Italian BA
London, Bloomsbury
This is the programme information for 2025 entry
If you require details of the previous year's programme, Italian BA (2024), click here
The four-year Italian BA provides a stimulating programme of Italian language and linguistics, literature, art, history and film. The third year is spent in Italy, offering unrivalled possibilities to develop your linguistic proficiency and to immerse yourself in Italian culture. Students can take Italian from beginner's level or advanced (post A level or equivalent).
Study mode
Duration
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
Programme starts
September 2025Application deadline
29 Jan 2025UCAS course code
Entry requirements
- Grades
- ABB
- Subjects
- Foreign language preferred.
- GCSEs
- English Language at grade B or 6 and Mathematics at grade C or 4.
Contextual offer information
- Grades
- BBC more about contextual offers
- Subjects
- Foreign language preferred.
- GCSEs
- English Language at grade B or 6 and Mathematics at grade C or 4.
- Points
- 34
- Subjects
- A total of 16 points in three higher level subjects, preferably including a foreign language, with no higher level score below 5.
Contextual offer
- Points
- 30 more about contextual offers
- Subjects
- A total of 15 points in three higher level subjects, preferably including a foreign language, with no higher level score below 5.
UK applicants qualifications
For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:
Equivalent qualification
Pass in Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 30 credits at Distinction, 12 credits at Merit and 3 credits at Pass in the Level 3 units. Foreign Language preferred.
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
D3,M1,M1 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects. Foreign Language preferred.
A,B,B at Advanced Highers (or A,B at Advanced Higher and B,B,B at Higher). Foreign Language preferred.
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
Successful completion of the WBQ Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate plus 2 GCE A levels at grades ABB. Foreign language preferred.
International applications
Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.
Access and widening participation
UCL is committed to widening access to higher education. If you are eligible for Access UCL you do not need to do anything in addition to the standard UCAS application. Your application will be automatically flagged when we receive it.Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates
The Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC) prepare international students for a UCL undergraduate degree who don’t have the qualifications to enter directly. These intensive one-year foundation courses are taught on our central London campus.
Typical UPC students will be high achievers in a 12-year school system which does not meet the standard required for direct entry to UCL.
For more information see: ucl.ac.uk/upc.
English language requirements
The English language level for this programme is: Level 4
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Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.
A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.
Course overview
Language study is compulsory throughout the programme and is designed to cater for those either with or without prior knowledge of the language. You will also take modules each year in areas such as literature, history, linguistics, culture, film and art, covering a large historical timespan.
You may also take modules from across the School, allowing you to study literature, film, linguistics, art and culture from outside your subject area. This will enable you to focus on broad cultural movements, issues and approaches from an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing on the full range of specialisms within the School.
Your third year is spent in Italy, on a teaching or work placement or studying at a partner institution. This is a unique experience that allows you to immerse yourself fully in Italian life and culture. Students come back from Italy feeling much more at home with the language and with a spectrum of first-hand experiences from the country.
Your final year is spent at UCL. Back from Italy, you will be able to speak the language fluently and engage with your studies using a whole range of resources in Italian, as a native speaker would do. You will also take fourth-year language modules that are taught in Italian.
What this course will give you
We are one of the largest Italian departments in the UK with leading experts in all periods of Italian literature. We are also known for the range of Italian Studies modules on offer. Our students can explore interests as diverse and fascinating as Renaissance art, history, modern and contemporary Italian literature, linguistics, film, graphic novels, and the Mafia.
Staff members include experts on all periods of Italian literature, as well as historians, cultural historians and linguists. As a UCL student, you will also have access to a personal tutor with whom to discuss your academic progress throughout your academic career.
Exceptional resources for Italian Studies are available in the UCL Library, including five special collections on Italian studies and a substantial video library of Italian films. The Warburg Institute Library is within short walking distance of the Italian department.
Our students experience innovative teaching in every area of study, including access to a language lab, historical Italian cookery, dedicated visits to museums and galleries in London, hands-on access to UCL rare book collections (for example, Dante incunable editions) and Italian film screenings.
Teaching and learning
In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
Upon successful completion of 360 credits, you will be awarded a BA (Hons) in Italian.
Modules
Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.
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You will spend the first two years at UCL gaining expertise in the productive and receptive skills of the Italian language, as well as gaining a more developed understanding of the literature, cinema, politics, linguistics, history, culture and society of the countries where Italian is spoken.
There is a compulsory year abroad in Year 3, during which you will spend your time in a country where Italian is spoken. You may study at a partner university or undertake an approved work placement.
The final year is based at UCL where you will continue to study a range of advanced-level modules on language, applied language (such as translation), literature, history, film and linguistics. A final-year dissertation module is available, should you wish to undertake a self-initiated project building on the independent research skills developed over the course of your programme of study.
We are keen to ensure that students feel part of our community at UCL and therefore offer programme-specific core modules in Year 1 that students take together with their respective cohort. These offer a broader sense of their chosen discipline and an opportunity to share learning experiences. They also support students to make informed choices for their future years of study to carve out a degree pathway that suits them. Please visit our Undergraduate Modules page for more details.
Optional modules
Optional modules
Your learning
Italian language is taught at both beginner level and advanced (post A level) in the first year. You will be taught in small seminar-style classes. Cultural studies modules in the first two years are taught mainly through lectures and tutorials. Final-year topics, which reflect staff research specialisms, often use seminar classes and student presentations to encourage participation and discussion.
During Terms 1 and 2, approximately 35% of a student's time is spent in lectures, seminars or tutorials and the remainder in independent study. There is minimal teaching during Term 3, which focuses on examinations and assessment.
Assessment
Assessment is continuous throughout your studies and includes essays, presentations, and oral and unseen examinations. If you are studying at one of our partner universities during your year abroad, you will follow the modules of that university and take the associated examinations.
Accessibility
Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.
Visit us
Online - Open day
School of European Languages, Culture and Society Information Session
Watch this video to find out more about UCL's School of European Languages, Culture and Society programme, entry requirements, course structure and other helpful information. Recorded Spring 2024.
The foundation of your career
Italy's economy is significant in the world. British business is particularly influential in Italy in finance, advertising and market research. Many Italian companies are small and medium enterprises that are looking for contributions from British graduates to expand globally. Both UK and Italian companies value quality graduates with Italian linguistic skills.
Popular career paths for modern language graduates include teaching and education (12.3%), publishing, journalism or translation (11.8%), accountancy and financial services (11.2%), media (4.8%), law (2.7%), PR, advertising, marketing (2.1%) and the civil service (1.6%)*. Employers of our graduates include KPMG, Bloomberg, BBC, Business Insider, Deutsche Bank, Houses of Parliament, Ipsos MORI, L'Oreal, London Theatre Company, Lonely Planet, Teach First, PwC and UK Government.*
Some graduates pursue careers that make special use of their language skills, including translating, interpreting and teaching, while others continue with graduate training, further study or academic research (4.8%).*
*Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2017-2021 cohorts.
Employability
Our graduates have a marketable combination of talents, including the rigour and accuracy required to master a language, and the conceptual power, communication skills and imagination needed to tackle literature, history and other aspects of a foreign culture. Spending the third year abroad adds a unique capacity for enterprise and maturity to the mix. These qualities all provide an excellent preparation for the global, flexible and fast-changing economy of today.
78% of graduates from the School of European Languages, Culture and Society (SELCS) were in work, further study or due to start work or study, 15 months after graduation.*
Fees and funding
Fees for this course
| Fee description | Full-time |
|---|---|
| Tuition fees (2025/26) | £9,250 |
| Tuition fees (2025/26) | £29,800 |
The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2024/25 academic year. The UK fees shown are for the first year of the programme at UCL only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase. The Overseas fees shown are the fees that will be charged to 2024/25 entrants for each year of study on the programme, unless otherwise indicated below.
Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website.
Additional costs
The department strives to keep additional costs low. Books and journal articles are usually available via the UCL Library as hard copies or via e-journal subscriptions.
In addition, please note that if you study abroad during your programme at UCL, this is likely to incur additional costs. Studying abroad may cost between £200–£1,000 per month depending on where you choose to study. The cost of studying abroad can be difficult to predict as it will depend on your priorities and choices. There is more information available on the UCL Study Abroad website.
A guide including rough estimates for these and other living expenses is included on the UCL Fees and funding pages. If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc., please get in touch with the relevant departmental contact (details given on this page).
Funding your studies
Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships. Please see the Fees and funding pages for more details.
Scholarships
The Scholarships and Funding website lists scholarships and funding schemes available to UCL students. These may be open to all students, or restricted to specific nationalities, regions or academic department.
Next steps
Your application
We seek to select candidates who, in addition to academic achievement, have the motivation and passion for language learning, for inter-cultural inquiry, and who have a deep commitment to developing and finessing their language proficiency to an advanced level.
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
For further information on UCL's selection process see: How we assess your application.
Our admissions process aims to assess your linguistic abilities and attainments, as well as cultural awareness and intellectual potential.
If your application demonstrates that your academic ability and motivation make you well-suited to our degree and you receive an offer, you will be invited to a Post-Offer Open Day at UCL, where you will meet staff and students, see our facilities, experience the teaching offered and get a taste of life in the department.
Got questions? Get in touch
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