Modern Languages (French and Italian) and Latin

French, Italian, and Latin in a single degree is a remarkable combination, connecting two of the world's major modern languages with the ancient language from which both are directly descended. French and Italian together give you access to Francophone and Italian-speaking worlds of enormous cultural richness: the literature of Montaigne, Flaubert, and Camus alongside that of Dante, Leopardi, and Calvino; the political and intellectual histories of two nations that have shaped European thought; and living languages spoken by hundreds of millions of people across Europe, Africa, and beyond. Latin grounds both in antiquity, giving you direct access to the texts that formed the European literary and intellectual tradition.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year MA (Hons) programme includes a year abroad, during which you will spend extended time in a French-speaking or Italian-speaking country, building linguistic fluency and cultural understanding that cannot be achieved in a classroom. You will develop both modern languages to a high level of proficiency through language classes and the study of literature, culture, politics, and film in each language, and you will develop your Latin through the close reading of original texts. The combination asks you to hold multiple linguistic and cultural traditions in mind simultaneously, which develops a genuinely comparative and critical perspective on the European tradition.

Graduates from this degree are among the most linguistically capable in the UK graduate market, and the cultural depth and analytical skills they develop are valued across many professional sectors. Career paths include diplomacy, translation and interpreting, journalism, publishing, cultural institutions, international business, education, and the civil service, as well as postgraduate study in languages, literature, or European studies.