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.

Law
The International Foundation Year in Law leads to a choice of degrees at Lancaster University Law School – one of the UK’s most respected law schools. To prepare for your degree, you will study core English language modules and subject modules for Law. Your degree options include Criminology, Law, and Law with Politics.

As a Law student the topics you will study include justice, ethics, democracy and political institutions. You will learn about important cases and the history of the law, and you will either study Globalisation or Core mathematics.

History (Study Abroad)
Develop your critical abilities and historical knowledge within a vibrant department of committed students and expert scholars.

This degree will integrate a full-year of study at one of our partner institutions abroad in your second year of a three-year undergraduate programme.

In your first year, you will take our first-year core History module, which surveys world history from the world of antiquity to the twentieth century. The course encompasses histories from Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia and examines pivotal events, transformative processes and historical debates. Weekly lectures and seminars will deepen your critical historical knowledge and support you in developing your own research, essay-writing and presentational skills. The majority of our students choose from a second set of optional first-year modules. These specialised modules include ‘The Fall of Rome’ and ‘Histories of Violence: How Imperialism made the Modern World’.

A study abroad year is an exciting opportunity to gain a different perspective on your major subject through studying the subject in another country. At the same time you have the chance to broaden your horizons and life experience by immersing yourself in the culture of another country.

During your degree you’ll spend a year as a registered student at one of our approved partner universities in North America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand or Europe.

Preparation for your study abroad year will begin the year before, when the Global Experiences team and your Departmental Study Abroad Adviser will guide you through the process of securing your study abroad opportunity, finding accommodation, identifying which modules you will study etc. They will continue to support you while you are abroad.

Depending on the country, you will usually leave for your year abroad in July, August or September. You will become a registered student at your host university for the year, living and studying alongside home and other international students.

During the year abroad, you will take modules that are relevant to your degree programme at Lancaster and which have been approved by your department here. The grades you achieve at your host university will count towards your Lancaster degree.

Teaching is in English at most of our study abroad partners. If you speak a foreign language to a high standard, you may be apply to a partner that teaches in that language.  However, these places are limited and this option may not be available for your subject.

You can find out more on our study abroad page.

Lancaster University will make reasonable endeavours to place students at an approved overseas partner university that offers appropriate modules which contribute credit to your Lancaster degree.  Occasionally places overseas may not be available for all students who want to study abroad or the place at the partner university may be withdrawn if core modules are unavailable. If you are not offered a place to study overseas, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent standard degree scheme and would complete your studies at Lancaster.  

Lancaster University cannot accept responsibility for any financial aspects of the year or term abroad.

 When you return to Lancaster for your third and final year you will take two term-length modules, a Special Subject and you will write a dissertation under the research supervision of an academic member of staff. The department offers a range of over thirty modules. Examples of these modules include British, European, American, Asian and Middle Eastern options spanning two-millennia of history. These modules emerge from the research expertise of academic staff in the department.