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.

Spanish Studies with Italian
Spanish Studies with Italian is taught by the Department of Languages and Cultures and includes and international placement in year 3.  Our approach gives you the opportunity to acquire high-level language skills and a thorough understanding of Spanish cultures and societies within a global context. The programme also offers an introduction to Italian culture and society presented in the first year and gives the opportunity to develop this knowledge in the second and third year.  

Your first year comprises an exploration of the Spanish language and its cultural context.  Alongside this, you will study an intensive Italian language and culture module, designed for beginners with little or no prior knowledge.  You will also take a minor subject that complements your degree.

In Year 2, you will study Spain’s culture, politics and history in more depth, as well as selecting courses which are international in scope and promote a comparative understanding of Europe and beyond. In the core Italian modules, you will improve your linguistic proficiency in a range of settings and study Italian lexis, grammar and syntax.

Spending your third year abroad in a Spanish-speaking country allows you to make a major contribution to your command of the language, while deepening your intercultural sensitivity. You can study at a partner institution or conduct a work placement.  We strongly recommend spending some of your vacation time in Italy too in order to gain first-hand experience of the Italian language and its culture. This will consolidate your classroom language learning

In your fourth year, you will continue developing your Spanish and Italian language alongside a choice of specialist culture and comparative courses, such as ‘Writing in the Margins: Narrating Cross-cultural Experience’.  You will also develop a particular topic from your second year studies into your specialist dissertation.