Spanish can be studied from beginners, GCSE or A-Level standard. You will study the Spanish language, country and culture through a range of lively options. This includes modules that explore contemporary Spanish and Latin American politics and society.
You will achieve a high level of communicative skill, and an in-depth understanding of the culture and society in Spain and Latin America. To further increase your career options you can take a final year module to help you develop translation and interpreting skills.
You will have access to our excellent language resource centres which have internet access; audio-visual facilities; computer-aided language learning software; and course-related books, materials and periodicals. This ensures that you will have a broad range of options to help you increase your language understanding.
Take a year abroad
The year abroad option will allow you to increase your foreign language fluency and understanding of other cultures. You will come away with an experience that will give you a real advantage when competing for the best jobs.
In year three you can spend time working or studying in Spain. Our partner Universities are found in Alcala, Avila, Leon, Madrid, Salamanca, Santander and Valencia.
Any questions?
General course enquiries
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Admissions enquiries
Telephone: +44 (0)115 848 4200
Please note the following information for applicants
Module information
Year One
- Accelerated Spanish Language for Beginners
Year Two
- Spanish Language Intermediate
- Introduction to Contemporary Spain
Spanish - Post A-level
Year One
- Spanish Language One
- Introduction to Spanish Culture and Society
Year Two
- Spanish Language Two
- Introduction to Spanish Cultural Representations
- Introduction to Latin American Studies
Spanish - all
Year Three (Year Four if you take the year abroad option)
- Spanish Language
- Contemporary Latin American Society
- Culture and Society in 20th Century Spain: Text, Cinema and Music
- Translation and Interpreting
- Dissertation
For full details of the modules available and details of what you will be able to study please download our module booklet
Degree options and UCAS codes
Spanish is taken in combination with one or two of the following subjects as part of the BA Joint Honours programme. The number in brackets is the UCAS code for a Joint Honours degree in Spanish alongside the listed subject.
- Chinese (Mandarin) (RT41)
- Communication and Society (RP49)
- English (RQ43)
- European Studies (RR49)
- Film and TV (PR34)
- French (RR14)
- German (RR24)
- Global Studies (LR94)
- History (RV41)
- International Relations (RL42)
- Italian (RR43)
- Linguistics (RQ41)
- Media (RP43)
- Philosophy (RV45)
- TESOL (RX41)
How will I learn?
In the first year of the degree you will study Spanish alongside one or two other subjects. The third subject may be taken to degree level or dropped at the end of the first year.
Spanish language classes focus on the rapid development of reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. In addition to language course books, classes make use of authentic materials from the press and television. They also make increasing use of eLearning both within the classroom and in directed learning. Knowledge and understanding of the major syntactical and structural features of the language is addressed in grammar workshops. You will develop your oral conversation skills in small group sessions with the language assistant.
Historical, theoretical, cultural and societal debates relevant to the Spanish-speaking world are addressed in lectures, seminars and tutorials. Whilst lectures provide an overview of the main issues and arguments, you are required to develop your knowledge base through recommended readings and exciting online learning opportunities. Seminars, which are often student led, and tutorials provide an opportunity to clarify areas of doubt and explore key themes in greater depth.
Teaching principally takes place through a combination of lectures (where tutors introduce the key ideas) and seminars (organised on the basis of smaller group discussion of those ideas).
A wide range of different assessment methods is used. The most common are coursework essays and exams, but you will also find that presentations (either individual or group), project work (either individual or group), book reviews and reports are also employed. In the final year, you also have the opportunity to undertake a dissertation in Spanish or one of your other subjects.
Your future career
Graduates of Spanish are in great demand in a variety of occupations including the media, commerce, industry, education and the civil service, and an increasing number of students are recruited by firms based in Spain or Latin America. A degree in Spanish will also open the door to further vocational study in translation, interpreting and language teaching.
Year abroad
All students completing the four year BA (Hons) Modern Languages are able to spend their third year overseas engaging with the languages they are studying. NTU structures this overseas year around the innovative Placement Diploma in Language Study Abroad. This great opportunity allows students to:
- Work and learn in their chosen language
- Further develop their communication skills
- Enhance their cultural understanding.
How will I gain work experience?
One distinctive feature of modern languages at NTU is the work we do with local businesses and charities. For example, we have a close relationship with the Nottingham-based charity, Education for the Children. EFTC works in Central America offering educational opportunities to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Increasingly, these links are offering opportunities, either on a voluntary or paid basis, for our students to gain the type of work experience in international organisations that graduate employers are looking for.
You can apply for this course through the UCAS website.
Find out more about applying for an undergraduate course at NTU.
