Weblink to Italian study information.

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You will be assigned a personal tutor who will guide you through your study and assist you with academic or personal circumstances.

All degrees in Italian cater for beginners as well as for students with any level of previous knowledge. In your first year (Level 1) you take modules in Italian amounting to at least 40 credits (out of a total of 120 credits), according to your scheme and level of entry. Joint Honours students usually take between 40 and 60 credits in Italian and the remaining credits in their other subject(s). Single Honours students take 80 credits of Italian and choose the remaining 40 credits from among a wide range of optional modules offered outside Italian. Students taking Single Honours with Business Studies, Computer Studies or Legal Studies take the remaining 40 credits in their other subject. All students may choose a number of optional modules (in IT skills, linguistics or a second or third European language, for example) outside their main subject area(s).

In the first year (Level 1), beginners take intensive modules covering grammar and use of the written and spoken language.  They are strongly encouraged to consolidate this by taking a language course in Italy during the summer vacation which follows. This prepares students to enter the second year on the same footing as those who have taken the 20-credit advanced (post-A level) first-year language module (grammar, composition, translation, conversation), which they may supplement with a 10-credit module (compulsory for those taking the degree in Translation, optional for others) introducing features and varieties of language appropriate to use in a range of specialist fields. Students who enter with an intermediate level (e.g. GCSE) knowledge of the language, or who have learned it informally without taking examinations, are allocated to advanced or beginners’ level on the basis of performance and progress during the early weeks of the course. Other introductory modules on Italian history, film, and literature, as well as language, enable students intending to pursue the subject at higher levels to opt for up to 80 credits in Italian in the first year.

In your second and final years (Levels 2 and 3), you take modules in Italian of up to 120 credits per year if you are a Single Honours student (80 credits if you are taking Single Honours with Business Studies, Computer Studies or Legal Studies). Joint Honours and Translation students take between 40 and 70 credits in Italian and the remaining credits in their other subject(s), depending on the particular scheme they have chosen. Written and oral language skills are further developed by compulsory 20-credit modules. You also take further modules from a list of options in Italian history, literature, and language, including specialist business language, as well as linguistic history and additional topics in translation and grammar. For Single Honours students, this includes work examined in both second and final years, towards a dissertation of 7,500-10,000 words on a topic of their own choice, completed during the final year. These students also have a range of opportunities to broaden their studies by opting for modules taught in other subject areas.

The third year is normally spent in Italy. Although we encourage those who came to us as beginners to spend the year in Italy, students combining Italian with another language may opt to spend the year abroad elsewhere. In this case a period of residence and study in Italy (partly-financed by the University) is strongly encouraged during the summer immediately preceding the final year. Most of our students go to Italian universities: we have exchange schemes with Bergamo, Bologna, Cassino, and Urbino. Some students undertake approved employment, most often as teaching assistants in Italian schools. You are encouraged to keep in close contact with us during your year abroad, so that we can monitor your welfare and progress, and give advice if you need it. In most cases, a member of staff will visit you in Italy.

Please visit Joint Honours subjects for module information.