Can I study a language as part of my degree?

Yes. The Language Centre offers academic modules in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, with options ranging from beginners to more advanced levels in most languages.

For those students choosing to take one of our academic modules as part of their degree study, the cost of the module will be included in their undergraduate tuition fees. Those who opt to take an academic module with us outside of their degree study must pay the required fee for that academic year (please see our academic fees page).

If you are interested in taking an academic language module as part of your degree, it is vital that you contact your home department to confirm whether or not they will allow you to do this (please note that final year students are not normally permitted to take non-accelerated beginners modules). You must do this before enrolling with the Language Centre.

Can I study a language outside of my degree?

Yes. Undergraduate students who wish to take a module on the academic programme which is not part of a degree course can also do so. There is a fee charged for this; please see our academic fees page for more information. Alternatively, you may prefer to enrol on the LLL programme.

How do I register for an academic module?

In order to enrol on one of our academic modules, you should follow the steps of our enrolment process, which are outlined here.

The process is the same whether you are studying the module as part of your degree or not. If you are an undergraduate student, in addition to completing the enrolment process with the Language Centre, you must also register on the university’s module registration system (eMR/MRM) for the module you are taking.

If, at a later date, you change module/language level as a result of consultation with a tutor, it is your responsibility to amend the module details on the university module registration system. If you do not do this, you will not be able to take the assessments at the end of the year, and may end up deficient in credits. Any questions regarding this process should be directed to your home department in the first instance.

How do I know which level to register for?

A table comprising of our levels and pre-existing experience/qualifications can be found here. Please note that this table should only be used as a rough guide; the appropriate level for you will be determined by a tutor in your chosen language during the enrolment process.

How do I pay for an academic module?

If you have chosen to take a Language Centre module outside of your degree, you will be able to pay for your course with a debit/credit card using our online secure payment page (linked from the pre-enrolment form). Payments can only be made online.

I have completed the pre-enrolment form as instructed and haven’t heard anything?

We advise a turnaround time of 3 working days between completing a pre-enrolment form and a tutor contacting you. If you have not heard anything after 3 working days have passed, please contact us at smlcoffice@warwick.ac.uk.

My payment did not go through after I completed the form. What should I do?

The office will carry out regular payment checks during the enrolment period and will contact by email anyone whose payment has not gone through.

Can I enrol for more than one language?

Yes, this is possible, although you should consider the amount of time needed to study each module when making your decision.

If you do wish to study more than one language, you will need to complete a pre-enrolment form for each one.

I can no longer attend the class time that I have been allocated. Can I move to another class?

If the scheduling conflict is due to a timetable clash and cannot be avoided, please email smlcoffice@warwick.ac.uk with the details, including proof of the clash. We will do our best to move you to another class – if there is one and there are places available - or find an alternative.

Please note that personal commitments are not a reason for requesting to change a class time.

What books do I need to buy for the course?

The required textbook(s) for each module can be found under each module page here. 

How much do I have to pay if I’m taking a module separately from my degree?

The fee for an academic module in 2023/24 is £500.

Will this module show up on my timetable?

Once the relevant systems have been updated, the module will appear on your timetable in Tabula (this will usually be by week 3).

Will we receive a confirmation email once enrolled and chosen module occurrence?

No, the Language Centre does not send out a confirmation email. Once the relevant systems have been updated, the module will appear on your timetable in Tabula (this will usually be by week 3).

The tutor who completed the enrolment process with you will confirm the module and class times for you, so please make a note of this at the time.

How will courses be taught, online or face to face?

Information regarding the format of lessons can be found under each module page here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/languagecentre/academic/

I feel that I've been assigned to the wrong level, what shall I do?

In the first instance you should discuss your concerns with your class tutor as soon as possible. If appropriate, they will discuss this with relevant colleagues and determine the best course of action. Please note that decisions on level changes cannot be made by office staff; you must talk to your module tutor and follow the process outlined above.

How are the academic modules assessed?

Academic modules include ongoing assessments throughout the academic year, covering all relevant skills, and end of year final examinations in the summer term.

Most of our academic modules are offered as full-year only and therefore are available as either 24 or 30 CATS (depending on which is used by your home department. The exception to this are the higher level cultural modules in French and Spanish (up to eight modules in total), which replace levels 6 and 7; as these are one-term only modules, they are offered as either 12 or 15 CATS.

Full descriptions of the contents and details of the assessment schemes can be found on the relevant module page within our website.

Can I change to taking an academic module not for credit?

Yes – providing that this change does not leave you deficient in credits and your home department is in agreement with this change, you can switch to taking the module for zero CATS. Please note that if you wish to do this, you will have to request this formally both to your home department and to the Language Centre, and then pay the required fee for the module.

Can I withdraw?

If you are taking an academic module not for credit, you will need to notify the Language Centre office by email (using smlcoffice at warwick dot ac dot uk). Please note, however, that the Language Centre operates a no refund policy unless there are exceptional circumstances (please see here).

If you are taking the module for credit, you will need to check with your home department first and make sure you have a sufficient number of CATS from your other modules for the year. You will then need to formally notify the Language Centre by email at smlcoffce at warwick dot ac dot uk. It is also the students’ responsibility to ensure that their module registration is updated to reflect the withdrawal.

What if I have to miss an assessment?

If you are taking the module for credit, and you know that you will not be able to attend an assessment, you must notify the Language Centre office by email, including any relevant evidence if applicable. We will then consult with your home department and your tutor for the language module.

When and how do I get my marks?

Please note that the office does not issue results for term 1 and term 2 assessments; you will need to contact your tutor for this information. Any marks issued during the academic year will be purely provisional; confirmed marks are only provided following examination boards in the summer term.

In terms of final module results, if you are taking the module for credit, your overall mark will be released to you by your home department, after all the relevant exam boards have met. Once you have received your overall mark from your department, you can request a breakdown of your results from the Language Centre, by emailing smlcoffice at warwick dot ac dot uk (quoting your name, module taken and your overall mark for the module). Please note that marks will only be communicated by email, not verbally, and that the office will not issue any result break down information until your department has already issued your results officially.

If you are not taking the module for credit, you can request your results from the office after the exam boards (around mid July) by emailing smlcoffice at warwick dot ac dot uk.