French and Hispanic Studies enables you to learn the language and culture of both France and the Spanish-speaking world.
French is native to France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and the French Caribbean, and is an official language in much of Africa and Asia. Outside Spain, Spanish is the official language of all countries in South and Central America except Brazil, and is widely spoken in many parts of North America.
Studying French and Hispanic Studies gives you the opportunity to become proficient in two major international languages, and complement your language learning with a broad understanding of history, literature and culture. Fluency in these two languages, combined with knowledge of political and cultural developments in Spanish- and French-speaking countries, opens up international career opportunities.
Studying at our Canterbury campus gives you a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in both languages. There is a large community of French and Spanish-speaking students on campus, and our proximity to airports, the Channel ports and the Eurostar terminals at Ashford and Ebbsfleet make it quick and easy to get to Paris, Brussels and Lille, and from there to the rest of mainland Europe.
A number of our staff are native speakers and our facilities include multimedia laboratories, which offer a variety of interactive language learning programmes and dictionaries, and access to audio, video and computer-assisted language learning.
You are required to spend a year working or studying abroad between your second and final year of study. In previous years, students have studied at our partner institutions in a country appropriate to their programme of study (for French and Hispanic Studies this is usually six months in each country). You’ll develop your language skills, grow in self-confidence, gain a new academic perspective, and enhance your employability.
French and Hispanic Studies is an ideal combination of subjects to enable you gain a broad cultural understanding and to embark on an international career.
Dr William Rowlandson, Senior Lecturer in Latin American Studies, discusses the range of opportunities available for students in Hispanic Studies.
Please also see our general entry requirements.
BBB including B in either French or Spanish
The University will not necessarily make conditional offers to all Access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis.
If we make you an offer, you will need to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above.
The University will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF; OCR) on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us for further advice on your individual circumstances. A typical offer would be to achieve DMM plus an A-level in French or Spanish at B.
34 points overall or 15 points at HL including French or Spanish HL A1/A2/B at 4/5/5 or SL A1/A2/B at 5/6/6
N/A
International students should visit our International Student website for further specific information. International fee-paying students who require a Student visa cannot study part-time due to visa restrictions.
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
If you need to improve your English language standard as a condition of your offer, you can attend one of our pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes before starting your degree programme. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.
Duration: 4 years full-time
The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
On most programmes, you study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also be able to take ‘elective’ modules from other programmes so you can customise your programme and explore other subjects that interest you.
Going abroad as part of your degree is an amazing experience and a chance to develop personally, academically and professionally. You experience a different culture, gain a new academic perspective, establish international contacts and enhance your employability.
All French and Hispanic Studies students are required to spend a Year Abroad between Stages 2 and 3, evenly split between two countries where the respective languages are spoken. You are expected to adhere to any academic progression requirements in Stage 2 to proceed to the Year Abroad. If the requirement is not met, you may have to postpone your Year Abroad.
The Year Abroad is assessed on a pass/fail basis and will not count towards your final degree classification. You spend the year working as an English language assistant or in approved employment, or studying at one of our partner universities. For a full list of our partner universities, please visit Go Abroad.
The 2021/22 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.
Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.
Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Search scholarshipsKent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.
You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.
Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence.
The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.
You take compulsory language modules, including small group work with a native speaker. We also make extensive use of computer-assisted language learning packages and audio and video materials. Culture and literature modules typically involve a weekly two-hour seminar plus essay supervision. We employ six French language lectors to help students improve their fluency.
At all stages, assessment is based 100% on coursework (essays, oral presentations) in the first half of the year, and a combination of coursework and examination in the second half of the year. Credits from your year abroad count towards your final degree.
All Spanish language modules involve three hours teaching each week, with the exception of the beginners’ language modules at Stages 1 and 2 which involve four hours. They include small group seminars, conversation classes run by a native speaker, short lectures in Spanish, work in a language laboratory and work on computer-assisted language learning materials. The culture and literature modules normally involve a one-hour lecture and a one-hour seminar each week.
Stage 1 is assessed by 100% coursework (essays, class participation) in some modules, and a 50:50 combination of coursework and examination in others. Stage 2/3: depending on the modules you select, assessment varies from 100% coursework (extended essays), to a combination of examination and coursework, in the ratio 60:40 or 80:20.
For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours. The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
For programme aims and learning outcomes please see the programmes specification for each subject below. Please note that outcomes will depend on your specific module selection:
Of final-year French students who completed the National Student Survey 2021, 91% were satisfied with the quality of teaching on their course.
Of final-year Hispanic Studies students who completed the National Student Survey 2021, 92% were satisfied with the quality of teaching on their course.
French at Kent was ranked 8th for graduate prospects and scored 92% overall in The Complete University Guide 2021.Iberian Languages at Kent scored 91% overall in The Complete University Guide 2021.The ability to speak two European languages other than English is a key asset in the global employment market, and companies view a graduate with overseas experience as more employable. Through your studies, you also acquire many of the transferable skills considered essential by graduate employers. These include the ability to work independently and as part of a team, the confidence to offer creative solutions when faced with challenges and the ability to express your ideas with clarity and passion.
There are numerous employment prospects open to languages graduates, and popular choices include teaching either French or Spanish, or teaching English as a foreign language; translation and interpreting, working in international organisations and going into the Armed Forces. Further study options often include a PGCE, TEFL, a PhD or Master's in various aspects of language and culture, or another subject altogether.
British Council Teaching Assistantships are available to year abroad students spending their year abroad in Spain and France. The French department also has places for Kent graduates to teach English at various universities in France.
This course page is for the 2021/22 academic year. Please visit the current online prospectus for a list of undergraduate courses we offer.
T: +44 (0)1227 768896
T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk
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