BA in French Studies with Business

A levels

• Typical offer: ABB
• Subjects: French required - with at least a B

IB Diploma

• Typical offer: 32 points
• Subjects: at least 6 points in French at Higher Level

Other UK qualifications

• Scottish qualifications: 5 Highers (AABBB) or 3 Advanced Highers (ABB) with at least a B in French.
• Welsh Baccalaureate grade A or B, with A or B in two A-Levels, including French
• Vocational and access qualifications can be accepted in combination with a French at A level or equivalent. Contact us.

Non-UK qualifications

• Irish Leaving Certificate: H1, H2, H2, H3, H3 at Higher level with at least H2 in French
• For qualifications from other countries, please contact us

English Language Proficiency

All applicants must show they meet a minimum academic English language standard for admission and to be successful on the course, to the indicated levels for the area of study. English requirements if education non conducted in English: IELTS 7 overall, including 6.5 in Writing and other subscores no lower than 5.5, or equivalent qualification.

With the globalisation of markets, expertise in modern languages is becoming increasingly important as candidates with intercultural skills become more and more sought after by employers. The skills developed in our BA in French Studies with Business are highly valued, especially for anyone planning to embark on an international career in business. 

The French language is the third most useful language in business and is spoken by 220 million people on all 5 continents. It has a long history as an international language of commerce, diplomacy, literature, and scientific standards and is one of the official languages of many international organisations including the United Nations, NATO, the OECD and the European Union.

The University of London Institute in Paris offers a unique Major/Minor programme of study delivered over three years of residency in Paris. Not only does it offer everyday exposure to French life and language, enabling you to acquire a high level of proficiency in the French language, but it will also give you the opportunity to gain a specialist focus on the economic, social and political environments affecting business organisations with particular reference to European and Francophone contexts.

Supported by intensive teaching in small groups, the majority of which are delivered and assessed in French, the BA programme will also prepare you for graduate work in a range of disciplines including the humanities, international relations, law, education, translation, applied linguistics and communications.

The University of London Institute in Paris is at the heart of a metropolitan capital city which offers many resources such as libraries, museums, theatres and cinemas. Living and studying in Paris will not only allow you to apply course content in real life, but will also enable you to become a near-native speaker and show employers that you are mature and adaptable in an international environment.   

Some of the degree benefits include:

• Study in a safe and stimulating learning environment that combines the benefits of a small welcoming institute with the advantages of a top UK university. Fully realise your academic potential by immersing yourself in French culture and society for three years. 
• Develop your language skills to advanced proficiency in the five core competencies (reading, writing, listening, speaking conversationally, speaking continuously) through courses taught and assessed predominantly in French, while enhancing your capacity for critical analysis and intercultural understanding.
• Broaden and deepen your knowledge and understanding of key historical and cultural aspects of modern France and the francophone world through the study of visual culture, literature, cinema and linguistics. Students benefit from small and intensively taught classes led by experts in their respective fields.
• Gain a secondary specialism that will complement your study of French language and develop your ability to communicate in a range of professional contexts, as well as enhance your knowledge in theories of and issues in business, management, finance and human resources, with a specifically European outlook.
• Improve your employability as well as your capacity for postgraduate study by developing valuable transferable skills from your international experience while studying in a UK institution in Paris, the gateway to continental Europe.

The BA in French Studies with Business is delivered in three stages, each of which comprises one year of full-time study during which you will follow courses to the value of four units (one unit is equivalent to 30 national credits). You will take 90 credits in the Major subject and 30 credits of the Minor subject in each year of study. The programme provides progressive structures enabling you to develop increasingly specialised knowledge and understanding of key themes alongside core transferable skills.  

Teaching is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops. Courses are assessed through coursework, oral presentations (individual or group) and formal written examinations. Depending on the range of Options taken in Stages 2 and 3, you will have 55-75% of your courses delivered and examined in French. The minor subject, Business, will be taught entirely in English.

Compulsory core courses aim to:

• consolidate spoken and written language skills in a variety of registers including that of the business world, such as translation to and from French
• develop awareness of the post-1789 historical period and institutions and issues in modern France  
• introduce diverse forms of cultural production through contemporary critical and theoretical approaches
• prepare you for professional life by offering a balanced understanding of, and an ability to compare, French and British cultures in both the general and business frameworks
• provide a coherent and intellectually stimulating programme which will include theories of and issues in business, management, finance and human resources, with a specifically European outlook.

Modules

In Major/Minor programmes, students take 90 credits in the Major subject and 30 credits of the Minor subject in each year of study. Download an overview of our modules, or continue to find our programme outline*

Year 1

Compulsory modules

• Written and Oral Expression (ULL100) - taught in French 
• Fundamentals of Management (ULB001) 
• Marketing (ULB011)

Students must also choose two or three additional modules from the following list: 

• Oeuvres: critical approaches to literature and visual arts (ULC100) - taught in French 
• Histoire et Histoires: social, political and cultural issues from the Revolution to the present day (ULC110) - taught in French 
• Issues in Contemporary French Politics (ULC140) - taught in English 
• Introduction to Cultural Studies (ULC150) - taught in English

Year 2

Compulsory modules  

• Advanced grammar of written and spoken French (ULL200) - taught in French 
• Introduction to translation (ULL210) - taught in French/English  
• Economics for Business (ULB017) - taught in English 
• European Business Contexts (ULB244) – taught in English

Optional modules (students select 4 from the list below)

• Introduction to French linguistics (ULC201) - taught in French 
• Identités I: Gender and Sexuality (ULC212) - taught in French 
• Twentieth-Century Art (ULC213) – taught in French 
• History and Memory I: Les récits nationaux (ULC214) - taught in French 
• Text and Image in Mass Culture (ULC223) - taught in English
• Climate Politics (ULC230) - taught in English 
• Politics and Fiction (ULC231) - taught in English 
• Queer Politics in Contemporary France (ULC232) - taught in English 
• France, Britain and Empire (ULC234) - taught in English
• An Introduction to Global Cinema (ULC235) - taught in English
• Social Movements and Politics of Protests (ULC236) - taught in English

Year 3

Compulsory modules  

• Advanced techniques in French oral and written discourse (ULL300) - taught in French  
• Advanced Translation from English to French (ULL311) - taught in French  
• Advanced Translation from French to English (ULL312) - taught in English  
• Financial Accounting (ULB021) - taught in English 
• Management of Human Resources (ULB324) - taught in English 

Optional modules (students select 3 from the list below) 

• Fin de siècle: Politics and Ideology (ULC304) – taught in French
• Le Républicanisme en France I: 1789-1914 (ULC310) - taught in French 
• French colonialism in North Africa (ULC313) – taught in English 
• Y2K BD: Fin de millénaire bande dessinée (ULC315) - taught in English 
• Variation, Contacts and Ideologies in Contemporary French (ULC317) - taught in French
• French Society Through Musical Films (ULC318) - taught in French
• Trauma and Transmission: Holocaust afterlives (ULC326) - taught in English 
• Classic French Cinema (ULC328) - taught in English 
• Research dissertation (ULC329) - presented in French or English 
• Postcolonial Fictions in the City of Paris (ULC333) - taught in English
• Contemporary Theory 1: Critique (ULC334) - taught in English
• Contemporary Theory 2: Crisis (ULC335) - taught in English

*All courses listed above are subject to availability.

"Nearly a quarter – 22 per cent – of companies whose employees took part in the survey were said to have insufficient languages capacity to meet their needs." 

This quote from the Born Global report demonstrates how companies increasing need to recruit graduates who are fluent in languages other than English.

French is the third language in business and is spoken on all 5 continents. Combining Business with French Studies will broaden your range of skills and give you a competitive edge. Studying at the University of London Institute in Paris in the heart of one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world will not only allow you to fully immerse yourself in French culture and language , enabling you to communicate, present and defend your views clearly in another language, but it will also develop your critical thinking as well as analytical and cross-cultural understanding. Above all, living in a foreign country for three years will demonstrate to future employers your ability to adapt to an international environment.

The cost savings involved in completing your BA in French Studies with Business in just three years can also make postgraduate studies in areas such as marketing, finance and accountancy, more accessible. 

The University of London Institute in Paris charges an annual tuition fee for the BA in French Studies with Business. This fee will vary depending on whether you are a resident of the UK or whether you are applying from outside the UK as an international student.

The UK government sets guidelines on who is eligible to pay the UK rate of fees. Details can be found on the UKCISA website.

Please note that international fees are subject to inflationary increases year on year, during the three years of your studies.

Tuition fees for 2022-23

Full-time UK

• £9,250

Full-time International

• £12,000

Being a UK institution, UK students are eligible for student financial support from the Student Loans Company.

This means that students who are eligible for government funding do not have to pay anything up front. Please visit Finding Funding for further information on applying for government loans and university bursaries.

If you have any further questions, please contact us via our contact form where help will be on hand.

Sources of support

Applicants receive detailed guidance on UK and French sources of funding available to ULIP students. The Student Services team is on hand to provide guidance on how to apply.

Students can also consult Queen Mary’s Student Advice Guides which covers ways to finance their degree and can also receive specialist support on all financial and welfare issues through the Advice and Counselling Service.

All candidates should apply through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions System).

Short-listed candidates are invited for a phone or online interview. When possible, interviews are held before the annual Applicant Open Day, otherwise known as "Journée de Rencontres", which normally takes place in April. This event gives applicants and their guests an opportunity to meet staff and current students as well as to find out more about ULIP.

Applications should be made online at www.ucas.com 

• Institution code name: ULIP
• Institution code: P26
• Course title: BA French Studies with Business
• UCAS course code:  R11N
• Duration: Three years, in Paris
• Mode of study: Full-time
• Point of entry: 1 (unless you are applying for a transfer into year 2)

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact us via our contact form.