| UCAS code | Q332 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 years |
| Entry year | 2026 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | Media and Communications |
| Contact |
| Typical offer | A-Level: ABB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: BBC |
| UCAS code | Q331 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3 years |
| Entry year | 2026 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | Media and Communications |
| Contact |
| Typical offer | A-Level: ABB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: BBC |
Overview
- Combine a solid foundation in Communications with the study of a language and its culture.
- You will hone practical and professional skills, equipping you to work across the creative industries or anywhere requiring people who understand how communications work.
- Opportunity to experience different ways of learning, with specialist modules that cover everything from the history of communications and professional writing, to language and social interaction and global communications.
- Excellent facilities on campus include our Special Collections relating to world-renowned writers, The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum which is a unique film and popular culture resource and our Digital Humanities Lab. Exeter has also recently been awarded UNESCO City of Literature status.
- Option to spend your third year studying or working abroad in a country where you can develop your chosen language
- You can choose to study any of our languages from beginners: Chinese (Mandarin); French; German; Italian; Portuguese; Russian; or Spanish
Top 10 for Communication and Media Studies
8th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Top 150 in world subject rankings for Modern Languages and Cultures
QS World University Subject Rankings 2025
Choose our 4 year course to spend a year abroad, studying at a partner university or in employment
Unique on-site resources: Exeter’s Special Collections archive and The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
Top 10 for Communication and Media Studies
8th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Top 150 in world subject rankings for Modern Languages and Cultures
QS World University Subject Rankings 2025
Choose our 4 year course to spend a year abroad, studying at a partner university or in employment
Unique on-site resources: Exeter’s Special Collections archive and The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
Course duration
International Placement (work or study)
Study/Work Abroad in Year 3
A pivotal part of all Modern Language programmes is the International Placement, either studying at one of our prestigious partner universities, teaching on a British Council placement, or working in other employment. By immersing yourself in the culture you study, you will not only enhance your language skills, but cultivate:
- strong intercultural understanding
- improved communication skills
- the ability to think and study in different ways
- resilience and confidence
- analytical skills and the ability to make cross-cultural comparisons
- adaptability, independence and valuable life experience
During your International Placement, you will still be registered as an Exeter student and therefore supported in several ways. You will retain your personal tutor and be expected to keep in contact with them. You will also have the support of the Exeter Global Opportunities team for advice on any matter.
Studying abroad offers a range of possibilities, with over 40 different partner universities worldwide available to Modern Languages students. This can provide you with the opportunity to experience a different academic environment with local and other international students broadening your knowledge of the language and culture you study.
Please note that Study Abroad placements at partner universities are subject to availability and the allocation of these places is competitive and based on first-year marks.
Why Study Abroad?
Living and studying in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. Students who have studied abroad demonstrate initiative, independence, motivation and, depending on where they stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language – all key qualities that employers are looking for in today’s competitive employment environment.
Where can I Study Abroad?
We have partnership arrangements with many prestigious institutions across the globe. Exactly where you can apply to study will depend on the subject(s) you are studying at Exeter. For a full list please visit the Global Opportunities website.
What will I study whilst I am abroad?
Whilst overseas, you will complete predominantly Modern Languages-related modules that supplement the academic content of the modules offered at Exeter.
For your year abroad you will agree a suite of modules in your host institution with the departmental Study Abroad Coordinator.
Does it count towards my degree?
Yes - the International Placement is an assessed year and the marks obtained count towards your final degree classification. If you begin a language in your first year at Exeter and intend to take that language in your final year, you must do your International Placement in that language. If you are a beginner and decide not to do an International Placement, you will be moved to Single Honours Global Cultural Studies for the final year.
How does it affect my tuition fee and funding?
For your International Placement you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter – for more information visit our fees pages. You will also continue to receive any Student Finance support for which you are eligible.
How do I apply?
You may apply directly to the four-year BA Modern Languages with International Placement programme via UCAS – these students will be given priority of available study abroad placements. Alternatively, you may apply to the three-year BA Modern Languages programme and are able to request to apply to change onto the four-year programme once you are at Exeter, subject to meeting eligibility criteria.
Please note that study abroad placements at partner universities are subject to availability and are not guaranteed on either option. The allocation of study abroad places is competitive based on your first-year average grade along with your successful completion of Years 1 and 2.
What happens if I am unable to secure a study placement?
Once at Exeter, if students cannot go or are unwilling to go on their International Placement year, they can apply to move to either a three-year BA Modern Languages programme or a three-year BA Global Cultural Studies programme (dependent on their language level by the final year). This would need to be approved by the department.
Why Study Abroad?
Living and studying in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. Students who have studied abroad demonstrate initiative, independence, motivation and, depending on where they stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language – all key qualities that employers are looking for in today’s competitive employment environment.
Does it count towards my degree?
Yes - the International Placement is an assessed year and the marks obtained count towards your final degree classification. If you begin a language in your first year at Exeter and intend to take that language in your final year, you must do your International Placement in that language. If you are a beginner and decide not to do an International Placement, you will be moved to the three-year Media & Communications and Global Cultural Studies BA programme.
How does it affect my tuition fee and funding?
For your International Placement you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter – for more information visit our fees pages. You will also continue to receive any Student Finance support for which you are eligible. Other financial support may also be available for certain students.
How do I apply?
You may apply directly to the four-year Media & Communications and Modern Languages BA with International Placement programme via UCAS – these students will be given priority of available study abroad placements. Alternatively, you may apply to the three-year Media & Communications and Modern Languages BA and are able to request to apply to change onto the four-year programme once you are at Exeter, subject to meeting eligibility criteria.
Please note that study abroad placements at partner universities are subject to availability and are not guaranteed on either option. The allocation of study abroad places is competitive based on your first-year average grade along with your successful completion of Years 1 and 2.
What happens if I am unable to secure a study placement?
Once at Exeter, if students cannot go or are unwilling to go on their International Placement year, they can apply to move to either the three-year Media & Communications and Modern Languages BA or the three-year Media & Communications and Global Cultural Studies BA programme, dependent on their language level by the final year. This would need to be approved by the department.
Entry requirements (typical offer)
| Qualification | Typical offer | Required subjects |
|---|---|---|
| A-Level | ABB | Dependent on subjects chosen |
| IB | 32/655 | Dependent on subjects chosen |
| BTEC | DDM | Dependent on subjects chosen |
| GCSE | C or 4 | English Language |
| Access to HE | 24 L3 Credits at Distinction Grade and 21 L3 credits at Merit Grade. | Dependent on level chosen the required L3 credits in Modern Foreign Language subject area |
| T-Level | Distinction | Dependent on subjects chosen, GCE AL in a Modern Foreign Language will also be required. |
| Contextual Offer * Please note: The contextual offer shown is an example based on offers made to students starting in 2025, and is for guidance only. We will confirm the contextual offer for 2026 entry later this year.* Please note: The contextual offer shown is an example based on offers made to students starting in 2024, and is for guidance only. We will confirm the contextual offer for 2025 entry later this year. |
A-Level: BBC |
Specific subject requirements must still be achieved where stated above. Find out more about contextual offers. |
| Other accepted qualifications | ||
| English language requirements |
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country. |
|
NB General Studies is not included in any offer.
Grades advertised on each programme webpage are the typical level at which our offers are made and provide information on any specific subjects an applicant will need to have studied in order to be considered for a place on the programme. However, if we receive a large number of applications for the programme we may not be able to make an offer to all those who are predicted to achieve/have achieved grades which are in line with our typical offer. For more information on how applications are assessed and when decisions are released, please see: After you apply
Language requirements
- No previous language qualifications are required.
- You may only choose one language.
- French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish can be studied either from A level or beginner’s level, with both cohorts reaching degree level in the final year. Portuguese and Chinese can normally only be studied from beginner’s level, not from A Level; students of these two languages reach degree level in final year.
- If you choose a beginners language, you must take the four-year variant of the course with an International Placement.
Languages and levels available for Combined Honours courses
|
I want to study a new language at beginner level alongside my other subject (excluding programmes with Arabic) |
|
| Modern Languages requirements | No previous language qualifications required. We strongly recommend that students who want to start a languages degree with no previous linguistic experience should contact us. |
| Advanced level languages available | n/a |
| Beginners level languages available | Chinese (Mandarin); French; German; Italian; Portuguese; Russian; Spanish |
|
I want to study my A level (or equivalent) language at advanced level alongside my other subject (including programmes with Arabic) |
|
| Modern Languages requirements | A level grade B or IB HL5 or SL6 (or equivalent) in the language chosen at advanced level |
| Advanced level languages available | French; German; Italian; Russian; Spanish |
| Beginners level languages available | n/a |
Completing your UCAS form
In the section named ‘further details’ on your UCAS application form please indicate in the ‘choices’ field the language and route you wish to study using the abbreviations below, separated by a space:
| French | Fren |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | Chin |
| German | Germ |
| Italian | Ital |
| Portuguese | Port |
| Russian | Russ |
| Spanish | Span |
Course content
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
Stage 1: 60 credits of compulsory Media & Communications modules, 30 credits of compulsory modules in your chosen language, 30 credits of optional Modern Languages modules
Compulsory modules
Subject to choosing 120 credits for the stage overall, you must:
a select 30 credits of compulsory modules in your chosen language.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CMM1001 | Perspectives on Communications | 30 |
| CMM1004 | Communications Research Methods | 30 |
| ML and MC Stage 1 Compulsory Language Module Options 25-26 [See note a above] | ||
| MLF1001 | French Language | 30 |
| MLF1052 | French Language for Beginners | 30 |
| MLG1001 | German Language | 30 |
| MLG1052 | German Language for Beginners | 30 |
| MLI1001 | Italian Language | 30 |
| MLI1052 | Italian Language for Beginners | 30 |
| MLM1052 | Beginners Chinese | 30 |
| MLP1052 | Portuguese Language for Beginners | 30 |
| MLR1001 | Contemporary Russian Written and Oral | 30 |
| MLR1030 | Russian Language for Beginners | 30 |
| MLS1001 | Spanish Language | 30 |
| MLS1056 | Spanish Language for Beginners | 30 |
Optional modules
b select 30 credits of optional modules consisting of content related to your chosen language; on the Modern Languages side of your programme, you may select a maximum of 15 credits of either the SML- or HUM/HAS-coded modules for the year. Please note that certain modules may only be available to students on Single Honours programmes, or to students who have taken a particular language module. This information will be given in the pre-requisites or co-requisites section of the relevant module descriptor.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ML and MC Stage 1 Language optional content modules 25-26 [See note b above] | ||
| MLF1014 | Love and Death in French Culture | 15 |
| MLF1017 | The Making of Modern France | 15 |
| MLF1103 | The French Language, Present and Past | 15 |
| MLF1105 | An Introduction to French Thought | 15 |
| MLF1121 | French Visual History | 15 |
| MLG1014 | A Nation Remembers: Issues in German Cultural Memory | 15 |
| MLG1020 | Made in Germany: the History and Culture of a Global Brand | 15 |
| MLG1021 | Outside In: An Introduction to Outcasts and Outsiders in German-language Literature and Film | 15 |
| MLI1016 | Italy Inside Out: Popular Visual Narratives about Italy | 15 |
| MLI1121 | A Thousand Faces: Cultures and History in 19th-Century Italy | 15 |
| MLM1010 | China of the Senses: Approaching Chinese Culture and Environments | 15 |
| MLM1013 | A Brief History of Modern China (1861-Present) | 15 |
| MLP1002 | Introduction to the Lusophone World | 15 |
| MLR1005 | Chekhov's Major Plays | 15 |
| MLR1023 | Russia: Empire and Identity | 15 |
| MLS1064 | An Introduction to the Hispanic World: Texts in Context | 15 |
| MLS1065 | The Making of Modern Spain | 15 |
| MLS1066 | The Making of Modern Latin America: History Through Literature and Culture | 15 |
| SML1015 | War And Conflict In French Literature | 15 |
| SML1067 | Ideology in the Hispanic World | 15 |
| SML1105 | Reason and Existence: An Introduction to French Thought | 15 |
| SML1207 | Introduction to Film | 15 |
| SML1208 | Language, Culture, International Relations | 15 |
30 credits of compulsory modules in your chosen language and 30 credits of core for Communications.
60 credits of optional modules (30 credits of Communications options, and 30 credits of Modern Languages options).
Compulsory modules
Subject to choosing 120 credits for the stage overall, you must:
c Select 30 credits of compulsory modules in your chosen language.
d Select 60 credits of Media & Communications modules.
e Select 30 credits of optional modules consisting of content related to your chosen language
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CMM2002 | Communications in the Workplace | 30 |
| Modern Languages Stage 2 Compulsory Language Modules [See note c above] | ||
| MLF2001 | French Language, Written and Oral | 30 |
| MLF2152 | Intermediate French | 30 |
| MLG2001 | German Language, Written and Oral | 30 |
| MLG2052 | Intermediate German | 30 |
| MLI2001 | Italian Language, Written and Oral | 30 |
| MLI2051 | Italian Language | 30 |
| MLM2052 | Intermediate Chinese (One) | 30 |
| MLP2052 | Intermediate Portuguese | 30 |
| MLR2001 | Contemporary Russian Written and Oral I | 30 |
| MLR2030 | Intermediate Russian | 30 |
| MLS2001 | Spanish Language, Written and Oral | 30 |
| MLS2156 | Spanish Language (ex-beginners) | 30 |
Optional modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Combined Hons MC Stage 2 Media and Communications Module Options 25-26 [See note d above] | ||
| CMM2008 | Communications Research Methods | 30 |
| CMM2010 | Professional Writing | 30 |
| CMM2012 | Communications and the Climate Crisis | 30 |
| CMM2014 | Design Thinking | 30 |
| CMM2016 | Economies of Engagement: Gamification and Platform Cultures | 30 |
| CMM2017 | Internet Foundations and Frontiers | 30 |
| CMM2018 | Media and the Law: Regulation, Governance, Ethics | 30 |
| EAF2502 | Shots in the Dark | 30 |
| ML and MC Stage 2 Language optional content modules 25-26 [See note e above] | ||
| MLF2012 | Evolution of the French Language | 15 |
| MLF2029 | Varieties of French | 15 |
| MLF2056 | Provoking Thoughts - French Literature and Philosophy from the Renaissance to the 20th Century | 15 |
| MLF2063 | Crime and Punishment in French Fiction | 15 |
| MLF2065 | Contemporary French Film: Issues and Debates | 15 |
| MLF2066 | Intimate Spaces of the French Enlightenment | 15 |
| MLF2069 | East is East? Cross-Cultural Encounters in Medieval French Literature | 15 |
| MLF2070 | Violence and Virtue: Early Modern French Theatre | 15 |
| MLF2074 | Translating Exile: Contemporary Francophone Women Writers | 15 |
| MLF2076 | Subversive Texts: Baudelaire and Rachilde | 15 |
| MLG2003 | Youth and Age: Generations in German Fiction and Film | 15 |
| MLG2018 | Berlin - Culture, History and Politics | 15 |
| MLG2019 | Gender, Race and Migration in 20th and 21st-century German Literature | 15 |
| AHV2208 | Ideal Cities? Urban Cultures of Renaissance Italy | 15 |
| MLI2018 | Love (and Marriage?) in Contemporary Italian Film Comedy | 15 |
| MLM2002 | Politics of Contemporary China | 15 |
| MLM2010 | Reading China: from Mandarins to Revolutionists | 15 |
| MLP2002 | Portuguese as a Global Language | 15 |
| MLP2005 | Travelling Identities in the Lusophone World | 15 |
| MLR2021 | Understanding Russia | 15 |
| MLR2024 | Exploring Revolution: The Making of Soviet Society and Culture in the 1920s | 15 |
| MLS2045 | Federico Garcia Lorca: Theatre and Poetry | 15 |
| MLS2060 | Love and Death in Spanish Drama | 15 |
| MLS2061 | The Latin American Short Story | 15 |
| MLS2070 | Catalonia Is Not Spain? Modern Catalan Culture in Context | 15 |
| MLS2072 | Place and Identity in Contemporary Venezuelan Culture | 15 |
| MLS2158 | "What is Love? And Do I Need It?" An Introduction to Spanish Renaissance Love Poetry | 15 |
| MLS2159 | Key Modern Poets from Spain and Latin America | 15 |
| MLS2160 | Fiction in Post-War Spain: Voices of Conformity and Subversion | 15 |
| ML and MC Stage 2 optional modules 25-26 | ||
| SML2209 | Music in Medieval Europe | 15 |
| SML2244 | Multilingualism in Society | 15 |
| SML2246 | Intercultural Communication | 15 |
| HUM2000 | Humanities in the Workplace | 30 |
| HUM2001 | Humanities in the Workplace | 15 |
| HUM2004 | Making a Career in Publishing | 15 |
| HUM2005 | Tales of Freedom, Necessity and Providence | 15 |
If you choose the with International Placement variant of this course, your placement will take place in Year 3.
120 credit compulsory placement module
Compulsory modules
g - You must take one of these modules.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SML3010 | Work and Study Abroad [See note f above] | 120 |
| SML3020 | Study Abroad at a Partner University (with Assessment in the Foreign Language) [See note f above] | 120 |
| SML3025 | Internship Abroad Combined with Study at a Partner University Abroad [See note f above] | 120 |
Stage 3: 30 credits of compulsory dissertation, 30 credits of compulsory modules in your chosen language, 60 credits of optional modules including 30 credits of Media & Communications modules and 30 credits of optional modules consisting of content related to your chosen language.
Compulsory modules
Subject to choosing 120 credits in the stage overall, you must:
h Select a Dissertation in either Media & Communications or Modern Languages: either CMM3002 or CMM3003 or SML3030 (you cannot choose more than one module from this group).
i Select 30 credits of compulsory modules in your chosen language.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CMM3002 | Communications: Dissertation [See note h above] | 30 |
| CMM3003 | Communications: Practical Research Project [See note h above] | 30 |
| SML3030 | Extended Dissertation [See note h above] | 30 |
| Modern Languages Final Stage Compulsory Language Modules [See note i above] | ||
| MLM3111 | Advanced Chinese Language Skills | 30 |
| MLF3111 | Advanced French Language Skills | 30 |
| MLG3111 | Advanced German Language Skills | 30 |
| MLI3111 | Advanced Italian Language Skills | 30 |
| MLP3111 | Advanced Portuguese Language Skills | 30 |
| MLR3111 | Advanced Russian Language Skills | 30 |
| MLS3111 | Advanced Spanish Language Skills | 30 |
Optional modules
j Select 30 - 60 credits of optional Media & Communications modules
k select 0 – 30 credits of optional modules consisting of content related to your chosen language.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ML and MC Final Stage Media and Communications Module Options 25-26 [See note j above] | ||
| CMM3005 | Gender, Sexuality and Media | 30 |
| CMM3006 | Digital Inequalities | 30 |
| CMM3007 | Critical AI Studies | 30 |
| CMM3008 | Imagining Tech Futures for the Common Good | 30 |
| CMM3009 | Selling the Self: Influencer Culture and Digital Capitalism | 30 |
| CMM3010 | Social Media and Migration | 30 |
| EAF3515 | Something to See: War and Visual Media | 30 |
| EAF3518 | Queering British Film and Television | 30 |
| EAF3519 | Cinema in the Anthropocene | 30 |
| EAS3128 | Writing the Short Film | 30 |
| ML and MC Final Stage Language optional content modules 25-26 [See note k above] | ||
| MLF3006 | The Invention of Modern Love | 15 |
| MLF3034 | Sociolinguistics of French | 15 |
| MLF3046 | Dialectology in France | 15 |
| MLF3050 | Music, Poetry and Society at the Late Medieval French Court | 15 |
| MLF3075 | First-Person Outsiders in Modern French Literature | 15 |
| MLF3078 | Philosophers, Prophets and Mystics in French Culture | 15 |
| MLF3079 | Sex, Subversion and Censorship: Libertine Literature in Seventeenth-Century France | 15 |
| MLF3080 | Les Miserables from the Nineteenth Century to the Present Day | 15 |
| MLF3081 | Sexual Politics: Gender Dynamics in Early Modern France | 15 |
| MLG3036 | Dictatorships on Display: History Exhibitions in Germany and Austria | 15 |
| MLG3037 | Coping with Catastrophe: German Culture, Literature and Politics in the Interwar Years | 15 |
| MLG3040 | Sex, Sciences and the Arts | 15 |
| AHV3002 | Understanding Space in Renaissance Italy | 15 |
| MLI3032 | Italian Screen Audiences: Film and television history from below | 15 |
| MLI3199 | Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend | 15 |
| MLM3009 | China through the Lens: Cultural Translation and Self-Presentation | 15 |
| MLM3011 | China and the Third World: Foreign Relations and Nation Building in China in the Cold War Era | 15 |
| HUM3015 | The Place of Meaning: Gardens in Britain and China | 15 |
| MLP3002 | Afro-Brazil: Ideas of Africa in Brazilian Fiction | 15 |
| MLP3005 | Changing voices: tracing the development of Portuguese over time | 15 |
| MLR3026 | The Deceptive City: The Creation of St Petersburg in Russian Literature | 15 |
| MLR3027 | The Making of Underground Russia, 1825-1917 | 15 |
| MLS3037 | Women and Feminism in 20th Century Spain | 15 |
| MLS3057 | Cross Currents: Memory, Myth and Modernity in Latin America | 15 |
| MLS3067 | "Monster of Nature and Phoenix of Wits." An Introduction to the Work of Lope de Vega | 15 |
| MLS3068 | Staging Conflicts: Spanish Romantic Drama | 15 |
| MLS3112 | Spanish Modernists: Narratives of Identity, Gender and Nation | 15 |
| ML and MC Final Stage Neutral Optional modules 25-26 | ||
| SML3009 | Intercultural Communication in a Global World | 15 |
| SML3013 | Through the Language Lens: the Relationship between Language, Culture and the Mind | 15 |
| SML3031 | Advanced Translation Skills | 15 |
| SML3036 | Beyond Sex and the City: Becoming a Woman in Contemporary Western Cinema | 15 |
| SML3040 | Women in Translation: Gender and Publishing in the 21st Century | 15 |
| SML3041 | Green Matters in Modern Languages and Cultures | 15 |
| AHV3003 | The Face | 15 |
| HUM3002 | Aliens Abroad: Science Fiction in Global Literature | 15 |
| HUM3003 | Hacking the Humanities: How to Plan and Run Successful Digital Projects | 30 |
| HUM3003A | Hacking the Humanities: How to Plan and Run Successful Digital Projects | 15 |
| HUM3004 | Transforming the Tablet: Digital Approaches to Ancient Text and Artefact | 15 |
| HUM3015 | The Place of Meaning: Gardens in Britain and China | 15 |
| HUM3016 | Book Publishing: Principles of Book Commissioning, Editing and Design | 30 |
Fees
Tuition fees for 2025 entry
UK students: £9,535 per year
International students: £24,700 per year
Scholarships
The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year, such as our Exeter Excellence Scholarships*.
Financial support is also available for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, lower income households and other under-represented groups to help them access, succeed and progress through higher education.
* Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.
Learning and teaching
How will I learn?
The nature of learning at university involves considerable self-guided study and research. You will be taught through a combination of lectures and discussion-based seminars. We also support the development of team-based learning by organising students into study groups, and we make full use of both traditional learning resources and our virtual learning environment. Lecturers and tutors are all available to provide further support in one-to-one consultations.
Most of your work will be done in group and self-directed study: reading or viewing module material, writing essays or preparing for your seminars. Active participation in seminars develops important transferable skills such as good verbal and visual communication and effective interaction with other people. You will also develop a range of professional abilities, such as time management and team working, plus valuable critical, analytical and communication skills.
We are actively engaged in introducing new methods of learning and teaching, including the increasing use of interactive computer-based approaches to learning. Through our virtual learning environment, you can access detailed information about modules, and interact through activities such as discussion forums. You will also have access to online subscription databases and websites, such as Early English Books Online (EEBO), Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO), MLA FirstSearch and JSTOR.
Assessment
You will be assessed in a variety of ways but primarily through exams and coursework. Coursework includes essays, a dissertation and presentation work. The ratio of formal exam to coursework is on average 40:60.
Your first year doesn’t count towards your final degree classification, but you do have to pass it in order to progress.
Other/Extra-curricular opportunities
We provide an exciting range of special lectures and seminars by visiting academics and renowned writers, actors and film directors. In addition to your academic work, the student-run English Society organises book and poetry readings, film screenings and social events, providing an opportunity to meet students who share a love of literature, culture and the arts. Students from the English department are always active on the University student newspapers, radio and TV station and in the University’s drama groups.
Optional modules outside of this course
Each year, if you have optional modules available, you can take up to 30 credits in a subject outside of your course. This can increase your employability and widen your intellectual horizons.
Proficiency in a second subject
If you complete 60 credits of modules in specified subjects, you may have the words 'with proficiency in’ added to your degree title when you graduate.
Facilities
Students in the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
We are exceptionally lucky to have some fantastic facilities and resources on the Streatham Campus.
Special Collections
We have Special Collections relating to writers such as Agatha Christie, Daphne du Maurier, and William Golding, and we integrate these into our teaching so students can share the excitement we have when discovering new insights from manuscripts, letters, and business papers.
The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
Our unique film and popular culture resource, contains items going back hundreds of years. We regularly take students into its archives and think about the study of literature in relation to visual texts.
Digital Humanities Lab
Digital Humanities is increasingly important in all areas of humanities research, including history, archaeology, literatures and languages. This research space enables the examination, preservation and analysis of historical, literary and visual material. Facilities in the lab include:
- a flagship seminar room equipped with a 4.2-metre video wall, encouraging interactive engagement in a shared display space
- two state-of-the-art photography labs, including provision for the 2D digitisation of heritage material and primary sources
- an audio-visual lab with a recording studio and sound editing suite
- a MakerSpace equipped with 3D scanning and printing equipment
Your future
Professional experience
With practical modules on offer and opportunity to undertake professional placements, a degree in Communications and Modern Languages will give you plenty of opportunity to develop your professional portfolio which will give you the skills and experience needed to be successful in your chosen career.
Employer-valued skills this course develops
A Communications degree puts you in a great position to succeed in a range of careers. Oral and written communication is at the heart of our programme and you will learn to present your ideas in a variety of formats. You will also develop strong research and analytical skills and the ability to problem solve and make informed decisions. Through a balance of independent study and teamwork you will learn to manage your time and workload effectively.
Career paths
The programme will include module ‘Communications in the Workplace’, within which students will be encouraged to find work placements with providers in the communications and media sector, or projects which will enable them to carry out communication-related projects. In this module, students will undertake one or two work placements. The module will enable students to develop an understanding of how the skills and knowledge acquired as part of the degree apply to the workplace. Through reflexive practice, they will extend relevant work-based skills and knowledge. Students will have the opportunity to develop an understanding of a business or work environment through practical work and to gain experience in the use of technologies and applications commonly used in organisations.
Example careers
Graduates can expect to go on into roles in the following sectors:
- Advertising
- Digital Media
- Events Organisation
- Film-making
- International Relations
- Journalism
- Marketing
- Public Relations
- Research
- TV Production
