Portuguese/Latin

Portuguese and Latin is an unusual pairing that connects one of the most widely spoken contemporary languages in the world with one of the foundational literary languages of Western civilisation. Portuguese is spoken by around 250 million people, making it a major language of Brazil, Portugal, and Lusophone Africa, and it gives access to a rich tradition of literature, music, and culture as well as to economies of growing global significance. Latin is the language of Virgil, Ovid, Cicero, and the vast body of Roman literature, history, philosophy, and legal thought that shaped European culture for centuries and continues to underpin much of our vocabulary and institutional language.

At Glasgow this five-year full-time programme allows you to develop genuine proficiency in Portuguese alongside the ability to read Latin texts in the original. You will engage with Roman poetry, drama, oratory, and historical writing, as well as with Roman political and social history, philosophy, religion, and art. The Portuguese component will develop your communicative skills and your understanding of Lusophone literary and cultural traditions.

A sandwich year and work placement are built into the programme, giving you professional experience before you graduate. The typical entry tariff is 216 UCAS points.

Graduates from this combination pursue careers in academia, journalism, international law, translation and interpreting, education, diplomacy, and cultural heritage. The Latin background is particularly valued in law, where the discipline's vocabulary and reasoning traditions retain deep classical roots. Portuguese language proficiency opens careers across Brazil, Portugal, and Africa.

Many graduates proceed to postgraduate study in classical studies, Iberian and Latin American studies, or comparative literature, combining the two traditions at a higher level of scholarly engagement.