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.

Modern Languages and Cultures
Lancaster’s MLang degree is a selective and accelerated programme enabling you to achieve an MA in one or two languages and related studies in four years.  It is taught by the Department of Languages and Cultures and includes an international study placement in year 2.

In Year 1, you will study core language modules which aim to strengthen your reading, writing and speaking ability.  You will have the opportunity to engage with advanced grammar and develop key translation and composition skills.  This is complemented by language-specific modules, introducing you to your language’s political, historical and cultural context. You will also choose a minor subject, which may be an additional language.

You will spend your second year abroad at a partner institution.  This makes a major contribution to your command of the language while deepening your intercultural sensitivity. If you are studying two languages, you will split the year between the two countries.

Back at Lancaster in your third year, you will consolidate your language skills, alongside specialist culture and comparative courses, such as ‘French Culture in the Digital Age’ and ‘Translation as a Cultural Practice’.  You will also write a specialist topic dissertation.

In your final year you will study at postgraduate level, taking the core module ‘Research Skills for Modern Linguists’, and an optional module, such as ‘Reading Theoretically’.  You will also write your Master’s dissertation, supervised by an academic with expertise in the relevant field.