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Fees and Funding

UK & EU Fee

£9,000 (2013/14)

Overseas Fee

£14,750 (2013/14)

General Funding Notes

Details about financial support are available at: www.ucl.ac.uk/study/ug-finance

Contacts

Admissions Tutor

Dr Daniel Abondolo

Senior Admissions Officer

Miss Lisa Walters

Email: l.walters@ucl.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 8830

Key Facts

Research Assessment Exercise

45% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)
(What is the RAE?)

Departmental website

SSEES - School of Slavonic & East European Studies

More Information

Prospectus subject entry

Russian and East European Languages and Culture

Prospectus faculty entry

School of Slavonic and East European Studies

Other Related Programmes

Finnish and East European Studies BA

UCAS Code: RR67

The Finnish language is a member of the Uralic language family, which also includes Estonian and Hungarian. This programme offers the opportunity to gain excellent language skills and a profound knowledge of Finnish culture, history, society and literature that will prepare you for a wide variety of careers in Europe.

Entry Requirements

A Levels

Grades AAB-ABB
Subjects No specific subjects.
AS Levels A pass in a further subject at AS level or equivalent is required.
GCSEs English Language and a foreign language (other than Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew or Latin) at grade B, plus Mathematics at grade C.

IB Diploma

Points 34-36
Subjects A score of 16-17 points in three higher level subjects, with no score lower than 5.

Other Qualifications

For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:

Selected entry requirements will appear here

International Qualifications

International Qualifications

In addition to A level and International Baccalaureate, UCL considers a wide range of international qualifications for entry to its undergraduate degree programmes.

Selected country's equivalent grades will appear here

University Preparatory Certificates

UCL offers intensive one-year foundation courses to prepare international students for a variety of degree programmes at UCL.

The University Preparatory Certificates (UPCs) are for international students of high academic potential who are aiming to gain access to undergraduate degree programmes at UCL and other top UK universities.

For more information see our website: www.ucl.ac.uk/upc

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language you will also need to satisfy UCL's English Language Requirements. A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.

Degree Summary

Degree Benefits

  • SSEES/UCL is the only university in the UK where you can do a full-time degree in Finnish language and culture.
  • SSEES is the largest national centre in the UK for the study of Central, Eastern and South-East Europe and Russia. The SSEES library contains over 4,000 books, journals and film resources.
  • Students benefit from frequent visits and lectures by the most prominent, political, artistic and academic figures - prime ministers, foreign ministers, professors and writers.
  • Enjoy the huge benefits of studying in London, a global city with sizeable East European communities, and a host of cultural events with an East European dimension.

Your degree will train you to the highest level of proficiency in speaking, writing and understanding in your chosen languages whether you begin with no prior knowledge or already have a good command of the language. As you progress through the degree, compulsory language courses are tailored to your existing knowledge, and you also take a compulsory literature or culture course each year.

You are encouraged to develop and pursue your own interests through choosing options from within three pathways:

  • Language and Literature
  • Social Science
  • History

Your third year is spent abroad, which not only brings the language and culture you are studying to life, but also strengthens your resourcefulness and self-reliance. You will normally spend this year studying at a university in your chosen country, but alternatives, such as work placements, may be possible.

Your Learning

Language teaching benefits from dedicated resources, including technological support through computer-aided language learning facilities, video and DVD materials, and the internet. The methods we will use to teach and assess you are varied, to ensure that they are best suited to the knowledge and skills being imparted or measured.

Assessment

Assessment will include written, oral and aural examinations, presentations, extended essays and the project you undertake during your year abroad.

Degree Structure

In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual courses, normally valued at 0.5 or 1.0 credits, adding up to a total of 4.0 credits for the year. Courses are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional courses varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 1.0 credit is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

Year One

Compulsory courses

Finnish Language
Histories and Cultures of the Nordic Region

Optional courses

You will select 2.0 credits from a wide range of course options.

Year Two

Compulsory courses

Finnish Language
Finland: Environment, Society, and Culture

Optional courses

You will select 2.0 credits from a wide range of course options.

Year Three

Year abroad

Final Year

Compulsory courses

Finnish Language or Freestanding Dissertation
Reading Finnish Society and Culture

Optional courses

You will select 2.0 credits from a wide range of course options.

Further details available on degree page of subject website:

Your Career

The programme is designed to equip you with language fluency, cultural competence, historical knowledge and social understanding. Your ability to consider issues from an international perspective will be greatly enhanced and you will develop your ability to gather and organise information, and to express yourself clearly.

Equipped with language fluency and a deep understanding of the social, political and historical factors affecting the region, you will be strongly placed to find employment in international organisations where such specialist knowledge is valued. The programme also provides transferable skills, such as organisation and communication, valuable in any career.

Destinations

First destinations of recent graduates (2009-2011) from related SSEES BA programmes at UCL include:

  • Full-time student, MA in Central and South-East European Studies at UCL (2010)
  • Parliamentary Researcher, UK Parliament (2009)
  • Graduate Management Trainee, DHL (2009)
  • Full-time student, MA in Translation Studies at UCL (2009)

Find out more about London graduates' careers by visiting the Careers Group (University of London) website:

Application

Your Application

We will be particularly interested in your motivation for choosing this programme. In addition to academic requirements, you should demonstrate an aptitude for and interest in language study, and relate how your interest in Eastern Europe was initiated. Literature, history and culture are key elements of the degree, and your interest in and experience of these fields of study are important.

How to Apply

Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.

Selection

If you are successful in obtaining an offer and you live in the UK, you will normally be invited for an applicant open day, comprising introductory talks about SSEES and your degree, and a tour of UCL. You will also meet with a member of the teaching staff on your chosen degree programme.