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.

History
Develop your critical abilities and historical knowledge within a vibrant department of committed students and expert scholars.

This degree will integrate a full-year of study at one of our partner institutions abroad in your second year of a three-year undergraduate programme.

In your first year, you will take our first-year core History module, which surveys world history from the world of antiquity to the twentieth century. The course encompasses histories from Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia and examines pivotal events, transformative processes and historical debates. Weekly lectures and seminars will deepen your critical historical knowledge and support you in developing your own research, essay-writing and presentational skills. The majority of our students choose from a second set of optional first-year modules. These specialised modules include ‘The Fall of Rome’ and ‘Histories of Violence: How Imperialism made the Modern World’.

A study abroad year is an exciting opportunity to gain a different perspective on your major subject through studying the subject in another country. At the same time you have the chance to broaden your horizons and life experience by immersing yourself in the culture of another country.

During your degree you’ll spend a year as a registered student at one of our approved partner universities in North America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand or Europe.

Preparation for your study abroad year will begin the year before, when the Global Experiences team and your Departmental Study Abroad Adviser will guide you through the process of securing your study abroad opportunity, finding accommodation, identifying which modules you will study etc. They will continue to support you while you are abroad.

Depending on the country, you will usually leave for your year abroad in July, August or September. You will become a registered student at your host university for the year, living and studying alongside home and other international students.

During the year abroad, you will take modules that are relevant to your degree programme at Lancaster and which have been approved by your department here. The grades you achieve at your host university will count towards your Lancaster degree.

Teaching is in English at most of our study abroad partners. If you speak a foreign language to a high standard, you may be apply to a partner that teaches in that language.  However, these places are limited and this option may not be available for your subject.