Language courses

Enhance your degree and diversify your career prospects by studying a foreign language.

Language proficiency is an asset when competing for a career in a globalised economy and multilingualism is vital to the economics and cultural health of Australia. You will develop global knowledge, a cross-cultural understanding and gain a distinct career advantage.

If you're a student with either QUT, UQ or Griffith University, you can study a number of languages as a part of the Tri-university language alliance.

If you're looking for short courses, The Confucius Institute offers both standard and customised courses in Modern Chinese.


Tri-university language alliance

Griffith University (Griffith), Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and The University of Queensland (UQ) have formed the Brisbane Universities Language Alliance (BULA), in an effort to strengthen language opportunities in South East Queensland.

Through BULA, you’ll have the opportunity to select from a large range of languages offered by all three universities.

Find out more about the Brisbane Universities Language Alliance (BULA)

Incorporating language study into your QUT degree

Studying a language gives you the opportunity to develop global knowledge, a cross-cultural understanding and foreign language skills.

You may be able to complement your degree by undertaking language studies. This could consist of:

  • a minor (four units) OR
  • second major (six units) OR
  • option units (electives).

To determine if you can incorporate language studies into your degree, check the structure of your course.

Course information

Languages available

QUT: Mandarin

Griffith: Japanese, Italian, Spanish

UQ: French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese

Study areas available for LOTE students enrolled in Bachelor of Education (Primary) and Bachelor of Education (Secondary) are French, German, Indonesian, Japanese and Mandarin.

Studying languages at UQ or Griffith

If the language area you choose is offered by Griffith or UQ, you will enrol in your language subject as a cross-institutional student. You apply for cross-institutional enrolment through the Brisbane Universities Languages Alliance (BULA).

To be considered for cross-institutional enrolment through BULA, the following criteria applies:

  1. you must be admitted /enrolled in a degree program (award course) at QUT e.g. Bachelor of Business
  2. be able to undertake language study as part of your degree structure e.g. have available space in your degree to enrol in a language subject (i.e. general elective unit).
Further information on cross-institutional languages enrolment

Apply online at Brisbane Universities Languages Alliance (BULA)

Studying Mandarin at QUT

Award programs

Depending on your course, you can study the Chinese language as a second major (six units), a minor (4 units) or option units (electives). You can study Mandarin 1 to Mandarin 4 at QUT with more advanced units possible in 2013.

Students who need to complete advanced Chinese units will be required to cross-enrol at UQ or Griffith University.

Translation subjects

Are you a native speaker of Chinese or are you close to native competence in both Chinese and English?

If so, you may want to consider these two new subjects offered by the QUT Business School.

In-country Mandarin Program

Students studying Mandarin at QUT can consider participating in one or two semesters at Qingdao University in the People's Republic of China, Shandong Province.

Qingdao University is one of China's most progressive and dynamic tertiary institutions and the largest university in the Province. The city of Qingdao is a very attractive modern metropolis with a population of two million people.

To be considered for the program, students are required to have completed at least 96 credit points of study in your degree including AMB031 Mandarin 1 and AMB032 Mandarin 2 and a minimum GPA of 4.5 or above.

Each in-country semester is 16 weeks and involves about 300 hours of instruction. The in-country programs subjects are:

By the end of one year of in-country study, students should have a level of language proficiency and cultural awareness well above that of students who study Mandarin across three years in an Australian University.

Students seeking further information should contact the Mandarin Program Coordinator - Dr Ingrid Wang.

Entry bonus scheme

To help encourage students to study languages, QUT offers two bonus points to current Australian year 12 students for successfully completing languages other than English (LOTE) subjects to grade 12 Level.

Find out more about the entry bonus scheme

Short courses with The Confucius Institute

For professional people and community members wishing to learn Chinese language, the Confucius Institute at QUT provides a range of designed courses for groups of clients, as well as offer a range of set regular courses.

Modern Chinese language courses

More information about courses and programs at the Confucius Institute

English language courses

If you're an international student, you can study an English language course to:

  • improve your English
  • meet the language entry requirements for a course
  • prepare for an English language proficiency exam.

Courses range from 5 weeks to 45 weeks. You'll learn to improve your fluency and accuracy, while developing the core skills of:

  • reading
  • writing
  • speaking
  • listening.

English language programs

Contacts

General language enquiries

QUT Business School, Student Services