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.

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

In German Studies we aim to help you become truly fluent. Taking Linguistics in tandem with German Studies will allow you to increase your awareness of the grammar of the language, and allow you to really understand the structure of both English, German, and a range of other languages from around the world.

Your first year includes modules in Linguistics and German Language. In your second year you can take core modules such as The Structures of the World’s Languages, German Language and Becoming German: Post-War German Language, Culture and Identities.

Spending your third year abroad in a German-speaking country gives you the opportunity to develop your language proficiency while deepening your intercultural sensitivity. You can study at a partner institution or conduct a work placement.

On your return to Lancaster, your fourth year allows you to specialise in the modules that interest you most. Modules include Cognitive Linguistics and German Language Oral Skills. You could also choose to complete a dissertation on a topic you would like to explore in-depth. Given the range of academics within our department, we aim to supervise most topics that fit your interests.