Program Overview

An International Foundation Year at our International Study Centre prepares you for your degree at Lancaster University. You will focus on English language, university-level study skills, and academic modules that relate to your degree subject.

Supporting your progression to the University
At the International Study Centre, we take every measure to ensure you are supported in your academic journey. Our programmes allow for increased time spent learning, researching and developing your skills. By studying with us, you will benefit from:

• Formal assessments at the end of each term.
• An improved English language module, Academic English Skills, providing greater opportunity for informal assessments and feedback.
• Combining and reducing the number of module assessments allowing more time to prepare.
• A personal tutorial system with a focus on your academic progress at key points of the academic year, creating action plans based on your performance and progession options.

Business and Management Studies
An International Foundation Year in Business and Management Studies leads to a choice of degrees at Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) – one of the top 100 business schools in the world. To prepare for your degree, you will study subject modules and core English language modules. Degree options include Accounting, Business Studies, and International Business Management.
You will learn how businesses operate, and how to prepare and interpret financial accounts. Other areas of study include economic policies, and international trade. Throughout the course, you will develop analysis and evaluation skills, and apply your knowledge to real-world situations.

Advertising and Marketing
Do you want to study business in a way that harnesses your creativity? Every organisation needs marketing, from sportswear manufacturers to technology start-ups to not-for-profit organisations like a children’s charity. The global spend on advertising is worth billions of pounds on an annual basis and we all see thousands of adverts every day. The growth of artificial intelligence, social media and vlogger influencers make this an exciting time to work in advertising and marketing.

Compared to our BSc Marketing degree, this degree enables you to focus more on how marketers communicate what they have to offer to consumers, whilst still offering a comprehensive marketing education with a large degree of choice in the modules that you study. These modules cover current communication theories and methods, alongside other critical marketing subjects such as Consumer Behaviour, Brand Strategy and Market Research.

Our modules are taught by academics who are experts in their specific field, with many having significant professional advertising and business experience. You will gain a firm grounding in all aspects of advertising and marketing theory, and understand how these theories work in practice, developing the key skills that are valued by industry employers.  

We welcome guest speakers from some of the UK’s top advertising, marketing and design agencies as well as leaders from brand owning organisations. In your final year you will work on a real-life advertising project for an advertising, design or media agency, and in the past these have included Saatchi & Saatchi, BT and HoWoCo amongst others. Such experience is invaluable for building contacts, strengthening your CV and taking the next step into the advertising industry.