Modern Languages

Our classes are smaller than most making is much easier for you to get to know fellow students and teaching staff. Outside the classroom we organise trips and social events for our students. There is also space for you to relax and study with fellow language students in our dedicated resources room, chill room or at our Language Centre. The LangSoc is also a big part of our community here, a society which organises events centred around film, food and the cultures of languages. 

We don’t mind admitting that the Year Abroad is one of the most exciting parts of your degree! You can spend time in a country where the language you study is widely spoken to improve your language skills. We have over 30 partner universities in Europe and China with a range of destinations ranging from large capital cities to smaller, more rural locations. You can also choose to work abroad, you can apply to be a language assistant on the British Council Language Assistant scheme or look for your own placement. 

We know that the Year Abroad can seem like a big deal so we make sure you are well-prepared with a schedule of events and dedicated coordinators for each language who will keep in touch while you are away. Our International Exchanges Office and Money Support Team are on hand to help negotiate the paperwork and to make sure you get the most out of the year. 

There are many transferable skills you’ll gain whilst studying at Bangor University. Alongside developing your skills in French, Spanish, German, Italian or Chinese you’ll learn about the culture of countries giving you a global outlook and cultural awareness. Writing, reading and speaking to a high standard are all key skills you’ll gain but the ability to research and manage large amounts of information, analyse arguments and understand cultural nuances, and work effectively independently and as part of a team are also skills you can expect to gain. 

Studying French, Spanish, German, Italian or Chinese can open doors to a range of careers. Some of our graduates have gone on to teaching, translating, sports commentating and banking. Our Language Buddy scheme which pairs up Bangor students with exchange students from our partner universities to practice their language skills and make new friends is an excellent addition to your CV! 

At Bangor University we don’t require that you have studied a language at A Level. All our programmes have two pathways where you can continue your A Level studies at a more advanced level or choose the beginners pathway. This gives you flexibility, you could choose to learn a new language with us or continue with one language from A Level and learn a new language. For example, if you studies French in A Level but want to have a go at learning Italian you can do. You’ll go onto the ‘Post A Level’ pathway for French and ‘Beginners’ pathway for Italian. And remember at Bangor you can study up to three languages at the same time! 

We like to keep our degrees as flexible as possible. If you choose to undertake three languages in your first year, you can decide at the end of year one if you want to continue with all three or take it down to two or one language. We also have a range of optional modules that explore cultures, you can also choose to undertake modules from the wider university (subject to availability). For example, you may want to undertake a module in creative writing, music or psychology. 

Most of our modern languages degree have a year abroad embedded within the course, however you can choose not to study overseas as part of our 3 year Modern Languages Studies degree.