School of Languages and Area Studies (SLAS)

We offer a range of courses at various levels:

Undergraduate (BA Hons)
Three or four year, full-time

Postgraduate Taught Masters (MA)
One year full-time or two years part-time

Portsmouth has a long-standing reputation as one of the leading providers of modern language courses in UK higher education. Our portfolio of language degree programmes enables us to cater for students wishing to combine language study with a wide range of different subjects. All of our degree programmes will enable you to develop both advanced language skills and intercultural competence. This is because we believe that, to be a good linguist, it is important not only to have excellent language skills but also to understand the country or countries in which the language(s) you are studying are spoken.

Our single honours French, German, Spanish and Spanish & Latin American programmes and our Combined Modern Languages degree are languages and area studies degrees, which means that you combine the study of the language with in-depth study of the history, society, culture, politics and economy of the country or countries. Our Applied Languages, Languages & European Studies, International Development Studies and Languages and Languages and International Trade degrees enable you to combine your language study with specialisms, respectively, in language and linguistics, the European Union, development and international trade. The Languages and European Studies and Languages and International Trade programmes can include the study of one or two languages (one of which may be studied from scratch). On Applied Languages you study two languages, with the option of starting a third language in the second year. In our English Language course, you can gain a solid understanding of how language works, how it is employed in a range of media and professional settings and how it can taught to speakers of other languages. We also offer a range of Combined Honours degrees, for example in Languages and International Relations and European studies and International relations (see full list below).

Most of our courses offer you the flexibility to change course within these degree programmes during your first year so that, for example, if you initially choose Languages and International Trade but then decide that you want to specialise on the study of the European Union, you can change to Languages and European Studies during the first year. In addition, we offer degree programmes in European Studies and American Studies, on which language study is optional.

English as a Foreign Language can be taken by international students as a language of study on many of our degree programmes. International student programmes enable you to combine the study of English as a Foreign Language with International Trade, Communication Studies, Language and linguistics. We also provide support to international students across the university through our English for Academic Purposes programme. We are a member of English UK and our English courses are accredited by the British Council.

We also have a wide range of postgraduate degree programmes, specialising in either language study, such as the MA Translation, or the European Union, such as the MA European Studies.