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 Linguistics
How does language work? Why do we develop accents? What makes human language such a unique way of communicating? Linguistics offers a fresh insight into the human mind, combining arts and sciences into one captivating subject.

We currently stand as one of the country’s largest Linguistics and English Language departments, meaning that we have a wide range of optional modules available to you throughout your degree programme. Our world-leading academics cover a very wide range of language study specialisms, and our students benefit from their expertise in lectures, seminars, tutorials, and supervisions. They will teach you from day one in small classes designed to challenge you as a linguist.

Whether you want to analyse vocal anatomy or how a native Russian speaker thinks compared to a Thai speaker, we are likely to have a member of staff who specialises in your particular area of interest. Our impressive facilities include both a Phonetics Lab and Psycholinguistics Lab which students are encouraged to use throughout their degrees.

You’ll begin your degree with modules including Linguistics and English Language. In your second year, you’ll study subjects such as English Phonetics, English Grammar, Sounds of the World’s Languages and Structures of the World’s Languages. In the third, you’ll pick two modules from Corpus approaches to English Language, Advanced English Phonetics, Cognitive Linguistics and topics in phonetic and phonological theory. You’ll complete your degree with a dissertation in which you carry out in-depth research into a topic which interests you.

We’ll assess your progress through coursework and exams and you’ll have regular meetings with your academic advisor, who will provide support and encouragement. You may be interested in applying for an internship if you are considering further study beyond your undergraduate degree.  

Your degree could open doors to jobs in speech therapy and language technology. You will have the opportunity to develop analytical and investigative skills, which are valued by employers such as law firms, management consultancies and the media. Linguistic awareness is a real boost when working for international and multicultural companies and organisations.