Modern Languages (Arabic and German) and Ancient History

Arabic, German, and ancient history is a combination that demands genuine intellectual ambition and rewards it with an exceptionally broad range of analytical and linguistic tools. Arabic is the language of the modern Middle East and North Africa, spoken by more than 400 million people and carrying a classical literary and scholarly tradition of the highest importance. German opens up the culture, philosophy, and intellectual life of one of Europe's most significant nations, with a literary tradition from Goethe to the present and a history that has shaped the continent profoundly.

Ancient history investigates the civilisations of Greece and Rome and their neighbours, covering a period from the eighth century BCE to the fifth century CE, and developing the research skills and critical habits that rigorous historical study demands.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year, full-time programme includes a year abroad, which for students combining two languages takes on particular significance, providing immersive experience in linguistic and cultural contexts that deepens both the Arabic and German components. You will develop competence in Modern Standard Arabic and German alongside an engagement with ancient history, working with primary sources in translation as well as with the major scholarly debates in the field. The combination encourages comparative thinking across very different historical and cultural worlds, developing the analytical flexibility that employers and postgraduate programmes value.

The typical entry tariff is 200 UCAS points.

Graduates from this kind of multilingual combination programme with historical depth are well placed for careers in the foreign office, international organisations, journalism, diplomacy, academia, translation and interpreting, and cultural policy. Each language opens distinctive professional doors, and the historical grounding adds a depth of contextual knowledge that many employers value. Postgraduate study in Arabic, German, classical studies, ancient history, or area studies provides a natural continuation for those who want to specialise further.