French and Spanish

French and Spanish together offer one of the most widely useful language combinations available in higher education. French is the official language of twenty-nine countries and a major language of international diplomacy, culture, and business. Spanish is spoken by more than five hundred million people across Spain, Latin America, and communities on every continent, and is one of the fastest-growing languages in the world.

Developing high-level proficiency in both positions you to engage with two of the most culturally rich and economically significant language zones on earth.

At St Andrews you will develop both languages to a high level of communicative proficiency through the study of language, literature, and culture in each. French study will engage you with Francophone literature, culture, history, and politics, from the classical period to the contemporary world. Spanish study will develop your engagement with the literatures and cultures of Spain and Latin America, attending to the diversity and richness of the Spanish-speaking world rather than treating it as monolithic.

The four-year MA (Hons) programme includes a year abroad, which is an essential element of any serious language degree, giving you the opportunity to spend time in a French or Spanish-speaking country and develop the fluency and cultural confidence that classroom study alone cannot build.

Graduates with high-level French and Spanish go on to careers in diplomacy, international organisations, translation and interpreting, business development, journalism, publishing, teaching, cultural relations, and the civil service. Language skills at this level are valued across the professions and particularly in any context involving communication across national and cultural boundaries. Many students continue to postgraduate study in languages, linguistics, translation, or European and Latin American studies.