Our unique three-year Major/Minor degree programme allows you to study the history of France while developing exceptional French language skills.
Based entirely in Paris, this programme offers everyday exposure to French life, language and history, supported by intensive small-group teaching, enabling you to fully realise your academic potential and graduate with a prestigious University of London degree.
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.
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 History are highly valued, especially for anyone planning to embark upon an international career.
The French language is spoken on all five continents. French is one of the languages that shaped the world of diplomacy and is one of the official languages of the United Nations, NATO, the OECD and the EU.
ULIP offers a unique programme of study delivered over three years of residency in Paris. Not only will it offer you everyday exposure to French life and language, but it will also connect you with the context in which you are living. Supported by intensive teaching in small groups, with a majority of research-led courses delivered and assessed in French, it 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. You will benefit from small and intensively taught classes led by experts in their respective fields.
Improve your employability as well as your capacity for post-graduate study by developing valuable transferable skills from your international experience while studying in a UK institution in Paris, the gateway to continental Europe.
Build your knowledge of modern and contemporary history of France and the French-speaking world, as well as develop understanding of key historiographical methodologies.
Gain secondary specialisms that complement your study of French language and history, including French literature, visual culture, linguistics, film and business studies.
The BA in French Studies with History is delivered in three stages, each of which comprises one year of full-time study during which you will follow courses the value of four units (one unit is equivalent to 30 national credits or 15 European credits). The programme provides progressive structures in which you will be able to extend your knowledge and understanding of French and francophone language, societies and cultures, while gaining a range of transferable skills.
The degree programme lasts three years, as opposed to the usual four for a Modern Foreign Languages degree in a UK university. The programme combines a range of compulsory and optional courses designed to consolidate competence in the five key French language skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking conversationally and giving oral presentations) and to build students’ understanding of French history and culture using a broad range of critical and methodological perspectives.
Conforming to the Major/Minor degree model, the course structure requires students to take Core Courses in French language, plus at least one course unit (30 credits) of History in each year of study. Remaining credits can be selected from a broad range of Options covering French literature, visual culture, cinema, business studies and linguistics.
Conforming to the Major/Minor degree model, the course structure requires students to take Core Courses in French language, plus at least 30 credits of History each year of study. Download an overview of our modules, or continue to find our programme outline*
All courses are compulsory.
Compulsory modules
Compulsory modules
Optional modules (students select 4 from the list below)
Compulsory modules
Optional modules (students select 5 from the list below, including at least 2 History options)
History options:
Non History options:
*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 increasingly need to recruit graduates who are fluent in languages other than English.
Earning a French Studies degree with a specialised focus in History will not only enable 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 be independent and adaptable.
ULIP graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of sectors, including:
marketing & communications
governmental institutions (national and international)
education
law
The cost savings involved in completing your BA in French Studies with History in just three years can also make postgraduate studies in areas such as law, accountancy and international relations, more accessible.
The University of London Institute in Paris charges an annual tuition fee for the BA in French Studies with History. 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.
Being a UK institution, UK students are eligible for student financial support from the Student Loans Company.
This means that if you are eligible for government funding you do not have to pay anything up front. Please visit our Finding funding section 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.
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
If you have any questions about the application process, please contact us via our contact form.
I chose the French Studies with History option because History has always been my main academic interest. I definitely appreciated the opportunity to have this interest recognised in my degree title, as I feel it makes the nature of my studies clearer to any potential employer.
