Modern Languages (French and Persian) and Greek

Modern languages in French and Persian combined with Ancient Greek is one of the most linguistically ambitious combinations available at any UK university, spanning a major living European language, a major language of the Islamic world and one of the great civilisations of history, and the classical language of ancient Greece. French carries with it the full breadth of Francophone world literature and culture and is one of the most widely spoken languages in international diplomacy and commerce. Persian (Farsi) is the language of Iran and has a literary tradition of extraordinary richness, encompassing Rumi, Hafez, and Ferdowsi alongside modern Iranian literature and the cultures of Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

Ancient Greek gives access to Homer, the tragedians, Plato, Aristotle, and the foundations of Western thought.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year, full-time MA (Hons) programme takes all three linguistic and cultural traditions seriously. You will develop French and Persian to high levels of proficiency, engaging with the literatures, cultures, and contemporary realities of the French-speaking and Persian-speaking worlds, while also building the ability to read Ancient Greek texts with understanding and critical depth. A year abroad is embedded in the programme, typically involving immersion in one of your target-language environments.

The typical entry tariff of 200 points reflects the high academic expectations of a programme that is challenging even by the standards of a leading research university.

Graduates with this linguistic profile are genuinely rare in the job market. Diplomacy, intelligence, area studies research, journalism, international organisations, translation, and academic careers are all accessible with this combination. The interplay of European, Persian, and classical perspectives produces graduates with unusual intellectual depth and a distinctive professional profile.