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BA ITALIAN STUDIES AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE

  • UCAS code
    QR3H
  • Typical offer
    BBB
  • Year of entry
    2021
  • Course duration
     4 years
  • Year of entry
    2021
  • Course duration
     4 years
View all

COVID-19 update


Find out about how we'll be delivering our courses in 2020.

This BA Italian and English Language joint honours degree provides you with a solid grounding in the core mechanics and usage of language, and will enable you to write and speak fluently in Italian.

Join our friendly and dynamic Department of Languages and Cultures, which offers the opportunity to study in a lively, multilingual community with staff and students from all over the world. We offer a flexible and supportive approach to learning which allows you to tailor your degree to your interests, including the opportunity to learn other languages.

Through this course you will become confident and highly skilled in written and spoken Italian. You will master the fundamental elements of the language, to the point where you will graduate with a near-native command of it. We’re proud of our small language classes, led by native speakers. Direct access to expert staff for help and feedback ensures you develop your language skills to the best of your ability.

Optional modules in Italian politics, culture, history, literature and cinema enhance your learning, and provide you with an in-depth knowledge of the country. You will gain a broad understanding of the most important features of the culture and history of Italy, from the Middle Ages to today. You will have the opportunity to study with leading academics on topics including Dante, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, fascism, the history of the language, the resistance, Fellini and contemporary culture.

The course enables you to pursue your own interests beyond the language you're learning through comparative modules. For example, if you really enjoy film, then you can take a module in Italian cinema together with comparative modules in European and world cinema. It's a great way to broaden your knowledge and get even more enjoyment from the course.

In English language, you will analyse language, its use in different social contexts and settings, on and off line, and how it is acquired and used by children and adults. During the degree you will develop your knowledge of grammar and phonetics in order to become a highly skilled user and analyst of the English language. Our method of applying the theory you learn to real-life situations will help you to understand that theory – and also show how the subject is directly relevant to many key issues in 21st-century society and the workplace. Our Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics has been a leader in the field for 50 years.

An integral part of the course is the opportunity for you to spend up to a year in Italy, studying at a partner institution through the Erasmus+ programme, undertaking a work placement or working as a British Council language teaching assistant. It allows you to directly immerse yourself in the culture and considerably develop your knowledge of Italian at the same time. The core language module in the second year will prepare you for your time abroad, equipping you with the skills and knowledge required to work and live in a different culture.

Overview

Join our friendly and dynamic Department of Languages and Cultures, which offers the opportunity to study in a lively, multilingual community with staff and students from all over the world. We offer a flexible and supportive approach to learning which allows you to tailor your degree to your interests, including the opportunity to learn other languages.

Through this course you will become confident and highly skilled in written and spoken Italian. You will master the fundamental elements of the language, to the point where you will graduate with a near-native command of it. We’re proud of our small language classes, led by native speakers. Direct access to expert staff for help and feedback ensures you develop your language skills to the best of your ability.

Optional modules in Italian politics, culture, history, literature and cinema enhance your learning, and provide you with an in-depth knowledge of the country. You will gain a broad understanding of the most important features of the culture and history of Italy, from the Middle Ages to today. You will have the opportunity to study with leading academics on topics including Dante, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, fascism, the history of the language, the resistance, Fellini and contemporary culture.

The course enables you to pursue your own interests beyond the language you're learning through comparative modules. For example, if you really enjoy film, then you can take a module in Italian cinema together with comparative modules in European and world cinema. It's a great way to broaden your knowledge and get even more enjoyment from the course.

In English language, you will analyse language, its use in different social contexts and settings, on and off line, and how it is acquired and used by children and adults. During the degree you will develop your knowledge of grammar and phonetics in order to become a highly skilled user and analyst of the English language. Our method of applying the theory you learn to real-life situations will help you to understand that theory – and also show how the subject is directly relevant to many key issues in 21st-century society and the workplace. Our Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics has been a leader in the field for 50 years.

An integral part of the course is the opportunity for you to spend up to a year in Italy, studying at a partner institution through the Erasmus+ programme, undertaking a work placement or working as a British Council language teaching assistant. It allows you to directly immerse yourself in the culture and considerably develop your knowledge of Italian at the same time. The core language module in the second year will prepare you for your time abroad, equipping you with the skills and knowledge required to work and live in a different culture.

Entry requirements A Level BBB | IB 30 points overall

Select Reading as your firm choice on UCAS, and we will guarantee you a place if you achieve one grade lower than the published offer.

Typical offer

BBB

Beginners' Italian: No previous language qualifications are required.

Intermediate Italian: GCSE Italian at grade A (7) or AS level Italian at grade B.

Advanced Italian: A level Italian at grade B.

International Baccalaureate

30 points overall 

Extended Project Qualification

In recognition of the excellent preparation that the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) provides to students for University study, we can now include achievement in the EPQ as part of a formal offer.

BTEC Extended Diploma

DDM

English language requirements

IELTS 7.0, with no component below 6.0

For information on other English language qualifications, please visit our international student pages.

Alternative entry requirements for International and EU students

For country specific entry requirements look at entry requirements by country.

International Foundation Programme

If you are an international or EU student and do not meet the requirements for direct entry to your chosen degree you can join the University of Reading’s International Foundation Programme. Successful completion of this 1 year programme guarantees you a place on your chosen undergraduate degree. English language requirements start as low as IELTS 4.5 depending on progression degree and start date.

  • Learn more about our International Foundation programme

Pre-sessional English language programme

If you need to improve your English language score you can take a pre-sessional English course prior to entry onto your degree.

  • Find out the English language requirements for our courses and our pre-sessional English programme

Structure

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 3
  • Year 4

Core modules include:

  • Italian language (at beginner's, intermediate or advanced level)
  • Sounds, grammar and meaning
  • English language and society
  • Techniques and skills for applied linguistics

Optional modules include:

  • Italian Medieval and Renaissance culture (in translation)
  • Twentieth-century Italian culture
  • Making Italians: a journey in the history and culture of modern Italy
  • Globalisation and language

Comparative modules include:

In addition to these Italian modules, students may choose to take a module from our list of comparative modules. Comparative modules do not focus on one specific country or culture, but rather they contrast and compare different literary, cinematic or historical traditions.

  • The making of modern Europe: 1789 to the present
  • What is comparative literature?
  • Greats of European cinema
  • Introduction to linguistics

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Core modules include:

  • Italian language
  • English grammar
  • English phonology
  • Sociolinguistics

Optional modules include:

  • Italian cinema
  • 'Apocalittici e integrati': intellectuals and society in twentieth-century Italy
  • Fictions of Italy: themes and genres
  • Analysing speech
  • Discourse analysis
  • Introduction to English language teaching
  • Language and gender
  • Language and the mind
  • Language and new media
  • Literacy, discourse and power

Comparative modules include:

In addition to these Italian modules, students may choose to take a module from our list of comparative modules. Comparative modules do not focus on one specific country or culture, but rather they contrast and compare different literary, cinematic or historical traditions.

  • Society, thought, and art in modern Europe
  • Unity, nationalism and regionalism in Europe
  • Science, perversion, and dream in global fantastic literature
  • Love in Medieval Renaissance

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

You can currently choose from three options for your third year: studying at a partner institution through the Erasmus+ programme, undertaking a work placement or working as a British Council language teaching assistant.

Our Italian partner institutions include universities in Bergamo, Bologna, Florence, Genoa, Naples, Padua, Pavia, Pisa, Rome, Siena and Venice. The Department of Modern Languages has a study abroad officer who can help you prepare for study at one of these universities.

You can also talk to the Department's specialist year abroad team, who can provide you with support in securing and preparing for a placement. Past students have carried out roles with organisations such as Ermanno Scervino, the Istituto per la storia della Resistenza e dell’età contemporanea and the UN.

Our Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics has an innovative placement scheme which allows you to take a placement module on languages and literature in media, education or heritage. You may also have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects, run by members of staff, under the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme. So far, students have worked on projects on multilingualism, corpus linguistics and child language development.

Core modules include:

  • Italian language
  • Language and Communication in professions

Optional modules include:

  • Italian language for management and business
  • Dante
  • Performance and the self in Renaissance Italy
  • History of the Italian language
  • Voice and the self in modern Italian poetry
  • Corpus-based approaches to language description
  • Child language development
  • English grammar and lexis
  • English in the world
  • Issues in bilingualism
  • Saxons to Shakespeare
  • Teaching the language skills
  • Language and migration
  • Intercultural communication

Comparative modules include:

In addition to these Italian modules, students may choose to take a module from our list of comparative modules. Comparative modules do not focus on one specific country or culture, but rather they contrast and compare different literary, cinematic or historical traditions.

  • EU case studies
  • Cinemas of the world
  • 19th century European novel
  • Language and power
Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Fees

New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,250* per year

New international students: £17,320 per year

*UK/Republic of Ireland fee changes

UK/Republic of Ireland undergraduate tuition fees are regulated by the UK government. These fees are subject to parliamentary approval and any decision on raising the tuition fees cap for new UK students would require the formal approval of both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.

EU student fees

With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.

Additional costs

Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

Careers

By the time you graduate, you will be able to write and speak fluently in Italian – an immensely useful skill to have given that there is currently a great shortage of well-qualified linguists in the UK. The experience of studying or working abroad also distinguishes you from non-language graduates, providing evidence of self-reliance, adaptability and enterprise. You will also develop transferable skills in analysis of language data, problem solving, team working and presentation skills. You will be suitably equipped for a wide range of career paths in areas such as teaching, publishing, marketing, advertising, media and law.

Your in-depth knowledge of Italy will make you highly attractive to many employers as previous graduates prove, with 89% of our students in work or further study 15 months after finishing their course [1].

Our graduates have an excellent record of gaining employment or progressing to further study. Many go on to put their linguistic skills to practical use by working for companies with a German connection. However, prospects extend well beyond translating and interpreting. Recent Reading graduates have been recruited by employers such as Sony Europe, the Civil Service, Oxford University Press, Dow Jones and PwC, all of whom clearly value the technical and intellectual training of a degree in modern languages.

[1] Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017/18; First Degree and other undergraduate responders from Languages and Cultures.

Contextual offers


We make contextual offers for all our courses.

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Subjects A-B

  • Agriculture
  • Ancient History
  • Animal Science
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Architectural Engineering
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Building and Surveying
  • Business and Management, Accounting and Finance

Subjects C-E

  • Chemistry
  • Classics and Classical Studies
  • Climate Science
  • Computer Science
  • Construction Management
  • Consumer Behaviour and Marketing
  • Creative Writing
  • Drama
  • Ecology
  • Economics
  • Education
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  • English Language and Applied Linguistics
  • English Literature
  • Environment

Subjects F-G

  • Film & Television
  • Food and Nutritional Sciences
  • Foundation programmes
  • French
  • Geography
  • German
  • Graphic Communication and Design

Subjects H-M

  • Healthcare
  • History
  • International Development
  • International Foundation Programme (IFP)
  • International Relations
  • Italian
  • Languages and Cultures
  • Law
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  • Marketing
  • Mathematics
  • Medical Sciences
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  • Museum Studies

Subjects N-T

  • Nutrition
  • Pharmacology
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Physician Associate Studies
  • Politics and International Relations
  • Psychology
  • Real Estate and Planning
  • Spanish
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Surveying and Construction
  • Teaching
  • Theatre

Subjects U-Z

  • Wildlife Conservation
  • Zoology

Subjects A-C

  • Agriculture
  • Ancient History
  • Animal Sciences
  • Archaeology
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Business (Post-Experience)
  • Business and Management (Pre-Experience)
  • Chemistry
  • Classics and Ancient History
  • Climate Science
  • Computer Science
  • Construction Management and Engineering
  • Consumer Behaviour
  • Creative Enterprise

Subjects D-G

  • Data Science
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Energy and Environmental Engineering
  • Engineering
  • English Language and Applied Linguistics
  • English Literature
  • Environmental Science
  • Film, Theatre and Television
  • Finance
  • Food and Nutritional Sciences
  • Geography and Environmental Science
  • Graphic Design

Subjects H-P

  • Healthcare
  • History
  • Information Management and Digital Business
  • Information Technology
  • International Development and Applied Economics
  • Languages and Cultures
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Management
  • Medieval History
  • Meteorology and Climate
  • Microbiology
  • Nutritional Sciences
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Physician Associate
  • Politics and International Relations
  • Project Management
  • Psychology
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Subjects Q-Z

  • Real Estate and Planning
  • Social Policy
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Strategic Studies
  • Teaching
  • Theatre
  • Typography and Graphic Communication
  • War and Peace Studies
  • Zoology

Subjects A-B

  • Agriculture
  • Ancient History
  • Animal Science
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Architectural Engineering
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Building and Surveying
  • Business and Management, Accounting and Finance

Subjects C-E

  • Chemistry
  • Classics and Classical Studies
  • Climate Science
  • Computer Science
  • Construction Management
  • Consumer Behaviour and Marketing
  • Creative Writing
  • Drama
  • Ecology
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • English Language and Applied Linguistics
  • English Literature
  • Environment

Subjects F-G

  • Film & Television
  • Food and Nutritional Sciences
  • Foundation programmes
  • French
  • Geography
  • German
  • Graphic Communication and Design

Subjects H-M

  • Healthcare
  • History
  • International Development
  • International Foundation Programme (IFP)
  • International Relations
  • Italian
  • Languages and Cultures
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Marketing
  • Mathematics
  • Medical Sciences
  • Meteorology and Climate
  • Museum Studies

Subjects N-T

  • Nutrition
  • Pharmacology
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Physician Associate Studies
  • Politics and International Relations
  • Psychology
  • Real Estate and Planning
  • Spanish
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Surveying and Construction
  • Teaching
  • Theatre

Subjects U-Z

  • Wildlife Conservation
  • Zoology

Subjects A-C

  • Agriculture
  • Ancient History
  • Animal Sciences
  • Archaeology
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Business (Post-Experience)
  • Business and Management (Pre-Experience)
  • Chemistry
  • Classics and Ancient History
  • Climate Science
  • Computer Science
  • Construction Management and Engineering
  • Consumer Behaviour
  • Creative Enterprise

Subjects D-G

  • Data Science
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Energy and Environmental Engineering
  • Engineering
  • English Language and Applied Linguistics
  • English Literature
  • Environmental Science
  • Film, Theatre and Television
  • Finance
  • Food and Nutritional Sciences
  • Geography and Environmental Science
  • Graphic Design

Subjects H-P

  • Healthcare
  • History
  • Information Management and Digital Business
  • Information Technology
  • International Development and Applied Economics
  • Languages and Cultures
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Management
  • Medieval History
  • Meteorology and Climate
  • Microbiology
  • Nutritional Sciences
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Physician Associate
  • Politics and International Relations
  • Project Management
  • Psychology
  • Public Policy

Subjects Q-Z

  • Real Estate and Planning
  • Social Policy
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Strategic Studies
  • Teaching
  • Theatre
  • Typography and Graphic Communication
  • War and Peace Studies
  • Zoology

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