Modern Languages with Professional Skills

Description

Our BA Modern Languages with Professional Skills enables you to study two or three modern languages whilst focusing on acquiring a range of professional skills, like presentation skills, conference organising, desktop publishing, translation and interpreting, video production and editing, which also include subtitling and voiceover. You have the opportunity to work on each skill by participating in group or individual projects.

This four-year course involves three years spent at our Colchester Campus at Essex and a year abroad, and offers you the opportunity of studying between two and four languages (out of French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish). It is unique in having a triple focus on developing language proficiency, cultural awareness and professional skills (not only translation skills, but also web and publishing skills, and film production and video editing skills, such as subtitling and voiceover). Our focus on skills helps you acquire a wide range of employability skills which will enhance your career prospects. Our course is designed with an inherently flexible structure which puts you in charge of designing your own curriculum, and allows you to choose how many languages you want to learn and at what pace (eg intensive or otherwise). We offer modules in all five languages at all six different proficiency levels recognised in the Common European Framework, and you can start any of the languages you want to study at a range of different levels (from scratch, or post GCSE-level, or post AS-level, or post A-level).

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 all your modules are optional, but three must be language options. In your first year one must also be a professional skills option. During your second year one must be a multimedia skills option and in your final year one must be a translation-interpreting skills option. 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

Three language options; and
on professional skills option

Year 2

Two language options; and
one multimedia skills option

Year 3

Year abroad

Year 4

Three language options; and
one translation-interpreting skills option

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.