Learning a Foreign Language develops a wide range of vital employability skills and is a great way to support a work placement or study abroad. It’s also tremendous fun and a fantastic opportunity to meet new people – all students, members of staff, and members of the public learn together in these classes.
Speaking another language will give you an advantage in today’s competitive global employment market. Our courses are designed to increase your cultural awareness and communication skills, and build your confidence to travel, study and work abroad.
About our language courses
We offer courses in seven different languages, ranging from Beginners to Advanced: Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. Where applicable, the course levels are based on the Common European Framework.
Most languages offer classes at all levels, from Beginner to Advanced, each semester. You don’t have to have enrolled in semester 1 to enrol in semester 2 (although some languages may not offer every level in semester 2).
All students and staff at the University are offered concessionary rates, and in Academic Year 2024-25 fully funded places are available for Bath Bursary recipients and Gold Scholars. If you are not in receipt of a Bath Bursary, or a Gold Scholar, and need to pay for your course, you will receive a heavily discounted concessionary rate:
- 10 week course, 110 minutes per week - £99 per semester
- 10 week course, 50 minutes per week - £49 per semester
Qualifications
You have the opportunity to study for a globally-recognised qualification, to officially accredit your language proficiency, and broaden your options for career progression. If you choose to enter for the exams, you can access exam preparation workshops in semester 2. (The cost of these is included in the course fee.) You will also need to pay an examination fee to the respective awarding organisation. Details are available from your teacher.
The qualifications available are:
- Arabic – Arabic Language Proficiency Test (ALPT)
- French – Diplôme d’Études en Langue Française (DELF )
- German – Goethe-Zertifikat (GZ)
- Italian – Projetto Lingua Italiana Dante Alighieri (PLIDA)
- Japanese – Japanese-Language Proficiency Test
- Mandarin Chinese – Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK)
- Spanish – Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera (DELE)
How our classes work
Most of our classes are in-person on campus, but some run remotely online. Lessons are generally 110 minutes long, but some may be 50 minutes long.
We keep our class sizes small with a maximum of 25 participants per class, so that we can give as much individual support as possible. All classes are inclusive, accessible and will develop your language learning in a supportive and structured way.
Each class involves taking part in interactive learning activities tailored to the level of the class. Activities may include role plays, quizzes, presentations, and informal group discussions.
How to enrol
Enrolments for semester 2 2024-25 are now closed.
The class timetable for semester 1 2025-26 will be published later this year. If you would like to be notified when the timetable is available and enrolments are open, please complete this form.
For more information about our courses in general, go to MySkills.
Other ways to learn a language
As well as our Foreign Language courses, we also offer cultural events, student-led Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) sessions and Language Cafés. There are also a range of Virtual Language Exchanges available throughout the year. All members of staff and students at the University are welcome to join these; you don’t have to be enrolled on a Foreign Language course to participate in any of these activities, which are free.