We welcome applications from the United States of America
We've put together information and resources to guide your application journey as a student from the United States of America.
Overview
Top reasons to study with us
3
3rd for French
The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide (2026)
5
5th for German
The Complete University Guide (2026)
7
7th for Iberian Languages
The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide (2026)
Unlock opportunities, think globally, and embrace your passion for languages. You’ll graduate with expertise in two or more languages, in-depth cultural knowledge and practical experience. These are powerful assets in our complex multilingual world. Combined with the strong collaboration, communication and leadership skills you’ll develop on this course, you’re sure to stand out to employers on the world stage.
Choose up to four languages. From French, German and Spanish at all levels, and Chinese and Italian at beginners/intermediate level.
Why Lancaster?
Study up to four languages from beginners/intermediate or advanced levels through a combination of flexible pathways, helping you become a multi-lingual graduate
Engage in an interactive, collaborative approach to learning supported by our world-leading academic experts
Benefit from an internationally recognised qualification framework, helping you develop the skills and confidence to work as a language and cultures specialist, either in the UK or abroad
Study languages alongside important global affairs issues such as environmental challenges and climate change, politics, health and human rights
Embrace the opportunity to live, study or work abroad during your degree, giving you the chance to immerse yourself in your chosen country or countries
Choose your Language. Choose your Level
Studying Languages and Global Cultures at Lancaster gives you the flexibility to choose up to four languages at various levels. You can choose to study French, German and Spanish at all levels and Chinese and Italian at beginners/intermediate level.
Modelled on the Common European Framework of Reference for languages and HSK proficiency levels, this course allows you to follow a progressional ladder on an internationally recognised scale, ensuring you become a multi-lingual graduate in at least two languages.
A global and future-orientated approach
This programme offers an innovative, flexible and global approach to modern languages and cultures. You will explore the past, present, and future of global cultures, analysing major global issues and activating your languages and cultural knowledge to shape responses to these challenges.
Alongside language development, you will study topics such as the climate emergency, global health crises, human rights, and community engagement. You will learn how these topics intersect with issues of race, gender, sexuality, disability, and belief across diverse language communities around the world.
Your language learning will be enriched by cultural studies, covering film, visual media, literature, art, and history, providing a comprehensive understanding of the societal contexts of your chosen languages.
Additionally, you will investigate the future of global languages, the opportunities of emerging technologies and the evolving career opportunities for language specialists.
Preparing for your career
With a strong focus on skills and employability, this programme will ensure you acquire transferable multilingual skills and attributes that are attractive to employers. As a multilingual graduate you will gain enhanced cognitive abilities, improved memory skills and develop your capacity for decision-making.
Speaking different languages also allows for the exchange of ideas, increases empathy, and allows access to different perspectives, attributes that are highly desirable to employers.
Many of these attributes will aid you in developing skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, negotiation, and research analysis, all of which are desirable to international companies and organisations.
In year three you will put these skills into practice by spending a minimum of three months abroad, working, teaching or studying in your chosen country. Alternatively, you can opt to work for an overseas company in the UK.
There are also opportunities for working on school, charity, and community projects in the UK in your non-core languages in your final year.
Spending up to a year abroad is an integral and assessed part of our language degrees.
Through studying, teaching or working overseas, engaging globally gives you the opportunity to improve your language proficiency, broaden your cultural knowledge and gain transferable skills that are much valued by employers.
The Global Engagement Year is compulsory for students taking Chinese, French, German or Spanish as a core language. Please note that we have a flexible approach to supporting students with specific educational needs with this year.
We offer flexibility to split your time abroad between different activities.
You can choose to study courses taught in your target language at one of our partner universities.
If you are studying Chinese, you will be able to study or undertake a work placement in a Chinese language environment.
Work placements
We offer flexibility to split your time abroad between different activities.
You may wish to spend your Global Engagement Year on a work placement for a company or as a Language Assistant for the British Council. This adds invaluable work experience to your academic skills.
We provide plenty of support to identify opportunities and secure an internship.
Work with the British Council
You may apply to spend your Global Engagement Year working as a Language Assistant with the British Council.
This role involves supporting the teaching of English in a school or university, planning activities and producing resources to help students improve their English as well as introducing UK contemporary culture through classroom and extra-curricular activities.
You may also support the running of international projects and activities.
The student experience
Our students share their experiences of spending a year abroad, the skills they gained and learning how to become more independent.
Support
We aim to offer a range of support including:
Regular preparation meetings and a dedicated preparation course
All aspects covered: organisational, social and cultural, health and safety
We take your health and safety seriously and make sure that you feel fully prepared for any issues that may arise during your placement.
Careers
By studying Languages and Global Cultures at Lancaster, you will graduate with a multi-lingual, multicultural set of skills that will help open doors to a wide range of career destinations. Language graduates are in high demand in roles which require collaboration, communication, leadership skills, and critical thinking, as well as intercultural competencies and creativity.
Graduates of this programme might choose to pursue careers in roles such as:
Intelligence Analyst Linguist
Global Supply Chain Manager
Management Consultant
Translator or Interpreter
Language Teacher
Marketing Specialist
Journalist
Book Editor
Civil Servant
Security Service Personnel
Cultural Consultant
Museum or Gallery Educator
This programme will also prepare you to move into more advanced study including one of the School of Global Affairs’ master’s programmes:
Our degrees open up an extremely wide array of career pathways in businesses and organisations, large and small, in the UK and overseas.
We run a paid internship scheme specifically for our arts, humanities and social sciences students, supported by a specialist Employability Team. The team offer individual consultations and tailored application guidance, as well as careers events, development opportunities, and resources.
Whether you have a clear idea of your potential career path or need some help considering the options, our friendly team is on hand.
Lancaster is unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which recognises activities such as work experience, community engagement or volunteering and social development. A valuable addition to your CV!
Find out more about Lancaster’s careers events, extensive resources and personal support for Careers and Employability.
Careers
Find out about some of the careers our alumni have entered into after graduation.
Entry requirements
These are the typical grades that you will need to study this course. This section will tell you whether you need qualifications in specific subjects, what our English language requirements are, and if there are any extra requirements such as attending an interview or submitting a portfolio.
Qualifications and typical requirements accordion
ABB. This should include grade B in either French, German or Spanish, or GCSE grade 6/B in a foreign language.
Our typical entry requirement would be 30 in Level 3 credits at Distinction plus 15 Level 3 credits at Merit, but you would need to have appropriate evidence of language ability.
We accept the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales in place of one A level, or equivalent qualification, as long as any subject requirements are met.
DDM accepted alongside appropriate evidence of language ability.
Our typical entry requirement would be A level grade B plus BTEC(s) at DD, or A levels at grade BB plus BTEC at D. This should include grade B in either French, German or Spanish, or GCSE grade 6/B in a foreign language.
32 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 HL subjects. This should include 6 in HL French, German or Spanish or appropriate evidence of language learning ability.
We are happy to admit applicants on the basis of five Highers, but where we require a specific subject at A level, we will typically require an Advanced Higher in that subject. If you do not meet the grade requirement through Highers alone, we will consider a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers in separate subjects. Please contact the Admissions team for more information.
Distinction overall accepted alongside appropriate evidence of language ability.
Important information
You will not be able to study a language if you are an L1 speaker of that language, or if you are fluent above CEFR B2. You will typically not be able to study a language from beginners' level if you have studied it to A level or equivalent. If you have studied a language to A level, we would expect you to have achieved at least grade B. If you have not studied a language to A level or equivalent, we would typically accept a GCSE 6/B as meeting the language requirement.
Help from our Admissions team
If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, complete our enquiry form and one of the team will get back to you.
Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.
Contextual admissions
Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.
Course structure
We continually review and enhance our curriculum to ensure we are delivering the best possible learning experience, and to make sure that the subject knowledge and transferable skills you develop will prepare you for your future. The University will make every reasonable effort to offer programmes and modules as advertised. In some cases, changes may be necessary and may result in new modules or some modules and combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
Take your chosen language from beginners' level and, over the academic year, reach a high A2 level on the CEFR scale for the European Languages, and HSK 2/3 for Chinese.
By the end of the year, you’ll be able to engage with everyday life situations such as describing your environment, express preferences and discuss past events or future plans in simple terms.
In seminars you will cover a range of oral, aural, written, and reading skills in an integrated way that embraces techniques of linguistic mediation and the plurilingual contexts of each language. The study of the cultural, social and historical context is embedded in the language learning, under the umbrella themes: Discovering Languages and Cultures and Locating the Global.
You will begin by focusing on linguistic discovery, invention and growth and move on to locating language-specific places, landscapes, and communities. You will also be introduced to key translation techniques.
Please note: Italian is not available for students taking BA Psychology and Languages.
Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish
In this year-long module you will progress to B1/B2 on the CEFR scale and HSK 4/5 for Chinese.
By the end of the year, you’ll be able to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in fields of specialisation. You will be able to interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity with native speakers, including facilitating intercultural encounters.
You will be exposed to a wide range of authentic materials in the target language, varying in terms of content, format and register aimed at broadening and deepening your understanding of different aspects of modern society, politics and culture, global issues and institutions.
The study of the cultural, social and historical context is embedded in the language learning within overarching themes. You will begin by focusing on issues relating to people, power and places and move on to exploring centres, peripheries and mobilities.
Please note: Italian is not available for students taking BA Psychology and Languages.
Deepen your knowledge of the interplay between languages, cultures, and power through exploring topics such as colonisation, endangered languages, artificial intelligence, nationhood, multilingualism, translation and migrations. You’ll now take one or more of these themes and carry out an applied investigative project which relates your chosen topics to global and local cultural developments.
You will immerse yourself in interactive, scenario-based discussions, in a way that is problem-solving, inclusive, creative, and aware of the urgency of twenty-first century challenges. Through class discussion and independent learning, you will encounter broader critical areas, such as queer studies, border studies, translation memoirs and government language policy.
Optional
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In order to ask questions about the way language works in society, how it connects with the mind/brain or how it is acquired by computers, you first need to know something about the foundational elements of language. This module will introduce you to the building blocks of human language.
You will learn about sounds in language, how they are pronounced and how they can be combined to form words. We will teach you about the way words themselves are structured. You’ll also explore how language puts words together to build sentences of different types and how sentences express meaning, in isolation and in context.
By the end of the module, you will be familiar with the essentials of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics. This knowledge will enable you to study those areas in more detail, as well as other areas of linguistics or English language studies which build on them.
Gain a nuanced understanding of the forces driving change in the international system and their implications for global order and human security. You will acquire the tools to navigate and contribute to a complex and interconnected world. The module moves beyond traditional state-centric perspectives to explore the complex interplay of actors, structures and processes shaping our world.
You will delve into global governance and address the emergence of new security threats, while tackling shifting power-dynamics at both the national and international level. Throughout the module, you will engage with a variety of case studies that illustrate the complexities of these global issues.
Through debates and discussions, you will engage in critical thinking, develop your communication skills, and grapple with the ethical and political dimensions of global challenges.
History of Western Philosophy: Ideas that Shaped the West
From questions about truth, justice, and knowledge to debates over freedom, power, and human purpose - how has philosophical inquiry shaped cultural, political, and scientific life across centuries?
In this module you will explore the major ideas and traditions that have guided the development of Western thought. Specific thinkers examined will vary from year to year, but they will include philosophers whose ideas have helped shape philosophical viewpoints, categories and boundaries in the western philosophical tradition. You will be encouraged to think about the problems and limitations of different thinkers’ approaches, and their impact on the way we practice and understand the boundaries and scope of philosophy today, asking questions of them such as:
How did these thinkers conceive of philosophy and its task?
How did they conceive of being and reality?
How did they understand truth and how did they think it could be discovered?
How did they set the agenda for philosophical debates in the West from the past to the present?
By the end of this module, you will have learnt to think with, rather than about some of these influential thinkers, while reflecting on how the concepts that forged the past continue to frame the challenges of our present and the possibilities of our future.
Learn how to analyse highly contemporary political events and trends, and develop the vital critical skills required to be able to put them into context. You will also discover how to relate these issues to core empirical questions and debates within academic research on politics. Taking a problem-based learning approach, you’ll use evidence to evaluate competing explanations for recent political developments.
These may include:
Democracy and elections
Political leadership
The state and globalisation
Structural inequalities
Political institutions
Public opinion and protest.
Lancaster’s politics experts have extensive expertise across different regions of the globe and we are quick to respond to contemporary global political trends. This means you will be able to directly connect current political events and your own political interests. You will learn to critically reflect on the different types of empirical evidence political experts use to study politics, including polling, rhetoric, discourse and case studies.
Core
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Encounter changes in society, culture, and politics in multilingual contexts, across time and across the planet, as well as relevant ideas and analytical terminology, such as ‘world’, ‘global’, and ‘planetary’.
You will approach planetary histories of societies and cultures by exploring the relationship between:
Culture, language, and power
Language histories
Histories of translation and multilingualism
Cultural encounters
The global histories of the study of languages
You will draw on a variety of cultural texts, including films, novels, plays, poetry, songs or graphic novels.
You will develop your skills and use of terminology in whole cohort workshops and plenaries. In smaller groups, seminars you will study specific geographical areas, regions, and languages. You will develop the skills you need to study literatures, cultures, and societies and to research and write your final year dissertation or project.
Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish
In this year-long module you will progress to B1/B2 on the CEFR scale and HSK 4/5 for Chinese.
By the end of the year, you’ll be able to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in fields of specialisation. You will be able to interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity with native speakers, including facilitating intercultural encounters.
You will be exposed to a wide range of authentic materials in the target language, varying in terms of content, format and register aimed at broadening and deepening your understanding of different aspects of modern society, politics and culture, global issues and institutions.
The study of the cultural, social and historical context is embedded in the language learning within overarching themes. You will begin with a focus on issues relating to people, power and places, and move on to exploring centres, peripheries and mobilities.
French, German, Italian and Spanish
Progress to B2 level on the CEFR scale by the end of the year. You will develop a range of oral, aural, written and reading skills in an integrated way that embraces techniques of linguistic mediation and the plurilingual contexts of each language. By the end of the year, you’ll be able to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics and interact with native speakers in a range of situations. You will be able to produce clear, detailed texts on a wide range of subjects including explaining viewpoints on topical issues.
The study of cultural, social, and historical context is embedded in the language learning within overarching themes. You will begin by exploring social justice and move on to studying cultural translation.
Please note: Italian is not available for students taking BA Psychology and Languages.
Take your chosen language from beginners' level and, over the academic year, reach a high A2 level on the CEFR scale for the European Languages, and HSK 2/3 for Chinese.
By the end of the year, you’ll be able to engage with everyday life situations such as describing your environment, express preferences and discuss past events or future plans in simple terms.
In seminars you will cover a range of oral, aural, written, and reading skills in an integrated way that embraces techniques of linguistic mediation and the plurilingual contexts of each language. The study of the cultural, social and historical context is embedded in the language learning, under the umbrella themes: Discovering Languages and Cultures and Locating the Global.
You will begin by focusing on linguistic discovery, invention and growth and move on to locating language-specific places, landscapes, and communities. You will also be introduced to key translation techniques.
Explore the two things that make us human – body and mind. Historians once regarded mind and body as the same across time and place. But more recently, historians have challenged this assumption, showing that changing societies have led people to experience mind and body in radically different ways.
You will explore patterns of continuity and change from the medieval to modern periods by investigating key themes such as:
How ideas about mind and body have impacted gender, race and social class
Violence and injury
Sexuality and gender identity
Changing experiences of disability and transformations in attitudes to healthcare
You’ll build the skills to historicise mind and body through innovative methodologies such as:
Disability studies
Histories of health and medical humanities
Gender and sexuality studies
Histories of clothing and bodily adornment
Interdisciplinary approaches including osteoarchaeology
Recent developments in material culture
The study of lived experience
Move beyond introductory concepts to explore film theory in depth, examining how films construct meaning through form, representation, and audience engagement.
You will critically assess cinema’s relationship with artistic expression and spectatorship, engaging with complex debates that have shaped film scholarship since the medium’s inception. Focusing on advanced theoretical analysis, this module equips you with the conceptual knowledge and critical vocabulary to interpret films using semiotic, psychoanalytic, formalist, philosophical and cognitivist approaches.
You will explore key concepts such as cinematic modernism, subjectivity in film perception and cinema’s evolving relationship with philosophy. The module fosters independent critical engagement with the works of influential theorists, deepening your understanding of theoretical frameworks.
By applying these perspectives to a range of case studies, you will refine your ability to conduct detailed textual analysis. By the end of the module, you will have developed sophisticated theoretical and analytical skills essential for higher-level film study.
In this examination of the evolving landscape of global power, we identify the forces challenging the world’s leading nations and explore the fluid nature of influence in the 21st century.
We will analyse the shifting balance of power, explore the relative decline of traditional superpowers and the simultaneous rise of new actors on the global stage.
You’ll be encouraged to consider how economic, military, and cultural influence is being reconfigured in a multipolar world, reshaping traditional understandings of world order. Crucially, we will also analyse the internal and external pressures these powers face, form rising regional actors, to the evolving nature of global threats, and the erosion of traditional power structures.
Through different case studies and theoretical frameworks, you will gain a nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between rising and established powers and the implications for global stability and future orders.
This module offers a critical introduction to the complex political landscapes of regions in the Global South, exploring how historical, economic and social forces have shaped contemporary states and societies.
You will examine colonial legacies and their lasting influence on political institutions, and the impact of external interventions on regions. The module also investigates the consequences of neoliberal economic reforms, the challenges faced during democratization processes, narratives of ‘development,’ and the dynamics of armed conflict and peacebuilding.
Consideration is given to grassroots activism as well as the role of regional integration and cooperation in shaping political and economic outcomes. Through these themes, you will develop a sophisticated understanding of power, resistance and development in the Global South.
Hone a strong sense of purpose and gain the satisfaction of applying your skills and knowledge to a community, charity or student-led initiative.
Your challenge will be to take responsibility for arranging and completing a voluntary or fundraising activity—locally, virtually or during vacation periods at home. You will need to show that you have made a positive difference through this activity.
In class, you will be asked to reflect on this experience and explore the wider social impact of the work. In doing so you will build your confidence in your ability to contribute meaningfully to society through your future personal and professional path.
You are invited to collaborate in an interdisciplinary team with other students as you explore major global challenges such as climate change, inequality or emerging technologies.
Throughout the module you will examine how the humanities, arts and social sciences contribute to understanding and addressing complex issues. Classroom discussions and activities focus on the process of identifying problems and considering innovative, ethical responses, while helping you to consider and articulate the relevance of this work to your personal and professional development.
Explore how ideas can be developed into real-world projects with lasting value. Through hands-on collaboration and problem-solving, you will develop innovative projects, learn how to bring ideas to life and explore ways to sustain them.
Whether you are working in a team or individually, you will be encouraged to experiment with different approaches to making a difference in artistic, cultural, social and community spaces.
Core
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Spend an academic year abroad engaging with the communities of the relevant language (s) studied. This can be at a partner university, working in industry, with an NGO or other charitable projects, in an entrepreneurial activity or teaching English as a foreign language. A combination of activities is also possible.
If you have educational needs, you may complete the year with online work or placement based in the UK if the work utilises the language you are studying.
You design your Global Engagement Year during your second year, supported by a series of workshops and one-to-one sessions with a pre-departure supervisor. Once abroad, you will remain in contact with the supervisor and produce a reflective portfolio in the language(s) studied as you progress.
Core
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Chinese, French, German and Spanish
Build on the language competencies and expertise you have gained during the Global Engagement Year and progress to C1/C2 on the CEFR level for the European languages or HSK 6/7 for Chinese.
By the end of the year, you will be able to understand and produce a wide range of complex, longer texts, recognise implicit meaning and show controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
You will be able to express yourself spontaneously, flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. You will cover areas such as future threats to specified language communities, opportunities to advocate and promote languages, and adaptation to changes to living languages, such as shifts in formal and informal communication and preservation or borrowing from other languages.
The study of the cultural, social and historical context is embedded in the study of the language under umbrella themes. You will begin by exploring routes, origins and tongues and then move on to studying bodies.
Undertake an extended, in-depth individual project that will typically taking one of the following formats: a discursive dissertation; a translation dissertation; or dissertation by practice.
Indicative topics for discursive dissertations:
The role of languages and cultures in tackling global challenges
Language and technology, or future language pedagogies
Futures of translation and interpreting
Indicative topics for translation dissertations:
Conventional or creative translation project with critical translator’s commentary. Theories and practices may include eco-translation, AI and machine translation, or creative-critical translation
Examples for the “by practice” route:
A policy report based on working with minority language communities in the local area
Creative work: creative writing in the target language or multilingually; a short film; an installation, etc.
A portfolio of teaching materials
You will be given feedback and supported through work-in-progress workshops.
Take your chosen language from beginners' level and, over the academic year, reach a high A2 level on the CEFR scale for the European Languages, and HSK 2/3 for Chinese.
By the end of the year, you’ll be able to engage with everyday life situations such as describing your environment, express preferences and discuss past events or future plans in simple terms.
In seminars you will cover a range of oral, aural, written, and reading skills in an integrated way that embraces techniques of linguistic mediation and the plurilingual contexts of each language. The study of the cultural, social and historical context is embedded in the language learning, under the umbrella themes: Discovering Languages and Cultures and Locating the Global.
You will begin by focusing on linguistic discovery, invention and growth and move on to locating language-specific places, landscapes, and communities. You will also be introduced to key translation techniques.
Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish
In this year-long module you will progress to B1/B2 on the CEFR scale and HSK 4/5 for Chinese.
By the end of the year, you’ll be able to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in fields of specialisation. You will be able to interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity with native speakers, including facilitating intercultural encounters.
You will be exposed to a wide range of authentic materials in the target language, varying in terms of content, format and register aimed at broadening and deepening your understanding of different aspects of modern society, politics and culture, global issues and institutions.
The study of the cultural, social and historical context is embedded in the language learning within overarching themes. You will begin with a focus on issues relating to people, power and places, and move on to exploring centres, peripheries and mobilities.
Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Progress to B2 level on the CEFR scale and HSK 5 for Chinese in this year-long module. You will develop a range of oral, aural, written and reading skills in an integrated way that embraces techniques of linguistic mediation and the plurilingual contexts of each language. By the end of the year, you’ll be able to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics and interact with native speakers in a range of situations. You will be able to produce clear, detailed texts on a wide range of subjects including explaining viewpoints on topical issues.
The umbrella theme of these modules is ‘self, body and other’. You will begin by exploring linguistic roots and variations and then move on to focus on the body. In terms of translation, you will pay particular attention to texts that embrace feminist, queer and disabled identities.
Combine a placement with learning important personal, social and work-based skills. You’ll spend part of your time at your placement organisation and part in workshops. Here you will participate in and reflect on models of learning; self-assessment of learning styles; your own skills and your own attributes and preferences, including an exploration of linguistic and cross-cultural skills. You’ll also explore business and professional skills in practice such as self-management, communication skills in practice, problem solving and team working. If you are undertaking a school placement, you will be trained in safeguarding and protection.
Your placement may be arranged so that you complete this over the period of the course or you can arrange a block placement over a two-week period during the vacation. You will receive some preparation for the placement before the module begins. Examples of placements may include:
Local school
School abroad
Translation company
Research project
Charity/NGO
Small or medium enterprise needing internationalization support
Examining the evolution of film genres in a global context, this module focuses on the ways contemporary filmmakers innovate within established and classic genre traditions. You will analyse key genres (which may include Science Fiction, Horror and Comic Book films), considering their artistic, industrial and technological developments across different cinematic traditions.
Through case studies, you will explore how genre conventions adapt to national and transnational influences, addressing topics such as digital effects and world-building, genre hybridity and the role of franchises in global media. The module also considers how streaming platforms, audience reception and fan cultures shape contemporary genre filmmaking.
By the end of the module, you will have gained an advanced understanding of modern genre as a dynamic cinematic form. You will be equipped with critical and analytical skills essential for further research or careers in film criticism, curation and media industries.
Examining a wide range of texts and authors from early periods to the age of the climate crisis, this module will explore the many and various ways in which the non-human world is celebrated, championed and exploited by the literary imagination.
You will explore questions such as:
What do we mean by the ‘the environment’?
What experiences, meanings and values do we take from, or discover in our surroundings?
How have writers characterised the environment and in what ways might the literary imagination be significant for contemporary environmental concerns?
Why do we see gaps between what politicians say on immigration and what they do?
In the United Kingdom and in most of the Global North the movement of people across international borders is a key political issue of our time. The public, researchers and politicians across the political spectrum participate in passionate debates about immigration. Political parties make strong claims about how they would “manage” or “cut” migration, recognising that it is a key voting issue.
Meanwhile, the systematic study of human movement supplies us with robust evidence concerning such questions as:
Is migration desirable or not?
How should we understand its effects on origin and destination countries?
How to address it in policy terms?
Is migration a matter of human rights?
Can border control be reconciled with respect for the rights of people on the move?
The module draws on cutting edge research in political science, international relations and similar fields. It equips you with fact-based evidence so that you can confidently participate in the ongoing societal debate on what it means to inhabit a world on the move.
What do we understand by queerness? Looking back at earlier interpretations, we imagine how queerness might evolve—how it might be lived, felt and understood in the future.
You will explore queer futures from a range of perspectives and viewpoints, while examining both feminist and queer theory, as well as queer media and cultural texts and material relating to areas such as activism, politics and healthcare.
What are the possibilities and pitfalls of community and citizen action, voice and agency? This module uses interdisciplinary case-studies to critically examine collaboration with communities.
You will participate in activities such as a mock citizens' assembly, visit local community groups and hear different points of view from a range of guest speakers on concepts like power, race, gender, class, affect and justice.
How might we engage with the implications of environmental transformation locally, nationally and globally? Where do we have agency and capacity to intervene?
This module brings together a range of perspectives—historical, political, philosophical and cultural—to explore the nature and severity of the effects of the climate crisis on our world.
What happens when radically different forms of art meet? How do these fused forms change our understanding of the world? We will draw on material from different periods and continents, to explore works of art where, for example, film meets history, poetry meets philosophy, fine art meets sociology, religion meets fiction, and theatre meets politics.
Fees and funding
We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2027/28
entry fees have not yet been set.
The International Placement Year is mandatory for language programmes and typically costs include: travel to placement country or countries; travel documents – passport, VISA or work permit (if required); proof of funds (if required); accommodation while working overseas; travel to place of work while overseas unless this is paid by the employer. It is possible that there may be further costs e.g. for required documentation, however these are not typical. There may be opportunities to apply for funding and/or a bursary that would help to cover these costs.
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
College fees
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small college membership fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.
For students starting in 2026, the one-time fee for undergraduates and postgraduate research students is £40. For postgraduate taught students, the one-time fee is £15.
Computer equipment and internet access
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
Study abroad courses
In addition to travel and accommodation costs, while you are studying abroad, you will need to have a passport and, depending on the country, there may be other costs such as travel documents (e.g. visa or work permit) and any tests and vaccines that are required at the time of travel. Some countries may require proof of funds.
Placement and industry year courses
In addition to possible commuting costs during your placement, you may need to buy clothing that is suitable for your workplace and you may have accommodation costs. Depending on the employer and your job, you may have other costs such as copies of personal documents required by your employer for example.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
Home fees are subject to annual review, and are liable to rise each year in line with UK government policy. International fees (including EU) are reviewed annually and are not fixed for the duration of your studies. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
We will charge tuition fees to Home undergraduate students on full-year study abroad/work placements in line with the maximum amounts permitted by the Department for Education. The current maximum levels are:
Students studying abroad for a year: 15% of the standard tuition fee
Students taking a work placement for a year: 20% of the standard tuition fee
International students on full-year study abroad/work placements will also be charged in line with the maximum amounts permitted by the Department for Education. The current maximum levels are:
Students studying abroad for a year: 15% of the standard international tuition fee during the Study Abroad year
Students taking a work placement for a year: 20% of the standard international tuition fee during the Placement year
Please note that the maximum levels chargeable in future years may be subject to changes in Government policy.
Scholarships and bursaries
You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.
You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status:
Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.
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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.
The information on this site relates primarily to the stated entry year and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.
The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.
More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.
Our Students’ Charter
We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. Find out more about our Charter and student policies.
Open days and campus tours
Visit campus and put yourself in the picture at an open day or campus tour.
Take five minutes and we'll show you what our Top 10 UK university has to offer, from beautiful green campus to colleges, teaching and sports facilities.
Most first-year undergraduate students choose to live on campus, where you’ll find award-winning accommodation to suit different preferences and budgets.
Our historic city is student-friendly and home to a diverse and welcoming community. Beyond the city you'll find a stunning coastline and the world-famous English Lake District.
