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. The study abroad option is an exciting and informative experience for anyone who is thinking of working abroad during their career.  It’s a chance to broaden your horizons and make international contacts. 

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. You’ll spend your second year at one of our partner universities around the world, which could include the U.S.A., Europe, Canada, or Australia. Here you’ll move onto core subjects such as English phonetics and English grammar, but you will also be able to benefit from the courses offered by our partner universities. Our academics here at Lancaster will ensure that the programme you select whilst studying abroad is appropriate. 

In the final year, 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.

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 can be a real boost when working for international and multicultural companies and organisations.

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.