Course Overview

Taught by lecturers who conduct internationally respected research into the languages and cultures of Spain, including Catalonia and South America, your degree gives you the opportunity to acquire both high-level language skills and a thorough understanding of Spanish cultures and societies within a global context. Besides your core courses providing essential cultural knowledge relating to the Spanish-speaking world, you can choose from a broad range of cultural, historical and political courses promoting comparative understanding of countries within Europe and beyond.

You'll begin your degree with core courses including Advanced or Intensive Spanish oral and written language plus 'Power and Resistance in Spain and Spanish America: From the Spanish Empire to the 21st Century'. Optional modules include 'Catalan Language Level 1', 'Cinema and Society in Europe and Latin America: Thematic and Formal Perspectives', and 'Economic and Social Change in France, Germany and Spain since 1945'.

Spending your third year either studying or working in a Spanish-speaking country is compulsory. This is an invaluable opportunity to put into practice all you have learnt and greatly increases your fluency in the language and knowledge of Hispanic culture.

In your fourth year, you will continue developing your core Spanish language oral and written skills, combined with a choice of specialist culture courses, such as 'Living against Franco' and 'Social Movements and Committed Writing in Mexico since 1968'.

If you take a Single Major degree in Spanish, you will expand your interest in a particular topic from your second year studies and develop your own specialist Dissertation.

Lancaster University's an interesting place. It's a friendly and accepting environment, and I'm really enjoying it here.

Career opportunities

With language specialists in short supply, fluency in Spanish, one of the world's major languages, is especially in demand. Many of our graduates work abroad and organisations such as the Civil Service, Diplomatic Service or British Council are popular choices. Others teach English as a foreign language or find openings in businesses with a Spanish-speaking client base.

The language and communication skills gained on this course enable our graduates to explore a wide range of options from accountancy, library work and teaching to IT and advertising.

Many Spanish Studies graduates continue their studies at a higher level. Lancaster has an excellent reputation for postgraduate research. A professional qualification can lead to a career in a specific area such as interpreting.