Expand+How To Apply

Applications for admission to full-time undergraduate courses at Queen’s should normally be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Full information can be obtained from the UCAS website at: www.ucas.com/...

Hide-How To Apply

Applications for admission to full-time undergraduate courses at Queen’s should normally be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Full information can be obtained from the UCAS website at: www.ucas.com/apply.

When to Apply

UCAS will start processing applications for entry in Autumn 2017 from 1 September 2016.

The normal closing date for the receipt of applications is 15 January 2017.

Applicants are advised to apply as early as is consistent with having made a careful and considered choice of institutions and courses.

Earlier applicants normally receive decisions more quickly, however, UCAS accepts that some applicants, especially those from outside the UK, may find this difficult. Late applications are, in practice, accepted by UCAS throughout the remainder of the application cycle, but you should understand that they are considered by institutions at their discretion, and there can be no guarantee that they will be given the same full level of consideration as applications received by the advisory closing date.

Take care to enter the details of the institutions and courses clearly and correctly on the application. For Queen's, the institution code name is QBELF and the institution code is Q75. These should be entered in the Choices section of your UCAS application. A Campus Code is not required.

Queen’s University Belfast Terms and Conditions 2017 Entry
The terms and conditions that apply when you accept an offer of a place at the University on a taught programme of study.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/Study/TermsandConditions/

Expand+Selection Criteria

In addition to the entrance requirements below, it is essential that you read the How We Choose Our Students pdf prior to submitting your UCAS application.

Entrance Requirements

BA degrees

Post A-level

A-level: BBB i...

Hide-Selection Criteria

In addition to the entrance requirements below, it is essential that you read the How We Choose Our Students pdf prior to submitting your UCAS application.

Entrance Requirements

BA degrees

Post A-level

A-level: BBB including Spanish for Joint Honours with Social Anthropology. ABB including Spanish for Single Honours and other Joint Honours options. Note: for applicants who have not studied A-level Spanish then AS-level Spanish grade B would be acceptable in lieu of A-level Spanish.

Irish Leaving Certificate (Higher Level): B2B2B2B2B2B2/AB2B2B2B2 including Higher Level grade B2 in Spanish.

Beginner Level

A-level: ABB + GCSE Spanish grade B or evidence of linguistic ability in another language. Note: students who have studied AS-level or A-level Spanish would not be eligible for admission to the Beginners’ option.

Irish Leaving Certificate (Higher Level): B2B2B2B2CC/B2B2B2B2B2 including Higher Level grade B2 in Spanish for Joint Honours with Social Anthropology. B2B2B2B2B2B2/AB2B2B2B2 including Higher Level grade B2 in Spanish for Single Honours and other Joint Honours options. Note: the Beginners option is not available to those who have studied Higher Level Spanish.

All applicants: if you plan to study Spanish as a Joint Honours degree or as part of a BSc/LLB/MSci degree you should refer to the subject requirements for the other course.

Expand+Learning and Teaching
At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support to enable our students to achieve their full academic ...

Hide-Learning and Teaching
At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support to enable our students to achieve their full academic potential.

On the BA in Spanish we do this by providing a range of learning experiences which enable our students to engage with subject experts, develop attributes and perspectives that will equip them for life and work in a global society and make use of innovative technologies and a world class library that enhances their development as independent, lifelong learners. The School of Modern Languages is the smallest School in the University and because of this we create a supportive environment in which we get to know each of our students individually.

Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this course are:
•Seminars/tutorials: Almost all of the teaching in Modern Languages is carried out in small groups (typically 10-20 students) in both English and Spanish. These provide significant opportunity for students to engage with academic staff who have specialist knowledge of the topic, to ask questions of them and to assess your own progress and understanding with the support of peers. Students should also expect to make presentations and other contributions to these groups. All of our language teaching and the vast majority of our other modules are delivered through small-group seminars.
•Oral classes: Students will have opportunities to develop oral skills and apply grammar and vocabulary in real-life, practical contexts. All these classes are taught in very small groups (typically 6-12 students) and are facilitated by a native speaker (from Spain or Latin America). Students will be expected to attend 1 oral class per week as part of your core language module.
•Lectures: These introduce basic information about new topics as a starting point for further self-directed private study/reading. Lectures also provide opportunities to ask questions, gain some feedback and advice on assessments (normally delivered in larger groups of approximately 40 students). Only a few of our modules are delivered in this way, e.g. Introduction to Latin American Studies.
•E-Learning technologies: Information associated with lectures and assignments is often communicated via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Queen’s Online. A range of e-learning experiences are also embedded in the degree through, for example: computer-based grammar learning packages; interactive web-based learning activities; opportunities to use IT programmes in project- based work and for presentations etc.
•Self-directed study: This is an essential part of life as a Queen’s student when important private reading, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback to date and assignment research and preparation work is carried out.
•Year Abroad: Students taking a BA in Spanish undertake a year abroad in a Spanish-speaking country after Level 2. This is a significant learning and employability enhancement opportunity during which students can study in a Spanish University, work as an English-Language Teacher, undertake a paid work placement etc. This feature of our degree programme gives students the opportunity for personal development, gives them a job placement, further develops communication and language skills, and the challenges of living abroad come to be a unique (and unforgettable) stage in their own personal development.
•Personal Tutor: Students are allocated a Personal Tutor who meets with them on several occasions during the year to support their academic development. This gives students one identified contact to discuss any difficulties they might encounter and who can answer any queries they might have.

Expand+Overview
Spoken by almost 500 million people worldwide, in over 20 countries, Spanish is the world’s second most widely spoken language, spanning every continent across the globe. Spanish is a vibrant and growing subject and as such it is a major ...

Hide-Overview
Spoken by almost 500 million people worldwide, in over 20 countries, Spanish is the world’s second most widely spoken language, spanning every continent across the globe. Spanish is a vibrant and growing subject and as such it is a major vehicle for international commerce and trade, as well as the doorway into a variety of rich and fascinating cultures.

The degrees offered analyse a wide variety of literary, historical, social, cultural and linguistic aspects of Spanish-speaking countries across the globe.

Expand+Course Content (including module information)
All students follow modules in Spanish language which are of a broadly communicative nature, focusing on contemporary social and cultural issues and drawing on authentic materials.

The degrees take fo...

Hide-Course Content (including module information)
All students follow modules in Spanish language which are of a broadly communicative nature, focusing on contemporary social and cultural issues and drawing on authentic materials.

The degrees take four years to complete (which includes the study abroad year).
All our classes are taught in small groups, giving students the opportunity to participate fully in discussions and receive detailed personalised feedback on their work.

Level 1
Beginners' students undertake an intensive language course, specifically designed to bring them beyond A-level standard within a year.

Post-A-level and AS-level students will consolidate their language skills and will take a Language for Special Purposes strand, which will enable them to develop competence in important employment-related skills.

Students will also take optional modules introducing them to key concepts and historical moments of Iberian and Latin American culture, literature and society.

Levels 2 and 3
These provide the opportunity to build upon the linguistic skills and cultural awareness developed in Level 1. In both years, students take a compulsory core module, comprising advanced language study and a cursillo, or 'mini-module’.

At Level 2 a cursillo prepares students for their year abroad.

At Level 3, students choose cursillos based on their pathway and interests.

Options include language for professional purposes (Legal Spanish, Business Spanish), or a variety of historical, cultural, linguistic and literary topics. Optional modules are designed and taught by internationally-recognised specialists, staff who have a diverse range of research interests, from poetry and prose to film and visual art.

Modules currently available include:
•Disease and Society in Colonial Latin America
•Failed Romances of Latin America
•Rewriting Love in the Renaissance

Expand+Assessment (general): The way in which students are assessed will vary according to the learning objectives of each module. Details of how each module is assessed are shown in the Student Handbook which is provided to all students during their firs...

Hide-Assessment (general): The way in which students are assessed will vary according to the learning objectives of each module. Details of how each module is assessed are shown in the Student Handbook which is provided to all students during their first year induction. Accounting modules are typically assessed by a combination of continuous assessment and a final written unseen examination. Continuous assessment consists of:

1.Student Tutorial Portfolio – this involves the completion and submission of workshop exercises on a weekly and individual student basis. These are collected in the workshops from students each week and assessed, with the mark awarded contributing to the continuous assessment element of the module mark. The mark awarded reflects timeliness, presentation, accuracy and completeness of the required work. Consistent with employer feedback, students are also required to prepare and make a small group presentation on a pre-assigned case study type or discussion-based topic. In addition students are required to submit a 100 word summary on the accounting significance of each of the presentation tutorial topics. The group tutorial presentation and summaries are assessed, with the mark awarded contributing to the continuous assessment element of the module mark.

2.Small Group Project / Presentations – this involves the completion of a small group project / Presentation (three/four students per group) which is assessed and contributes to the continuous assessment element of the module mark.

Feedback (general): As students progress through their course at Queen’s they will receive general and specific feedback about their work from a variety of sources including lecturers, module co-ordinators, placement supervisors, personal tutors, advisers of study and peers. University students are expected to engage with reflective practice and to use this approach to improve the quality of their work. Feedback may be provided in a variety of forms including:

•Feedback provided via formal written comments and marks relating to work that you, as an individual or as part of a group, have submitted.

•Face to face comment. This may include occasions when you make use of the lecturers’ advertised “office hours” to help you to address a specific query.

•Placement employer comments or references.

•Online or emailed comment.

•General comments or question and answer opportunities at the end of a lecture, seminar or tutorial.

•Pre-submission advice regarding the standards you should aim for and common pitfalls to avoid. In some instances, this may be provided in the form of model answers or exemplars which you can review in your own time.

•Feedback and outcomes from practical classes.

•Comment and guidance provided by staff from specialist support services such as, Careers, Employability and Skills or the Learning Development Service.

Once you have reviewed your feedback, you will be encouraged to identify and implement further improvements to the quality of your work.

Expand+Career Prospects
Studying for a Spanish degree at Queen’s will assist students in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, professional organisations and academic institutions. Graduates from this ...

Hide-Career Prospects
Studying for a Spanish degree at Queen’s will assist students in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, professional organisations and academic institutions. Graduates from this degree at Queen’s are well regarded by many employers (local, national and international) and over half of all graduate jobs are now open to graduates of any discipline.

The First Destination Survey showed that none of our language graduates were unemployed six months after graduating in 2010. A Higher Education Funding Council report for 2008 also showed that 3.5 years after graduation, languages students have the fourth highest mean salary (after graduates in Medicine, Pharmacy and Architecture).

Although the majority of our graduates are interested in pursuing careers in law, business, banking and translation, significant numbers develop careers in a wide range of other sectors. The following is a list of the major career sectors (and some starting salaries) that have attracted our graduates in recent years:

•Banking: £28 000
•PR: £20 000-25, 000
•Education / Teaching: £22 000
•Publishing: £15, 000
•Fast Stream Civil Service: £27,000
•Translation / Interpreting: £18 000 - £26 000

Employer Links – Consultations: We regularly consult and develop links with a large number of employers including, for example, Santander and the British Council who provide sponsorship for our year abroad placements as well as Rolls Royce, Price Waterhouse Coopers and Moy Park / MARFRIGwho are members of the employer liaison panel for the course.

Placement Employers:Our past students have also gained work placement with organisations such as:

•British Council Assistantships Program
•Santander Bank
•Price Waterhouse Coopers

Graduate Careers and Achievements: Many of our former graduates have risen to the top of their fields and include many famous figures; for example:
•Hilary Oliver, Managing Director, Cameo Productions
•Carla Leonard, Business Performance Manager, Barclays
•Nuala McKeever, Comedian
•Niall Donnelly, Reporter, UTV

The Prospects website provides further information concerning the types of jobs that attract languages Graduates.

Further study is also an option open to Spanish graduates. Students can choose from a wide range of Masters programmes as well as a comprehensive list of research topics as shown on the School website.

Other Career-related information: Queen’s is a member of the Russell Group and, therefore, one of the 20 universities most-targeted by leading graduate employers. Queen’s students will be advised and guided about career choice and, through the Degree Plus initiative, will have an opportunity to seek accreditation for skills development and experience gained through the wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer. See Queen’s University Belfast fullEmployability Statementfor further information.

Degree Plus and other related initiatives: Recognising student diversity, as well as promoting employability enhancements and other interests, is part of the developmental experience at Queen’s. Students are encouraged to plan and build their own personal skill and experiential profile through a range of activities including; recognised Queen’s Certificates, placements and other work experiences (at home or overseas), Erasmus study options elsewhere in Europe, learning development opportunities and involvement in wider university life through activities, such as clubs, societies, and sports.

Queen’s actively encourages this type of activity by offering students an additional qualification, the Degree Plus Award (and the related Researcher Plus Award for PhD and MPhil students). Degree Plus accredits wider experiential and skill development gained through extra-curricular activities that promote the enhancement of academic, career management, personal and employability skills in a variety of contexts. As part of the Award, students are also trained on how to reflect on the experience(s) and make the link between academic achievement, extracurricular activities, transferable skills and graduate employment. Participating students will also be trained in how to reflect on their skills and experiences and can gain an understanding of how to articulate the significance of these to others, e.g. employers.

Overall, these initiatives, and Degree Plusin particular, reward the energy, drive, determination and enthusiasm shown by students engaging in activities over-and-above the requirements of their academic studies. These qualities are amongst those valued highly by graduate employers.