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.

Mathematics and Statistics
The International Foundation Year in Mathematics and Statistics leads to a choice of bachelors and master degrees in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. To prepare for your degree, you will study core English language modules and subject modules for Mathematics and Statistics. Degree options include Accounting, Finance and Computer Science.

You will study Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, and Statistics. Areas of study include number theory and graph theory (Pure Mathematics); vectors and variable acceleration (Applied Mathematics); and correlation and hypothesis testing (Statistics).

Economics and Finance (Industry)
How do stock markets work? What is the link between exchange rates and interest rates? How do betting markets operate? Economics and Finance are intrinsic to how the modern world functions. Our joint honours degree provides an excellent foundation for a career in management and finance and you’ll gain valuable experience of economics and finance in action during your paid placement year in industry.

Your financial studies will cover areas such as capital markets, investment decision-making and financial statement analysis. You will look at economics from an individual and international level, and examine issues such as the crisis in banking, fairness in organisations and CEO salaries.

You don’t need an Economics A level as all first years study the Principles of Economics and Quantitative Methods. Our Introduction to Accounting and Finance gives you a strong foundation in concepts and techniques, using real-world financial data for actual companies. In the second year, you’ll learn about topics including capital management, matrix algebra and applying econometrics using the statistical package SPSS. You will also build on your knowledge of micro and macro-economics.

Your third year is spent in industry. You’ll be supported in securing a placement, with past students joining companies such as IBM, Lloyds Bank, Microsoft, PwC and the Bank of England. Roles on offer range from project management and logistics to investment, business development and risk. Most placements are in the UK but there are some options overseas.

When you return to Lancaster, your final year offers a wealth of options from International Trade to Game Theory. You can extract, analyse and interpret data using the Bloomberg Professional terminals in our Financial Markets Lab to solve real-life financial problems. There is also an option to prepare for your Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level 1 examination.

Our graduates’ analytical skills mean many secure places on training schemes with accounting firms, banks and other financial institutions.

The University will use all reasonable effort to support you to find a suitable placement for your studies. While a placement role may not be available in a field or organisation that is directly related to your academic studies or career aspirations, all placement roles offer valuable experience of working at a graduate level and gaining a range of professional skills.

If you are unsuccessful in securing a suitable placement for your third year, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent non-placement degree scheme and would continue with your studies at Lancaster, finishing your degree after your third year. The University offers a range of shorter placement and internship opportunities for which you would be welcome to apply.