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.

Geography
You won’t just be sat in lectures at Lancaster. Study in our outstanding practical facilities; explore our beautiful surroundings; take part in international field trips; and learn from world-renowned lecturers.

Geography is a distinctive subject: it studies our world in a vast range of areas. You will learn about the Earth’s landscapes, species, places and environment in a unique discipline that merges social science (human geography) with the natural (physical geography).

Situated between the rural settings of the north and the bustling cities of Liverpool and Manchester, Lancaster’s position enables us to explore some of the UK’s most unique areas of geographic interest. You will gain a wealth of hands-on experience with field trips to places such as the Yorkshire Dales, Cumbrian coast and Lake District, as well as international locations such as Iceland, the Brazilian Amazon, New York and Croatia.

You will develop a fundamental understanding of human, physical and environmental geography in your first year Geography modules. These modules equip you with a well-rounded introduction to some of the key themes in geography, as well as providing you with key skills used by geographers to analyse problems in both the human and physical aspects of the discipline.

Specialisation begins in second year, enabling you to choose topics that match your interests. Core modules will focus on practical work, giving you a range of analytical and research project skills, while optional modules feature exciting field trips to Spain and France.

In the third year, you will undertake a dissertation project, guided by your academic supervisor, which offers a chance to perform original geographical research on a topic of your choice. While completing the dissertation, you will use the key research, analytical and academic writing skills you have learnt throughout your degree. You may wish to take advantage of the unique opportunity to collaborate with a business to complete your dissertation research, allowing you to gain valuable work experience at the same time. You will be offered further optional module choices, and there will be fieldwork opportunities in locations such as Iceland, the Amazon and New York. Topics may include the study of Global Consumption, Urban Infrastructure in a Changing World, and the Geographies of Health, but could also include elements of physical geography such as Natural Hazards, Glacial Systems or Water Resource Management.

In addition to your subject knowledge, you will gain communication and information technology skills and will become familiar with data handling and environmental sampling and analysis. Throughout your degree, considerable weight is placed upon enhancing your employability and such skills are greatly valued by potential employers.