

• Academic Excellence Scholarship

  "The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."

• Access Bursary

  Bursary for UK students all subjects where the variable tuition fee rate is payable.

• Alumni Bursary

  Alumni Bursary for UK Undergraduate students

* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than University of Essex.

Funding

For up-to-date information on funding opportunities at Essex, please visit: www.essex.ac.uk/studentfinance.