University undergraduates studying in the Monica Partridge building. Friday November 5th 2021.

Modern Languages with Business BA

University Park Campus, Nottingham, UK

Course overview

Are you interested in languages with a view to working in a business environment? Do you want to discover more about the history, politics and cultures of the countries where a particular language or languages are spoken? Our Modern Languages with Business degree will equip you with the knowledge, skills and expertise needed throughout your career, and open up opportunities to develop a global career.

 

Indicative modules

Mandatory

Year 1

Work and Society

Mandatory

Year 1

Organisational Behaviour

Mandatory

Year 1

Environment Society and Governance

Optional

Year 1

French 1: Beginners

Optional

Year 1

French 1

Optional

Year 1

Introduction to French and Francophone Studies

Optional

Year 1

German 1: Beginners

Optional

Year 1

German 1

Optional

Year 1

Introduction to German Studies

Optional

Year 1

Spanish 1: Beginners

Optional

Year 1

Spanish 1

Optional

Year 1

Portuguese 1: Beginners

Optional

Year 1

Culture and Society in Brazil, Portugal and Portuguese-speaking Africa

Optional

Year 1

Russian 1: Beginners

Optional

Year 1

Russian 1

Optional

Year 1

Serbian / Croatian 1: Beginners

Optional

Year 1

Mandarin Chinese for Beginners

Optional

Year 1

Mandarin Chinese for Intermediate Level

Optional

Year 1

Mandarin Chinese for the Advanced Level

Optional

Year 1

France: History and Identity

Optional

Year 1

Introduction to French Literature: Landmarks in Narrative

Optional

Year 1

Contemporary France

Optional

Year 1

Introduction to French Literature: Representations of Paris

Optional

Year 1

Deutschland Heute

Optional

Year 1

Sex, Gender and Society in Modern Germany

Optional

Year 1

From Dictatorship to Democracy

Optional

Year 1

Language Meaning, Variation and Change

Optional

Year 1

Literature in Spanish

Optional

Year 1

Modern Latin America

Optional

Year 1

The Clash of Empires: History of the Balkans from Alexander the Great to Napoleon

Optional

Year 1

From Tsarism to Communism: Introduction to Russian History and Culture

Optional

Year 1

The Soviet Experiment

Optional

Year 2

Marketing Management

Optional

Year 2

Technology and Organisation

Optional

Year 2

Human Resource Management with International Perspectives

Optional

Year 2

French 2 - Beginners

Optional

Year 2

French 2

Optional

Year 2

Introduction to French and Francophone Studies

Optional

Year 2

German 2 - Beginners

Optional

Year 2

German 2

Optional

Year 2

Leben und Arbeiten in Deutschland: Introduction to Contemporary Germany

Optional

Year 2

Russian 2 - Beginners

Optional

Year 2

Russian 2

Optional

Year 2

Serbian / Croatian 2

Optional

Year 2

Spanish 2: Beginners

Optional

Year 2

Spanish 2

Optional

Year 2

Portuguese 2: Beginners

Optional

Year 2

Nation Building and National Identities in the Lusophone World

Optional

Year 2

Mandarin Chinese for Intermediate Level

Optional

Year 2

Mandarin Chinese for the Advanced Level

Optional

Year 2

Mandarin Chinese for Proficiency Level

Optional

Year 2

French Cinema: The New Wave

Optional

Year 2

Contemporary Translation Studies

Optional

Year 2

On Location: Cinematic Explorations of Contemporary France

Optional

Year 2

Literature and Politics in Modern France

Optional

Year 2

Introduction to Contemporary Science Fiction

Optional

Year 2

Huit Tableaux: Art and Politics in Nineteenth-Century France (1799-1871)

Optional

Year 2

La France en guerre: Memoires de la Premiere Guerre Mondiale

Optional

Year 2

Varieties of French

Optional

Year 2

Nineteenth Century French Narrative

Optional

Year 2

Contemporary Francophone Cinema and Social Issues

Optional

Year 2

From Dictatorship to Democracy

Optional

Year 2

Life and Demise of the GDR

Optional

Year 2

Introduction to Literary Translation

Optional

Year 2

Reason and its Rivals: From Kant to Freud

Optional

Year 2

National Socialist Germany

Optional

Year 2

History of German language from early beginnings to the present day

Optional

Year 2

Investigating the German Language

Optional

Year 2

Exploring the German Archive: Ideology and State in Newspaper Cuttings and Family Papers

Optional

Year 2

From Democracy to Volksgemeinschaft

Optional

Year 2

Media in Russia

Optional

Year 2

The History and Culture of Early Rus' c.800-1400

Optional

Year 2

Yugoslavia from Creation to Collapse

Optional

Year 2

Gulag Archipelago: Stalin’s Prison Camps

Optional

Year 2

New World(s): Contacts, Conquests and Conflict in Early Modern Hispanic History and Culture

Optional

Year 2

Modern Spanish and Spanish American Literature and Film

Optional

Year 2

Luso-Hispanic Cinemas

Mandatory

Year 3

Year abroad

Optional

Year 4

Marketing and Society

Optional

Year 4

Contemporary Developments in Human Resource Management and Organisations

Optional

Year 4

Managing Diversity

Optional

Year 4

Strategic Management

Optional

Year 4

Consumer Behaviour

Optional

Year 4

Technology Entrepreneurship in Practice

Optional

Year 4

New Product/Service Development Management

Optional

Year 4

Organisational Theory and Practice

Optional

Year 4

Entrepreneurship for Social Change

Optional

Year 4

French 3

Optional

Year 4

German 3

Optional

Year 4

Russian 3

Optional

Year 4

Serbian / Croatian 3

Optional

Year 4

Spanish 3

Optional

Year 4

Portuguese 3

Optional

Year 4

Mandarin Chinese for the Advanced Level

Optional

Year 4

Mandarin Chinese for Proficiency Level

Optional

Year 4

Mandarin Chinese for Research

Optional

Year 4

Translation into French

Optional

Year 4

Subtitling and Dubbing from French into English

Optional

Year 4

Dissertation in French Studies

Optional

Year 4

Communicating and Teaching Languages for Undergraduate Ambassadors

Optional

Year 4

Translation from French

Optional

Year 4

Citizenship, Ethnicity and National Identity in Post-War France

Optional

Year 4

French Documentary Cinema

Optional

Year 4

Contemporary Francophone Cinema: The Personal and The Political

Optional

Year 4

Difficult Women

Optional

Year 4

The Everyday in Contemporary Literature and Thought

Optional

Year 4

People and Propaganda: Representing the French Revolution

Optional

Year 4

Language Attitudes and French

Optional

Year 4

Vergangenheitsbewältigung und Nationale Identität: Geschichte und Gedächtnis nach dem Holocaust

Optional

Year 4

Widerstand und Opposition in der DDR

Optional

Year 4

'Heimat' in the German Cinema

Optional

Year 4

Twentieth Century German Theatre: From Avant-garde to Virtual World

Optional

Year 4

Exploring the German archive: ideology and state in newspaper cuttings and family papers

Optional

Year 4

German Studies: Dissertation

Optional

Year 4

Mythology in German Literature

Optional

Year 4

Language and Social Media in Germany and Beyond

Optional

Year 4

Russian Interpreting

Optional

Year 4

The World of Orthodox Sainthood

Optional

Year 4

Dissertation in Russian and Slavonic Studies

Optional

Year 4

Myths and Memories: Histories of Russia's Second World War

Optional

Year 4

Language Project in Russian and Slavonic Studies

Optional

Year 4

Russian Popular Music in the 20th and 21st Centuries

Optional

Year 4

Dissertation in Hispanic Studies

Optional

Year 4

Brazilian Slave Society

Optional

Year 4

Business and Society in Spain

Optional

Year 4

Making the Cuban Revolution: Ideology, Culture and Identity in Cuba since 1959

Optional

Year 4

Literature and Film under Franco

Optional

Year 4

Translation, Power and Gender in the Spanish-speaking World

Optional

Year 4

Spanish American Narrative and Film

Optional

Year 4

Politics and Literature in Contemporary Spain

Optional

Year 4

Memory and the Future in Iberian and Latin American Culture and Politics

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About modules

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer, but is not intended to be construed or relied on as a definitive list of what might be available in any given year. This content was last updated on Wednesday 28 August 2024. Due to timetabling availability, there may be restrictions on some module combinations.

When you begin studying at university, you will probably find that you cover material much more quickly than you did while studying for your A levels. The key to success is preparing well for classes and then taking the ideas you encounter further in your own time.

Lectures – provide an overview of what you are studying, using a variety of audio and visual materials to support your learning.

Seminars and workshops – give you the chance to explore and interact with the material presented in lectures in a friendly and informal environment. You will be taught in a smaller group of students, with discussion focusing on a text or topic you've previously prepared.

Workshops are more practical, perhaps through exploring texts, working with digital materials, or developing presentations.

Tutorials – individual and small-group tutorials let you explore your work with your module tutor, perhaps discussing plans for an essay or presentation, or following up on an area of a module which has interested you.

eLearning – our virtual-learning system, Moodle, offers 24-hour access to teaching materials and resources.

Peer mentoring

All new undergraduate students can opt into our peer mentoring scheme. Your peer mentor will help you settle into life at Nottingham, provide advice on the transition to university-level study and help you access support if needed.  

Class sizes vary depending on topic and type. A lecture may have up to 100 students attending with seminar groups of typically 12 to 20. Most are taught in English with some classes including use of the target language. Language classes are mainly delivered in the language and include oral classes.

Much of the language teaching you will experience on this degree will be led by native speakers.

Teaching quality

Our staff know that studying complex subjects can sometimes seem challenging (they've all been where you are!). Their contributions to high quality teaching and learning are recognised through our annual Lord Dearing Awards. View the full list of recipients.

Teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Oral classes
  • Seminars
  • Tutorials
  • Workshops

You will be assessed by a wide variety of methods, consisting mainly of coursework and exams, but you may also be tasked with commentaries, dissertations, group work, in-class tests, portfolios and presentations.

Each module has its own methods of assessment and we strive to make these as varied as possible so that everyone can perform to the best of their abilities. When choosing optional modules, you will be able to see how the module is assessed in advance.

Assessment methods

  • Commentary
  • Dissertation
  • Essay
  • In-class test
  • Presentation
  • Written exam

As well as scheduled teaching you’ll carry out extensive self-study such as preparation for seminars and assessments, as well as language practice. As a guide 20 credits (a typical module) is approximately 200 hours of work (combined teaching and self-study). An average week will have between 12-15 hours of classes.

Studying languages can open up a world of opportunities. From banking to charities and from teaching to MI5, businesses and organisations across the globe seek to employ language specialists.

During this degree you’ll be able to choose from a wide range of modules, allowing you to tailor your studies around personal interests. In doing so you’ll start to identify potential career paths and begin to discover your areas of professional interest.

In addition to language skills, you’ll develop transferable skills highly sought after by employers such as confident communication skills, strict attention to detail and the ability to work within different cultures and organisational styles.

“My [language] studies have helped me to develop excellent communication skills, as well as helping me to hone my reading, writing, listening and speaking skills for both my target languages.  I have also become a much more resilient learner, being able to persevere when things start to get tough and independently solve issues where possible.” Charlotte Allwood , French and Contemporary Chinese Studies BA.

Find out more about careers of Modern Language students.

Average starting salary and career progression

87.8% of undergraduates from Nottingham University Business School secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual starting salary for these graduates was £30,195.

78.8% of undergraduates from the Faculty of Arts secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual starting salary for these graduates was £23,974.

HESA Graduate Outcomes (2017 to 2021 cohorts). The Graduate Outcomes % is calculated using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on graduates working full-time within the UK.

Studying for a degree at the University of Nottingham will provide you with the type of skills and experiences that will prove invaluable in any career, whichever direction you decide to take.

Throughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service can work with you to improve your employability skills even further; assisting with job or course applications, searching for appropriate work experience placements and hosting events to bring you closer to a wide range of prospective employers.

Have a look at our careers page for an overview of all the employability support and opportunities that we provide to current students.

The University of Nottingham is consistently named as one of the most targeted universities by Britain’s leading graduate employers (Ranked in the top ten in The Graduate Market in 2013-2020, High Fliers Research).

Trent Building in sunshine  June 2nd 2020 by Lisa Gilligan-Lee

Adding business to a modern languages degree has made me more employable.

Freddie Field

Modern Languages with Business (French and Spanish)

Course data

Open Day June 2022