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.

Psychology and German Studies
A working knowledge of German and an advanced understanding of psychology will prepare you for a rewarding career. And, the chance to explore a new culture overseas will prepare you for life working in the UK and abroad.

Through this programme, you will develop a detailed understanding of psychology, while gaining the skills and knowledge to engage with the discipline in preparation for a placement year overseas in a German speaking country. During the four years, you will be able to draw on expertise from two specialist departments: Languages and Cultures; and Psychology. This degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society and provides the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership with the Society.

You will learn and develop a solid grasp of German language and culture, while studying the main themes of modern psychology:

• Brain and Behaviour: how neural disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease affect behaviour
• Cognitive Psychology: our reactions to colours, smells, speech and music
• Developmental Psychology: the ways in which infants perceive space, patterns, objects and events
• Social Psychology: how our thoughts, emotions and behaviours are shaped by the presence of others

You will learn from passionate academics, all of whom are active researchers and world leaders in their field, which allows you to benefit from their insight, expertise and cutting-edge research.

In the first year, you will gain an in depth overview of the main study themes through our Understanding Psychology module. You will explore the theories underpinning these areas, learn to evaluate scientific journals, and develop your ability to construct formal arguments. Running parallel to this, you will also undertake the Investigating Psychology module, which will equip you with important practical skills for conducting research in psychology, such as data analysis and report writing. In addition, you will take language classes, determined by your current level of ability. These are taught by native speakers and will ensure you have a solid grasp of the written and spoken language.

During the second year of your degree, you will develop upon the key themes introduced in Year 1. You will study specialist modules on topics such as cognitive, developmental and social psychology; deepening your understanding and testing your knowledge. You will also benefit from specialist German modules, which will develop your foreign language oral and written communication skills further.

In addition to these themes, Research Methods and Statistics modules will be covered this year. These will expand your knowledge of research methods, develop key skills and enable you to gain a detailed understanding of analysis and reporting.

You will spend your third year at one of our partner institutions in a German speaking country, where you will practise and develop your language abilities, while continuing to enhance your psychology skills and knowledge.

Returning to Lancaster for your fourth year, you will further develop your knowledge and understanding of the core aspects of modern psychology, taking modules in Brain and Behaviour; and Personality and Individual Differences. You will also carry out your own research project under the supervision of an experienced researcher.

The optional modules available this year will allow you to expand your knowledge of German culture and continue to practise the language.