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.

Human Geography
With a unique blend of social sciences and geography, gain first-hand experience of the ways in which people interact with their environment and how they form communities, cultures, and economies. Benefit from support to secure a paid placement enabling you to experience twelve months working in the type of organisation that you might aspire to join when you graduate.

You will study a diverse range of modules that are developed and taught by our world-class academics who are leading experts in human, environmental and political geography, development studies, Anthropology, political economy and science and technology.

Our location, between the rural settings of the north and the bustling cities of Liverpool and Manchester, 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 Manchester city centre, the Cumbrian coast and the Lake District, as well as international locations such as Paris, Amazonia, New York and Croatia.

While studying at the Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC), you will have access to state-of-the-art computer systems and software. You will work in comfortable class sizes, giving you the opportunity to get to know your lecturers personally and benefit from their expert knowledge and helpful one-to-one advice.

First year modules equip you with a well-rounded introduction to some of the key themes of human geography, as well as helping you to develop skills used by geographers to analyse problems within the discipline. In addition to the Geography modules, you will be given the opportunity to take two other subjects alongside your first year studies. You may use this opportunity to explore some of the many subjects offered within the LEC, or study further social sciences such as Sociology or Politics, or gain transferable skills in Economics or Marketing. You will undertake a Placement Preparation module which provides guidance on writing your CV, finding a placement and interview techniques.

In the second year, you will undertake a series of core modules that focus on human geography skills, concepts and research techniques. Optional choices include a field trip to Paris and modules that address individual topics in culture and politics, as well as our Communicating Geography module in which you can help teach the subject in a local school, gaining valuable classroom experience. You will also take part in a ‘work-based learning’ module designed to provide guidance and support as you apply for nationally advertised placements and help you gain the most from your placement year.

To prepare students for their work placement year, our Careers and Placements Team will provide advice and guidance on: the skills required to create effective CVs, cover letters and applications; tips and techniques on how to make an impact at interviews and assessment centres; how to create a relevant digital profile; and how to research employers and career sectors of interest. In addition, there is great emphasis placed upon developing self-awareness and on how to present yourself in a professional manner to employers. This optional provision will be delivered via a blend of traditional and digital methods including face-to-face workshops, online webinars, e-courses and 1:1 appointments.

You will spend your third year on an industrial placement, before returning to Lancaster for your fourth year where you will continue in your chosen specialties. The placement offers you the opportunity to work as a full-time employee of the organisation whilst still receiving both academic and pastoral support.

The University will use all reasonable effort to support you to find a suitable placement for your studies. While a placement role may not be available in a field or organisation that is directly related to your academic studies or career aspirations, all placement roles offer valuable experience of working at a graduate level and gaining a range of professional skills.

If you are unsuccessful in securing a suitable placement for your third year, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent non-placement degree scheme and would continue with your studies at Lancaster, finishing your degree after your third year. The University offers a range of shorter placement and internship opportunities for which you would be welcome to apply.

In the final (fourth) 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. In addition, you may select from a range of optional modules which cover topics such as food and agriculture, health, enterprise and global consumption, as well as field courses to New York, Croatia and the Brazilian Amazon.