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.

Social Studies
The International Foundation Year in Social Studies leads to a choice of undergraduate degrees in the Faculty of Arts and Social Studies and the Faculty of Science and Technology. To prepare for your degree, you will study core English language modules and subject modules. Degree options include Philosophy, Sociology, and Film.

You will learn about global issues and contemporary events, including business, culture, politics and environment. Other areas of study include advertising, social media, psychology, and theories that relate to media and modern society.

English Language and French Studies
This four-year degree is provided jointly by our Department of Linguistics and English Language and our Department of Languages and Cultures.
A year abroad gives you the unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the language and culture. You don’t need to have studied French before as we offer an Intensive course for beginners.

In French Studies we aim to help you become truly fluent. You’ll explore France’s history, culture, politics and social background. You’ll also learn how the English language functions and study traditional linguistic areas such as lexis, grammar and phonetics. In the following year you’ll study core modules such as English Phonetics and Shaping Contemporary France, and develop your French language skills. You’ll also be able to choose from options ranging from Society on Screen to Discourse Analysis. Studying English Language, in tandem with French Studies, will give you greater awareness of language use within context, and should equip you with the skills to identify how language structure interacts with meaning.

The aim of your third year, which is spent living abroad, is to deepen your intercultural sensitivity and your command of the language. You can study at a partner institution or carry out a work placement and practice your language skills in a real-world context. Staff members within the department will work with you to secure accommodation, and help to ensure that you are ready for your year in France.

On your return to Lancaster, your fourth year allows you to develop your French to Common European Framework of Reference for Languages C1/C2 levels, and you can specialise in particular fields of study. Modules could include Psycholinguistics, Translation as a Cultural Practice or Francophone Voices. You could also choose to complete a dissertation on a topic you would like to explore in-depth. Given the range of expertise within our department, our academics will be able to supervise most topics that fit your interests.

The linguistic, communication and interpersonal skills you will have the opportunity to acquire are highly valued by most employers. The linguistics element of your degree is of professional relevance in many areas, from education to business management, advertising to accountancy. Linguistic awareness is likely to provide a real boost when working for international and multicultural companies and organisations, and our degree programme provides a solid foundation for a career in these areas.