Chinese Studies OR Japanese Studies BA Honours

Clearing - How to apply

What is Clearing?

Each year, universities may have spaces left on their courses after the application window has closed in June.

UCAS Clearing is your opportunity to snap up one of these places, even if you didn't apply to the university prior to the June deadline.

It also gives you a second chance to go to university if you didn't get the grades you needed for your firm and insurance offers.

How do I get in touch?

Our Clearing entry requirements may differ from those advertised; contacting our friendly advisers is the best way to find out if you’re eligible for a place.

You can get in touch through live chat or our hotlines. Call us on 0800 073 5050, or if you’re an international student calling from outside the UK, call: +44 191 222 5000.

Not available in Clearing

This course is not available in Clearing 2024.

This means there are no spaces available for Clearing 2024. If you can't find vacancies in your original course or subject area, try exploring other subjects in a related field.

Search our courses in Clearing

Course overview

This degree immerses you in the study of the language, society, culture, politics and history of China or Japan. On this programme you'll develop your language skills in your chosen language and build an appreciation of different societies and cultures.

You'll gain an in-depth insight into how culture, cinema, history, politics and society shape the countries where your chosen language is spoken. You'll develop the knowledge and understanding you need to engage with people in their native language. In addition, you'll have the opportunity to study Korean from Stage 2.

You will have the option of spending the third year of your degree abroad, so you can develop your language skills among native speakers and experience a different culture.

Alternatively, you'll have the options to undertake a Careers Placement Year in the UK or to complete your degree in 3 years without either a Year Abroad or a Careers Placement Year.

Regardless of what you choose to do, you will confirm this with us in Stage 2.

You'll graduate as a confident linguist, in your chosen East Asian language, ready to embark on your career journey as a global citizen.

You will be well positioned to take advantage of exciting new career opportunities emerging from Britain's growing connections with East Asia, as China's economic and political power continues to rise alongside Japan's diplomatic importance.

Find out more about our undergraduate programmes on the School of Modern Languages website

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Your course and study experience - disclaimers and terms and conditions  
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2024-25.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

Quality and ranking

Professional accreditation and recognition

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body.

Modules and learning

Modules

The information below is intended to provide an example of what you will study.

Most degrees are divided into stages. Each stage lasts for one academic year, and you'll complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each stage. 

Our teaching is informed by research. Course content may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Optional module availability
Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.

Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.

To find out more please see our terms and conditions

You'll study compulsory modules in Chinese or Japanese language. Alongside these, there are optional modules that look at East Asia and the world through a focus on:

• geography
• history
• cultural studies
• international film
• politics and/or sociology

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Introduction to Chinese Culture and Society	20
Introduction to Japanese History and Culture	20
Academic Study and Research Skills	0

You take 40 credits of language modules EITHER Level A OR Level B modules in your language strand (Chinese OR Japanese) shown in the optional list below.

Optional Modules	Credits
Level A (HE Entry Level) Chinese I	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) Chinese II	20
Level B (HE Intermediate) Chinese	40
Interconnected World	20
Global Middle Ages	20
Global Ancient Histories	20
Evidence and Argument	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) Japanese I	20
Level A (HE Entry Level) Japanese II	20
Level B (HE Intermediate) Japanese	40
Key Concepts in International Politics	20
Introduction to International Film	20
Introduction to Cultural Studies	20
Politics and Society	20

In Stage 2, you will continue to build your language skills in Chinese or Japanese. You will also be able to choose optional modules that focus on Chinese or Japanese culture, society and politics, as well as learning Korean.

Modules

Compulsory modules

If you took Level A language at Stage 1, you shall take ONE of the following modules (shown in the optional list below):

Level B (HE Intermediate) Chinese (40 credits)
OR
Level B (HE Intermediate) Japanese (40 credits)

If you took Level B language at Stage 1, you shall take ONE of the following modules (shown in the optional list below):

Level C (HE Advanced) Chinese (40 credits)

OR

Level C (HE Advanced) Japanese (40 credits)

Modules

Optional Modules	Credits
Level B (HE Intermediate) Chinese	40
Level C (HE Advanced) Chinese	40
Political Geography	20
Communication in the Medieval World, from Europe to Asia: Prayer, Poetry, Pictures, and Travel	20
Famines in History	20
East Asia: from Antiquity to the Nineteenth Century	20
The Aftermath of War in Europe and Asia, 1945-56	20
Contemporary Japanese Popular Culture	20
Level B (HE Intermediate) Japanese	40
Level C (HE Advanced) Japanese	40
A Global History of Political Thought	20
Cities in East Asian Cinema: Culture, History and Identity	20
Reading in Translation	20
Korean I	20

Year abroad

Studying abroad is a great way to immerse yourself in local cultures, meet new people and improve your language skills.

Our year abroad is optional, meaning you can choose to study abroad in your third year (making your degree four years) or you can opt out (which will make your degree three years). You do not have to choose right away and you can talk through your options with your Degree Programme Director once you arrive at Newcastle.

The way you spend your year abroad is up to you. You can:

• work as a British Council teaching assistant in a school (UK nationals only)
• study at a partner university
• undertake an approved work placement

The year abroad is highly flexible and students can choose to either spend their year abroad in one country or divide it between two countries. You can also study at a partner university in one semester and undertake a work placement in another.

Careers placement year

Work experience can enhance your career prospects beyond university. All modern language students not taking a year abroad have the opportunity to undertake a Careers Placement Year in the UK. This will be in the third year of your study and will make your degree four years long in total.

With a placement year you can choose to do:

• one placement lasting 9-12 months
• two placements which last at least 4.5 months each

Again, you don't need to decide now if you'd like to choose a Placement Year and you'll have the chance to talk to staff about your options.

Stage 4 for those choosing a Year Abroad and Stage 3 for those choosing not to spend a Year Abroad

In your final year, your language studies build on the levels you have developed in Stage 2 or during your Year Abroad and also develop more professional skills.

As in Stages 1 and 2, you choose optional modules to further develop your knowledge of the country where your chosen language is spoken.

Modules

Compulsory modules

If you took Level B language at Stage 2, you shall take one of the following modules (shown in the optional list below):

 

Level C (HE Advanced) Chinese (40 credits)

OR

Level C (HE Advanced) Japanese (40 credits) 

 

If you took Level C language at Stage 2, you shall take one of the following modules (shown in the optional list below):

 

Level D (Further Advanced) Chinese (40 credits)

OR

Level D (Further Advanced) Japanese (40 credits)

Modules

Optional Modules	Credits
Chinese Cultural History and Urban Development	20
China and its Peripheries: Repression, (In)stability and Conflict in the 21st Century	20
Level C (HE Advanced) Chinese	40
Historical and Cultural Interpretations of China through classics and newspaper reading	20
Level C (HE Advanced) Chinese for 3 year programme	40
Level D (HE Further Advanced) Chinese for 3-year programme	40
Level D (HE Further Advanced) Chinese	40
Geopolitics	20
Buddhism and Society in Medieval Japan	20
Contemporary Japanese Animation	20
Literary and cultural expressions in contemporary Japan	20
Level C (HE Advanced) Japanese	40
Level C (HE Advanced) Japanese for 3 year programme	40
Level D (Further Advanced) Japanese for 3 year programme	40
Level D (Further Advanced) Japanese	40
Translation for Singing	20
Korean II	20
Dissertation/T&I Project	20

Information about these graphs

We base these figures and graphs on the most up-to-date information available to us. They are based on the modules chosen by our students in 2023-24.

Teaching time is made up of:

• scheduled learning and teaching activities. These are timetabled activities with a member of staff present.
• structured guided learning. These are activities developed by staff to support engagement with module learning. Students or groups of students undertake these activities without direct staff participation or supervision

Teaching and assessment

Teaching methods

The majority of language modules are taught in small groups by native speakers. You also work in standard or PC-equipped seminar rooms and undertake self-study in our award-winning Language Resource Centre. Our cultural modules are informed by the latest research.

Read more about our Language Resource Centre

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed through a combination of:

• 

  Assessments

• 

  Assignments – written or fieldwork

• 

  Coursework

• 

  Dissertation or research project

• 

  Dossier

• 

  Essays

• 

  Examinations – practical or online

• 

  Group work

• 

  Portfolio submission

• 

  Practical sessions

• 

  Presentations

• 

  Reflective report/journal

• 

  Reports

• 

  Seminar tasks/exercises

Skills and experience

Research skills

You have the option of writing a dissertation in your final year. You will explore and discuss any aspect of Chinese or Japanese society in detail, while developing your research skills.

Opportunities

Optional Year Abroad

This degree includes an optional Year Abroad. You'll follow an intensive programme of language study at a university in China or Japan, for either the full academic year or a single semester, while building relationships with native speakers and absorbing the local culture. 

In China, you can study in:

• Beijing
• Shanghai
• Chengdu
• Haikou
• Xiamen

In Japan, you can study in:

• Tokyo
• Akita
• Osaka
• Kyoto
• Hokkaido
• Fukuoka

Support for year abroad

You will receive lots of help to prepare for your year abroad, including:

• briefings covering practicalities like insurance, student safety and country-specific information
• a Tandem Learning Scheme, to practise conversation in your foreign language and make in-country contacts, before you travel

There are also events in your second year where you can meet students who have already done their year abroad, and Chinese and Japanese exchange students from our host universities in East Asia.

You'll be in contact with our Year Abroad team during your time abroad, and will communicate with your personal tutor. You'll also write compulsory blog posts, reflecting on your linguistic, personal and professional development.

Optional Careers Placement Year

Work experience can enhance your career prospects beyond university. If you choose not to take a year abroad, you can undertake a Careers Placement Year in the UK. This will be in the third year of your study and will make your degree four years long in total. 

With a placement year you can choose to do:

• one placement lasting 9-12 months
• two placements which last at least 4.5 months each

You don't need to decide right away if you'd like to choose a Placement Year and you'll have the chance to talk to staff about your options once you arrive.

Facilities and environment

Facilities

As a Modern Languages student, you'll be based at our city centre campus. We've been teaching languages in Newcastle for more than 100 years.

You will have access to PC-equipped rooms and the award-winning Language Resource Centre, with self-study resources for over 50 languages.

You'll also have access to:

• specialist language learning software
• films
• live foreign-language TV channels
• online or on-campus tandem schemes

Support

You'll have the support of an academic member of staff as a personal tutor throughout your degree to help with academic and personal issues.

Peer mentors will help you in your first year. They are fellow students who can help you settle in and answer any questions you have when starting university.

Your future

Ability in languages is highly regarded by employers across all sectors, including industry and business. Employers value the linguistic, interpersonal, intercultural and skills of language graduates.

International businesses need employees who not only speak another language but also understand the history, politics and culture of the region.

The international outlook and knowledge our students develop alongside advanced language skills will allow you to consider career options in a range of fields.Our graduates find employment in sectors such as business services, marketing, advertising, management, banking and communications.

Some work as researchers, internet consultants, United Nations translators, in local government, with community groups or in refugee support.

Many work in the digital industries or the arts. Teaching is also a popular choice, undertaking primary or secondary Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) or teaching English abroad.

Make a difference

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Careers support

The School of Modern Languages works with the University’s Careers Service to run an annual Employability Week, including an opportunity to network with recent graduates.

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Recognition of professional qualifications outside of the UK

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for 2025 entry (per year)

The 2025 home fees have not yet been confirmed (see ‘Home Fee Students’ information below).

Qualification: BA Honours
Home students full time 4 years	Tuition fees (per year) Not set
International students full time 4 years	Tuition fees (per year) 23800

Home Fee Students

Home students starting in 2024 entry
£9,250 is the maximum fee that we are currently permitted to charge for home fee-paying students. This is set by the UK government.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Home students starting in 2025 entry
The 2025 home fees have not yet been confirmed. In November 2024 the government increased the maximum fee level to £9,535 for 2025/26. We expect to confirm our Undergraduate Home fees for 2025/26 in December 2024.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

International Fee Students

Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.

EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support.

If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

Scholarships

We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our undergraduate scholarship page for more information.

Year abroad and additional costs

For programmes where you can spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad, you will receive a significant fee reduction for that year. 

Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.

Scholarships

Find out more about:

• scholarships for UK, EU and international students
• Student Loans and Government financial support for UK and EU students

How to apply

Apply through UCAS

To apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle University, you must use the online application system managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). All UK schools and colleges, and a small number of EU and international establishments, are registered with UCAS. You will need:

• the UCAS name and institution codes for Newcastle University (NEWC/N21)
• the UCAS code for the course you want to apply for
• the UCAS 'buzzword' for your school or college

If you are applying independently, or are applying from a school or college which is not registered to manage applications, you will still use the Apply system. You will not need a buzzword.

Apply through UCAS

Apply through an agent

International students often apply to us through an agent. Have a look at our recommended agents and get in touch with them.

Visit our International pages