Modern Languages (German and Persian) and Ancient History

Modern languages combined with ancient history is one of the most intellectually demanding combinations available at undergraduate level, requiring you to develop serious linguistic competence in two living languages while also mastering the historical methods and classical scholarship of the ancient world. German and Persian are both languages of extraordinary literary and cultural richness: German connects you to one of the great intellectual and artistic traditions of modern Europe, while Persian opens access to a civilisation stretching back three millennia, the language of Rumi, Hafiz, and the Persian court, and the contemporary cultures of Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. Ancient history asks how we can reconstruct and understand the civilisations of Greece, Rome, and the ancient Near East from the fragmentary evidence they have left behind.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year programme carries a typical entry tariff of 200 points and includes a year abroad. You will develop your German and Persian language skills to a high level of proficiency, engaging with literature, film, history, and contemporary society in both languages. The ancient history strand develops your skills in working with primary sources, including texts in Latin and Greek, and in constructing rigorous historical arguments about the ancient world.

St Andrews has distinguished strengths across all three components of this combination, and the year abroad gives you the opportunity to study in a German-speaking or Persian-speaking country, deepening your linguistic immersion and cultural understanding.

Graduates of this combination bring a genuinely rare profile to the job market, with skills in languages, historical reasoning, and cross-cultural understanding that are valued in government, international organisations, academic research, journalism, and a wide range of analytical roles. Postgraduate study in modern languages, ancient history, or Iranian and Islamic studies is a natural progression.