International Business and Languages BA (Hons), sandwich with work placement

In today’s global world, businesses are looking for people who can do more than understand numbers. They need graduates who can think internationally, speak different languages and move confidently between cultures. Our BA (Hons) International Business and Languages degree seeks to give you the knowledge and skills to stand out in this competitive, connected world.

You’ll build a strong foundation in business while developing fluency in your chosen language and the cultural awareness to navigate the international business landscape. Along the way, you’ll sharpen essential skills such as communication, adaptability and problem-solving, all of which employers value highly. By combining these strengths, you’ll graduate prepared for careers that take you across borders and into international companies.

Your degree is designed to connect learning with the real world, so you’ll have the chance to gain hands-on experience through an optional professional placement with leading employers. Our students have worked with brands like L’Oréal, Bentley and Bosch, as well as many other well known industry names. You'll also immerse yourself fully in another culture by studying abroad in a country where your language is spoken, from Spain or Germany to destinations further afield such as Latin America.

Whichever path you take, you’ll leave university ready for a career where languages open doors and cultural understanding sets you apart. Whether you’re helping a business expand overseas, collaborating with international teams or simply confident in working across cultures, you’ll graduate with the tools to shape your future in the global business world.

This course is available through Clearing.

Clearing 2025 is now closed

We look at more than just your grades

While we consider your grades when making an offer, we also carefully look at your circumstances and other factors to assess your potential. These include whether you live and work in the region and your personal and family circumstances which we assess using established data.

Explore more about how we make your offer

You must spend your second year abroad studying business modules at a partner university. You'll have the option to split the year into two six month sections and experience two different universities and countries if you wish.

Many students from Portsmouth take the opportunity to study abroad, but students on this course get priority when placements are being allocated.

We recognise that spending a year abroad is both exciting and a little scary. In your first year you'll take a whole module dedicated to helping you prepare and make the right choice about where you study. Throughout your time away you'll have the full support of your course leader, our global office and our placements team.

You do not pay any fees to the overseas university, but you'll continue to pay a reduced tuition fee to Portsmouth during your year abroad. You'll still be able to get both your tuition fee and maintenance loans. You may also qualify for a government travel grant.

Explore your possible destinations

This degree will open doors to a wide variety of careers in the business world. Being able to talk about your international experience and global business learning will give you an advantage when applying to multinational companies in particular.

If you study this course as a dual degree, you'll graduate with two degrees as well as your university study and placement experiences to showcase your in depth knowledge of international business and your soft skills such as working with people.

Graduates of this course could get jobs as:

• Business development manager
• Product manager
• Customer accounts manager
• Market analyst
• Multilingual project coordinator
• Bilingual consultant
• Translator/interpreter
  

Graduates of our International Business course have gone on to work for companies such as:

• Virgin Media
• IBM
• NATS (air traffic control)
• Asia Pacific Inspection
• BAE Systems
• Liquid Hub (drinks marketing)
• Morgan Stanley
• Kitchen Cut (software)
• Prospect Capital (finance)
• GSMA (worldwide mobile)
• Microsoft

(Data sourced from HESA Graduate Outcome Surveys)

Other graduates have continued their studies at postgraduate level or set up successful businesses with help and support from the University.

Work placement year

You can boost your employability even more by taking an optional paid placement year in the UK or overseas. You could take your placement straight after your year abroad (in Year 3) or after your third year of study, right before your graduate. The average salary for a 12-month paid placement is £19,800 for students in the Faculty of Business and Law, but your salary could be more or less than this amount depending on your placement. You'll only pay a very small percentage of your tuition fee for this year.

Previous students have had placements in organisations such as:

• UBS Wealth Management
• Prysmian Group
• L'Oreal
• IBM

Many of our students are offered a graduate job by their placement employer.

You could also set up your own business with support from us.

If you don't want to take a whole placement year we offer plenty of other ways to get great work experience whilst you study, from summer internships to entrepreneurial support.

Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits.

In each year, you need to study modules worth a total of 120 credits. For example, four modules worth 20 credits and one module worth 40 credits.

On this course, you can do an optional work placement year between your 2nd and 3rd years, or after your 3rd year, to get valuable experience working in industry.

We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your situation and ambitions. You’ll get mentoring and support throughout the year.

Changes to course content

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

The majority of your timetabled teaching at Portsmouth will be face-to-face and will include:

• lectures
• seminars
• tutorials
• workshops
• practical sessions
• We pride ourselves on the academic support we offer our students. In addition to our dedicated teaching team, you'll have a personal tutor, student engagement officers and study support staff to help you throughout your studies.

Assessment

How you're assessed will depend on the modules you select. As well as online assessments and coursework you may be assessed using:

• examinations
• analysis of topical case studies
• written reports and essays
• presentations
• practical projects

Teaching staff profiles

These are some of the expert staff who'll teach you on this course.

One of the main differences between school or college and university is how much control you have over your learning.

We use a blended learning approach to teaching, which means you’ll take part in both face-to-face and online activities during your studies. As well as attending your timetabled classes you'll study independently in your free time, supported by staff and our virtual learning environment, Moodle.

A typical week

We recommend you spend at least 35 hours a week studying for this degree.

Your total study time will depend on the modules that you take, but in your first year this is what your week may look like:

• timetabled teaching activities (lectures, seminars, tutorials, classes and workshops) = about 13 hours a week
• independent study (research, reading, coursework and project work, alone or in a group) = about 22 hours a week

You'll probably do more independent study and have less scheduled teaching in years 2 and 3, but this depends on which modules you choose and where you spend your year abroad.

Term dates

The academic year runs from September to June. There are breaks at Christmas and Easter.

See term dates

The amount of timetabled teaching you'll get on your degree might be less than what you're used to at school or college, but you'll also get support via video, phone and face-to-face from teaching and support staff to enhance your learning experience and help you succeed. You can build your personalised network of support from the following people and services:

Tuition fees terms and conditions

Studying abroad

You won't pay any extra tuition fees to another university for taking part in a study/work abroad activity if you choose to do it for the whole academic year. During a year abroad you'll only have to pay a reduced fee to the University of Portsmouth.

Additional course costs

These course-related costs aren’t included in the tuition fees. So you’ll need to budget for them when you plan your spending.

Funding your studies

Find out how to fund your studies, including the scholarships and bursaries you could get. You can also find more about tuition fees and living costs, including what your tuition fees cover.

Applying from outside the UK? Find out about funding options for international students.

Travel costs

If you're eligible for a student loan you may be eligible for a Student Finance England Travel Grant to cover some of the travel costs, visas, vaccinations and medical insurance you need to study abroad. They are means-tested and vary by local education authority.

Admissions terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.

Entry requirements