Dutch and French

Dutch and French together offer an unusual and genuinely valuable combination of two major European languages with significant cultural, commercial, and diplomatic presences in the world. French is spoken by around three hundred million people across France, Belgium, Switzerland, Africa, the Caribbean, and beyond, and carries one of the world's great literary and intellectual traditions. Dutch is the language of the Netherlands and Flanders in Belgium and, through the colonial legacy, of communities in the Caribbean and South America, with a rich artistic tradition that includes the Golden Age of Dutch painting and a body of modern literature of growing international recognition.

Studying both languages at the same institution, one that has exceptional strength in European languages, develops a rare and commercially valuable combination of skills.

At University College London you will study this four-year full-time degree with a typical entry tariff of 168 points. UCL's French department and its Scandinavian and Dutch section, which covers Dutch alongside Scandinavian languages, provide expert teaching in both. You will develop reading, writing, and spoken proficiency in French and Dutch, working towards advanced competence across the four years while also engaging with the literary, cultural, and historical traditions each language carries.

The programme develops translation skills, linguistic analysis, and the ability to engage critically with literary and cultural texts across two related but distinct European traditions.

Graduates with high-level French and Dutch are well placed for careers in international business, diplomacy, translation and interpreting, journalism, cultural organisations, and the European institutions, where both languages are in regular professional use. The Dutch-speaking world's importance in global trade, finance, and the creative industries gives Dutch-language skills particular commercial value. Further study in French, Dutch or Flemish studies, European studies, or linguistics is a natural route for those seeking specialist or research careers.