BA French and Portuguese
About this course
Bachelor of Arts in French and Portuguese BA, a French and Francophone Studies and Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies degree centred on modern languages and cultural studies. Core topics include Global & Comparative Perspective. The first year covers language acquisition and cultural foundations through modules such as French Language 1 (Advanced), Portuguese Language 1 (Beginners): Boas-vindas!, Exploring Identities in the French and Francophone world, and Environment, Sustainability and Development in the Portuguese-speaking world. The second year builds proficiency with modules like French Language 2 (Advanced), Portuguese Language 2 (Intermediate): Vamos lá!, Global French: Communities, Politics and International Relations, and Cultural Industries: Creativity in Change. The final year involves advanced linguistic study and independent research through modules including French Language Final Year, Portuguese Language Final Year: Avante!, Final Year Independent Study Module in Modern Languages Semester 1, and Thinking Otherwise: Decolonial Approaches to Contemporary Thought and Culture.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A Level: ABB A level grade B is required for any advanced language you wish to study. See below for full information.. IB: 6,5,5 including 32 points total. See below for full information.. BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM, plus a B at A level in the required subject/s. See below for full information.
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What students say
Based on about 11 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 83%
- Learning opportunities: 80%
- Assessment and feedback: 85%
- Academic support: 88%
- Organisation and management: 69%
- Learning resources: 87%
- Student voice: 72%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 15 students who started, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 100%
What graduates do next
Based on about 39 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Working: 67%
- Working and studying: 5%
- Further study: 10%
- Unemployed: 11%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 15%
- Teaching Professionals: 15%
- Elementary occupations: 5%
- Administrative occupations: 5%
- Managers, directors and senior officials: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 85%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 80%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 50%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 265 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 1%
- North West: 7%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 5%
- East Midlands: 5%
- West Midlands: 21%
- East of England: 9%
- London: 35%
- South East: 10%
- South West: 6%
- Wales: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 10 students who started, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 100%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Bronze for student experience, Gold for student outcomes.
Modules
- Discover: Personal, Academic and Professional Development in Modern Languages
- Exploring Identities in the French and Francophone world
- French Language 1 (Advanced)
- French Language 1 (Beginners)
- Environment, Sustainability and Development in the Portuguese-speaking world
- Portuguese Language 1 (Beginners): Boas-vindas!
- Introduction to European Film A
- Introduction to European Film B
- Introduction to Linguistics A: Science of Language
- Introduction to Linguistics B: language change and variation
- Landmarks in European Literature A
- Landmarks in European Literature B
- Translation in Practice I
- Translation in Practice II
- La France Moderne A
- La France Moderne B
- Occupation, Liberation, Innovation: France and its people in film and writing A
- French Language 2(Intermediate)
- French Language 2 (Advanced)
- Cultural Industries: Creativity in Change
- Portuguese Language 2 (Intermediate): Vamos lá!
- Global French: Communities, Politics and International Relations
- Sources of Inspiration: Creativity and Adaptation through French Texts
- 19th Century Russia through the Lens of the Novel
- Cross-Cultural Cinema: Film Adaptation beyond the Nation-State
- Cross-Cultural Cinema: Migration and Displacement
- Global Enterprise Project
- Language and power
- Teaching and Learning (languages) in the 21st century
- Work, The Future and You
- Translation in the Workplace
- Exploring Italian cities: texts and contexts
- Final Year Extended Independent Study Module in Modern Languages
- Final Year Independent Study Module in Modern Languages Semester 1
- French Language Final Year
- Portuguese Language Final Year: Avante!
- Thinking Otherwise: Decolonial Approaches to Contemporary Thought and Culture
- Back to the Future – Hidden Histories and Utopian Possibilities, 1800-present
- Border Crossings: Word & Image in Twentieth- and Twenty-first-century Russophone Cultures
- Contemporary representations of the body: literature, theory and art
- Echoes of Colonialism and Imperialism Across Cultures
- From Text to Tech: Digital Approaches to Languages and Cultures
- Language, Culture and Communication: Digging into the text
- The Romance languages: structure, variation and change
- Uniformity and diversity in the Iberian-Romance speaking world
- Interpreting A
- Interpreting B
- Adapting Nineteenth-Century France
- Breaking New Ground: Innovative French Writing and Visual Culture
- Colonial and Postcolonial Cultures in the Francophone Worlds
- Discourses, Disciplines and Dissidence: The Construction of Sexuality in Nineteenth-Century France
- Franco-African Relations from de Gaulle to Macron (1944 to the present)
- Francophone Caribbean Literature and Film
- From Princesses to Poisoners: Gender, Identity and Society in Seventeenth-century French texts
- The Algerian War
- Translation and Creativity in the Digital Age I
- Translation and Creativity in the Digital Age II
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA French and Portuguese at University of Birmingham earn?
The median salary is £28,500 after 15 months, £26,500 after 3 years, £34,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £27,500 and £45,000. The £34,000 median after five years is the same as the UK median for French studies.
What do graduates of BA French and Portuguese at University of Birmingham do next?
81% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA French and Portuguese at University of Birmingham?
83% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA French and Portuguese at University of Birmingham?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 147 UCAS points.
Does BA French and Portuguese at University of Birmingham include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has a compulsory year abroad.
How many students continue on BA French and Portuguese at University of Birmingham?
100% of students continued into their second year, and 0% left higher education.