LONDON'S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
Dutch BA
UCAS code: R911
www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/elcs
DUTCH BA
This four-year programme focuses on the
language, culture and history of the Netherlands
and Flanders, two regions neighbouring the UK
that are among its largest trading partners.
Students start learning Dutch from scratch and
graduate as fluent and interculturally competent
speakers of this global language.
Your learning
Degree summary
Your career
•
No previous knowledge of Dutch is required, as you will receive
intensive language training in the first two years if you start the subject
from scratch. You may also start as a more advanced speaker of
Dutch.
•
You can go on summer language courses after the first year and will
spend the third year of study in Holland or Flanders (the northern part
of Belgium), benefiting from the extensive contacts the department
has with Dutch and Belgian universities including Amsterdam, Utrecht,
Leiden and Antwerp.
A substantial number of our graduates use their language skills in a
variety of contexts, such as public relations (often for multinational
companies, of which plenty have Dutch origins), insurance, banking,
political and cultural institutions, or in teaching and translating. Some
graduates go on to Master's or PhD programmes.
•
•
You will study in a small, friendly department which has a staff-student
ratio unusual in higher education.
You will have access to the most comprehensive Dutch Library in the
English-speaking world, including our collection of Dutch and Belgian
films and documentaries on DVD and multimedia learning resources.
The Dutch BA is a four year, single-subject programme. Each year
students take a total of four course credits. The intensive language
course develops practical language skills while the cultural studies
courses focus on issues of identities and communities, and ways of
investigating contemporary culture. Aside from core courses you can
choose options in literature, history and sociolinguistics.
You may also take School of European Languages, Culture and Society
(ELCS) courses, which allow students to study literature, film, art and
culture from outside their subject area(s), focusing on broad cultural
movements, issues and approaches from an interdisciplinary perspective
and drawing on the full range of specialisms within the school.
The third year of study is spent in the Netherlands or Belgium during
which you may study at a Dutch or Belgian university, teach as a
language assistant, or work on placement in a field related to your studies
or intended career.
We teach Dutch using modern communicative methods to develop
fluency, accuracy and an understanding of stylistic issues. Literature,
history, linguistics and cultural studies are taught through a mixture of
seminars, group work, web-based courses and tutorials. You will be able
to get involved with VirtualDutch, a collaborative teaching network
between UCL and Cambridge, Sheffield and Nottingham Universities.
Courses are assessed by various methods: written and oral/aural
examinations, essays, presentations and project work.
There is significant and growing demand for Dutch-speaking graduates,
despite the recession, as evidenced by regular requests from employers
to the department. In the English-speaking context, a university graduate
with a good command of Dutch is rare indeed, giving the graduate in
Dutch a major asset.
Belgium and the Netherlands belong to the world's most advanced
manufacturing and trading areas and are among Britain's largest trading
partners, housing the headquarters of numerous multinational companies
and the political heart of the European Union and NATO. Dutch has 23
million speakers worldwide and Afrikaans, closely related to Dutch, has
some 17 million.
First career destinations of recent graduates (2008-2010) of this
programme include:
•
•
Financial Analyst, Pernod Ricard (2010)
•
•
•
Research, Reed Business Information (2009)
Ethnic Minorities Disability Project Officer, Hampstead County Council
(2010)
Policy Officer, Royal Netherlands Embassy, London (2009)
HR Administrator, Tribal Plc (2008)
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
Dutch Language I
Optional courses
You will select courses from a wide range of options. Options may include:
Born out of Rebellion: The Netherlands from the Dutch Revolt to the Eve of
World War I
Modern Dutch Literary Texts
You may also choose courses from a wide range offered by the School of
European Language, Culture and Society, which may include:
Historical Linguistics: Language Birth, Death and Decay
The Holocaust Witnessed: Remembered, Represented
Introduction to the Study of Language
Language in Society: Introduction to Sociolinguistics
Nationalism and Ethnicity in Contemporary Europe
and many more.
Year Two
Compulsory courses
Dutch Language II
Optional courses
You will select courses from a wide range of options. Options may include:
At the Crossroads Of Europe: Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg in the
20th and 21st Centuries
Multiculturalism and Identity
20th Century Dutch Literature: Themes
You may also choose courses from a wide range offered by the School of
European Language, Culture and Society, which may include:
Historical Linguistics: Language Birth, Death and Decay
The Holocaust Witnessed: Remembered, Represented
Introduction to the Study of Language
Language in Society: Introduction to Sociolinguistics
Nationalism and Ethnicity in Contemporary Europe
and many more.
Year Three
Year spent abroad in the Netherlands or Flanders
Year Abroad Project
Year Abroad Oral Assessment
Final Year
Compulsory course
Dutch Language III
Optional courses
You will select courses from a wide range of options. Options may include:
Advanced Translation from Dutch into English
Contemporary Culture and History of the Low Countries
Contemporary Culture and Society of the Low Countries
Dutch Literature 1930-present
Dutch Renaissance and Golden Age Literature
Project in Dutch
ELCS Advanced Level courses
Entry requirements
A levels
staff. You may be asked to respond to an admissions questionnaire
and/or attend an interview.
Fees
A level grades
ABB
UK/EU fee
£9,000 (2012/13)
A level subjects
Foreign language preferred.
Overseas fee
£14,000 (2012/13)
AS levels
A pass in a further subject at AS level or
equivalent is required.
Notes
Details about financial support are available at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/study/ug-finance
GCSE
English Language at grade B, plus Mathematics
at grade C. For UK-based students a Foreign
Language at grade C is required.
Contacts
Contact
IB diploma
Ms Gemma Barber
Admissions Officer
IB points
34
Email
selcs.admissions@ucl.ac.uk
Subjects
A score of 16 points in three higher level subjects
preferably including a foreign language, with no
score lower than 5.
Telephone
+44 (0)20 7679 3096
Prospectus entry
www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/elcs
Other qualifications
Key facts
Full lists of all degree programmes and other entry requirements can be
found on our website at: www.ucl.ac.uk/otherquals
RAE
Interdisciplinary: not an assessed unit
Department
School of European Languages, Culture and
Society
Faculty
Arts and Humanities
University Preparatory Certificates
UCL's University Preparatory Certificates (UPCs) are intensive one-year
foundation courses 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
Your application
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.
•
Visit the UCAS website: www.ucas.com
You are able to take this programme without any previous knowledge of
Dutch. However, the degree does require an interest in languages and a
proven ability in language learning (see entry requirements). We take into
account your academic performance and educational background, but
also place great importance on your personal statement, your motivation
to study Dutch, and your referee's report.
If your application demonstrates that your academic ability and motivation
makes you well-suited to our degree you will be invited to attend an
applicant open day and will have the opportunity to meet a member of
PDF Updated: May 17, 2012