History and Spanish & Latin American Studies

History and Spanish and Latin American studies is a five-year programme that brings together two of Aberdeen's top-rated academic areas, offering an unusually rich combination of language and cultural depth with broad historical scholarship. Spanish is one of the world's most widely spoken languages, with more than 500 million native speakers across Spain, Latin America, and beyond, and its study opens access to histories, literatures, and political contexts of extraordinary variety and importance. Latin American studies extends this to the specific cultures, histories, and contemporary challenges of a region of major geopolitical significance.

History provides the framework for understanding how the modern world, including the Hispanic and Latin American world, came to be.

This five-year programme, which includes time studying in a Spanish-speaking country, develops your command of Spanish alongside a deep and broad understanding of European and world history across different periods. You will develop the linguistic fluency and cultural literacy needed to engage fully with Spanish-language sources, literatures, and professional contexts, while also building a thorough historical understanding of the processes that have shaped societies across the centuries. The international outlook the programme develops, combining historical perspective, linguistic fluency, and cross-cultural understanding, is a genuine asset in a wide range of careers.

Graduates with history and Spanish and Latin American studies are well placed for careers in journalism, international business, diplomacy, the civil service, international development, teaching, translation and interpreting, cultural organisations, and research. The combination of historical depth and Spanish-language competence is particularly valuable in roles with a Latin American, European, or international dimension. Further study at postgraduate level in history, Latin American studies, Spanish literature, international relations, or translation is a natural next step.