Modern Languages (Arabic and Russian) and Classical Studies

Modern languages with Arabic, Russian and classical studies is an extraordinary breadth of linguistic and cultural engagement, bringing together two major modern languages with the scholarly study of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. Arabic is the language of the Quran and of hundreds of millions of people across the Middle East and North Africa, carrying one of the great intellectual and literary traditions of the medieval and modern world. Russian opens the extraordinary literary heritage of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Pushkin and connects you to the geopolitical significance of a vast country.

Classical studies gives you access to the ideas, art and texts of antiquity that have shaped Western civilisation.

At the University of St Andrews you will develop proficiency in Arabic and Russian alongside rigorous engagement with classical studies, examining the literature, philosophy, history, religion and art of the Greek and Roman worlds. The programme runs over four years full time and includes a year abroad, spent in immersive linguistic and cultural contexts for one or both of your languages. The combination allows for a remarkable range of comparative analysis, from classical to contemporary, Western to Middle Eastern, literary to political.

Graduates bring an exceptional and rare combination of linguistic and cultural expertise to professional life. Careers in diplomacy, the foreign service, area studies, intelligence, international organisations, journalism, academic research, translation and cultural institutions are among the most natural destinations. The combination of Arabic, Russian and classical literacy is uniquely valuable in any context requiring engagement with the cultures and histories that have most shaped the contemporary world order.

Postgraduate study in classical studies, Arabic, Russian, area studies or comparative literature is a natural further route.