Language Studies – (B.A.)

Our BA Language Studies is a three-year course that enables you to study up to four languages (out of French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish). At least one modern language must be taken up to Proficiency level, meaning it is an ideal course if you want to acquire practical language skills and key skills. Many of our graduates use this course to join a PGCE programme and then become successful teachers of the languages they studied at Essex.

You don’t have to have studied a language at school in order to study it to Proficiency level at Essex: our intensive (double) modules (in German, Italian and Spanish), combined with a summer vacation course in a country you are studying the language of, enable you to reach level B2 (advanced) in a year. Portuguese can also be studied from scratch (via a conversion module) for those of you with A-level Spanish or equivalent knowledge. If you intend to take French as the major language, you must achieve at least grade C at A-level. All five languages can be studied from scratch as minor languages. In each language, we offer core modules at all six different levels recognised in the Common European Framework and also, for each language, we offer a range of thematic modules on contemporary cinema, culture, society, art, or history designed to increase your cultural awareness, as well as modules designed to develop professional skills

On our BA Language Studies, two of the four modules you take in your final year (whether in the same or different languages) must be taken up to at least Proficiency level (C1 in the system used in the Common European Framework), and the other two modules (whether in the same of different languages) up to at least Advanced/Threshold level (B1). However, you can achieve an even higher level of attainment (Mastery level, C2) if you spend an appropriate amount of time abroad during your vacations in a country where the relevant language is spoken.

Our BA Language Studies is a three-year course without a year abroad, so differs from our four-year BA Modern Languages which has an integral year abroad spent working or studying.