Modern Languages (French and Persian) and Classical Studies

Classical studies, French, and Persian together make for an unusually rich combination, connecting the ancient Mediterranean world with two of the world's great literary and cultural traditions. Classical studies invites you to engage with the thought, literature, art, history, and languages of ancient Greece and Rome, tracing the ideas that have shaped Western culture and asking how we interpret and use the ancient past today. French opens access to one of the world's major literary and intellectual traditions, spanning centuries of philosophy, fiction, poetry, and film, while Persian introduces you to one of the oldest and most influential literary languages in the world, with a heritage stretching from classical poetry to contemporary prose.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year MA (Hons) programme develops language and communications skills to a high level of proficiency through the study of French and Francophone language, literature, and culture, alongside Persian and the ancient texts and contexts of classical civilisation. You will read primary sources closely, learn to analyse literary and historical material with rigour, and engage with debates in scholarship across all three fields. A year abroad is built into the programme, giving you extended immersion in a French-speaking or Persian-speaking environment and deepening both your language competence and your cultural understanding.

Entry typically requires around 200 UCAS tariff points.

Graduates with this combination of languages and classical training are well equipped for careers in diplomacy, international relations, translation and interpreting, academia, journalism, heritage and museum work, and cultural policy. The deep reading and analytical skills developed across the programme are also valued in law, the civil service, and a wide range of professional roles that require clear thinking and the ability to work across languages and cultures.