BA Modern Languages
About this course
Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages BA, a modern languages degree focusing on multilingual communication and cultural studies. Core topics include Global & Comparative Perspective. The course spans four years and includes a compulsory period spent abroad.
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/s you wish to study. See below for full information.. IB: 6,5,5 32 points overall. We require a Higher Level or equivalent in any modern languages that you plan to study at Advanced level. See below for full information.. BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM, plus B at A level in the required subject/s mentioned below. BTEC Diploma: DD, plus B at A level in the required subject/s mentioned below. BTEC Subsidiary Diploma: D, plus AB at A level, including the required subject/s mentioned below.
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Real offers for this course
Applicants have posted 2 UCAS decisions for BA Modern Languages (R901) at the University of Birmingham for 2027 entry so far. The published offer is ABB at A level.
What students say
Based on about 30 final-year students who answered
- Teaching on my course: 93%
- Learning opportunities: 87%
- Assessment and feedback: 88%
- Academic support: 97%
- Organisation and management: 95%
- Learning resources: 92%
- Student voice: 79%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 35 students who started
- Continued on course: 85%
- Left higher education: 15%
What graduates do next
Based on about 17 graduates who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 70%
- Working and studying: 5%
- Further study: 15%
- Unemployed: 10%
Most common jobs
- Teaching Professionals: 20%
- Business and public service associate professionals: 15%
- Administrative occupations: 10%
- Elementary occupations: 10%
- Managers, directors and senior officials: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 80%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 70%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 45%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 50 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North West: 15%
- East Midlands: 5%
- West Midlands: 15%
- East of England: 5%
- London: 40%
- South East: 10%
Who gets in
Based on about 15 students who started (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
- French Language 1 (Advanced)
- French Language 1 (Beginners)
- German Language 1 (Advanced)
- German Language 1 (Beginners)
- Spanish Language 1 (Advanced)
- Spanish Language 1 (Beginners)
- Italian Language 1 (Beginners)
- Visions of Italy on paper and screen
- Visions of Italy through music
- Mandarin Chinese Language beginners I
- Mandarin Chinese Language beginners II
- Japanese Language Beginners I
- Japanese Language Beginners II
- Red Lives: A Cultural History of Soviet Life and Its Afterlife
- Roots of the Rus': Language, Culture, and Civilisation
- Russian Language 1 (Beginners): Decoding and Discovering Russian
- Environment, Sustainability and Development in the Portuguese-speaking world
- Portuguese Language 1 (Beginners): Boas-vindas!
- Beginners Catalan Language A
- Beginners Catalan Language B
- Catalan Culture Project A
- Catalan Culture Project B
- Exploring Identities in the French and Francophone world
- Nation, Democracy, Diversity in the German-speaking world
- Introduction to Hispanic Cultures
- French Language 2(Intermediate)
- French Language 2 (Advanced)
- German Language 2 (Advanced)
- German Language 2 (Intermediate)
- Spanish Language 2 (Advanced)
- Spanish Language 2 (Intermediate)
- Exploring Italian cities: texts and contexts
- Italian Language 2 (Intermediate)
- Cultural Industries: Creativity in Change
- Portuguese Language 2 (Intermediate): Vamos lá!
- Intermediate Catalan Language A
- Intermediate Catalan Language B
- Artistic and Literary Representations of Barcelona
- Gender, New Media and Cultural Identity
- LI 19th Century Russia through the Lens of the Novel
- Russian Language 2 (Intermediate): Russian Language in Action
- Japanese Language Intermediate I
- Japanese Language Intermediate II
- Mandarin Chinese Language Intermediate I
- Mandarin Chinese Language Intermediate II
- Beginners Catalan Language A
- Beginners Catalan Language B
- Global French: Communities, Politics and International Relations
- Sources of Inspiration: Creativity and Adaptation through French Texts
- Ideals and Ideas: The Making of Modern Germany
- Obedience and Autonomy in German Culture and Thought
- 19th Century Russia through the Lens of the Novel
- Digital Media and Spanish Youth Culture
- Histories of the Excluded: Inquisition and the Birth of Human Rights
- Icons of the Hispanic World
- Mexican and Chicano Art in the Twentieth Century: Revolution and Beyond
- Reading the World in Contemporary Spanish American Fiction
- Structures and Varieties of the Modern Hispanic Languages
- 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
- IWLP Arabic Level 2A
- IWLP Arabic Level 2B
- French Language Final Year
- German Language Final Year
- Exploring the self: Dante and Leopardi
- Italian Language Final Year
- Portuguese Language Final Year: Avante!
- Thinking Otherwise: Decolonial Approaches to Contemporary Thought and Culture
- Audio-Visual Translation Project: Russian to English
- Business Russian
- Russian Language Final Year: Towards Fluency
- Final Year Independent Study Module in Modern Languages
- Final Year Extended Independent Study Module in Modern Languages
- Final Year Independent Study Module in Modern Languages Semester 1
- Japanese Language Advanced I
- Japanese Language Advanced II
- Advanced Catalan Language A
- Advanced Catalan Language B
- Contemporary Chinese Language and Business Culture Advanced I
- Back to the Future – Hidden Histories and Utopian Possibilities, 1800-present
- Contemporary representations of the body: literature, theory and art
- Echoes of Colonialism and Imperialism Across Cultures
- Language, Culture and Communication: Digging into the text
- The Romance languages: structure, variation and change
- Translation and Creativity in the Digital Age I
- Translation and Creativity in the Digital Age II
- Uniformity and diversity in the Iberian-Romance speaking world
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Modern Languages at University of Birmingham earn?
The median salary is £28,000 after 15 months, £27,500 after 3 years, £34,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £27,500 and £49,000. The £34,000 median after five years is £1,000 more than the UK median for Language and area studies (other).
What do graduates of BA Modern Languages at University of Birmingham do next?
85% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Modern Languages at University of Birmingham?
93% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Modern Languages at University of Birmingham?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 150 UCAS points.
Does BA Modern Languages at University of Birmingham include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has a compulsory year abroad.
How many students continue on BA Modern Languages at University of Birmingham?
85% of students continued into their second year, and 15% left higher education.