BA Politics and Spanish

Mitigating circumstances may be personal or family illness, other family circumstances, change of teachers during a course, problems with school facilities or an unusual curriculum followed by your school or college. 

We recommend that information on mitigating circumstances that have affected or are likely to affect your academic performance should be included in the referee's report. 

We cannot usually consider information that is supplied after an adverse decision has been made on an application by the admitting School. 

If you encounter mitigating circumstances after you have submitted your application, please inform the admissions staff in the School to which you applied as soon as possible. 

Where mitigating circumstances have already been considered, for example by the relevant Exam Board, we will not be able to make further allowances.

Delivered jointly by the School of Social Sciences and the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, this course offers flexibility through a combination of core and optional politics course units on the Spanish Language and Hispanic Cultures, including the opportunity to study Catalan.

Language study offers more than just language fluency. You'll explore the culture, society, history, politics and literature of the countries in which Spanish is spoken, helping you develop intercultural awareness and communication skills, both highly valued by employers.

You'll benefit from excellent teaching, student support and cutting-edge study facilities, as well as the vibrancy and cultural diversity of Manchester itself, Western Europe's most multilingual city.

Studying abroad at partner universities and in professional environments in a Spanish-speaking country gives you an unforgettable and invaluable experience.

The course unit details listed below are those you may choose to study as part of this programme and are referred to as optional units. These are subject to change and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this programme. Although language units may show here as optional, they are a mandatory part of your modern languages degree and you will take the units relevant to your level of language in each year of study. It is compulsory to study language at all levels of your modern languages degree.

• Develop strong analytical skills and understanding of key areas of global politics, including European/international politics, international relations, global security and international development.
• Develop the linguistic skills and cultural knowledge to access and engage fully with political, historical and cultural issues in Spanish and the cultures of the Hispanic world.
• Offer an intercultural perspective on your studies and future career, facilitated by the possibility of studying a second language - either as a beginner or at a more advanced level.

You can study and/or work for up to a year in a country or countries relevant to your chosen language(s) to improve your language skills in a native-speaker environment.

Palaver Festival

Palaver Festival is a collaboration with the neighbouring Contact Theatre.

You can explore links between language and performance across a range of genres including literature, theatre and dance.

Collaborations and partnerships

The University has links with language and cultural institutions across the city, including:

• Instituto Cervantes - a centre for the promotion of Hispanic Cultures;
• HOME - international and contemporary art, theatre and film.

Societies

There are over 30 international and language-related student societies offering cultural activities and experiences.

You can also join the Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies Student Society and enjoy a wide range of cultural events and activities.

You'll learn through a mixture of formal lectures, seminars and tutorials, spending approximately 12 hours a week in formal study sessions. 

For every hour of university study, you will be expected to complete a further 2-3 hours of independent study.

You will also need to study during the holiday periods. 

The individual study component could be spent reading, producing written work, revising for examinations or working in the University's Language Centre .

You will be assessed in various ways, including:  

• written and oral examinations; 
• presentations; 
• coursework (which may include library research, linguistic fieldwork and data collection, or web-based research); 
• in your final year, a dissertation based on a research topic of your choice.  

Assessment methods vary from course unit to course unit - see individual course unit listings for more information.

The University Language Centre is home to language resources, including a new interpreting suite, purpose-built recording rooms, and resources for more than 70 languages.  

The Centre also offers multilingual word processing, language learning software, off-air recording and AV duplication, multilingual terrestrial and satellite TV, and extensive support and advice for learners.  

Learn more at facilities

A degree in Politics and Modern Languages and Cultures paves the way for a broad range of careers. You'll develop intercultural awareness and enhanced communication skills - both highly valued by employers.

You'll also acquire transferable expertise at the very heart of language learning, including enhanced powers of perception and interpretation and advanced decision-making and multitasking skills.

You'll develop independence and self-confidence during your residence abroad, and your intercultural communication skills will make you a strong contender for media, journalism and PR roles.

Many of our graduates go straight into business services, marketing, advertising, management, banking or communications.

Others pursue postgraduate study or further vocational training to become accountants, lawyers, teachers (both in the UK and overseas) or to enter the Civil Service.

The University of Manchester is the second most targeted university in the UK for top graduate employers (High Fliers Research, 2024).

Our graduates have gone on to work for:

• the BBC;
• the United Nations;
• ASOS;
• Northern and Shell;
• Ernst and Young;
• Eversheds;
• the NHS.

Find out more on the Modern Languages and Cultures and Politics careers and employability pages.

The University also has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability .