German and Spanish

German and Spanish is a degree that opens access to two of Europe's most significant linguistic and cultural traditions simultaneously. German is the most widely spoken native language in the European Union, central to the economic powerhouse of Germany and to one of the richest philosophical, literary, and musical traditions in Western history. Spanish is one of the world's most global languages, spoken by around 500 million people across Spain, Latin America, and significant communities elsewhere, and serving as a gateway to an equally rich literary and cultural world.

This four-year full-time programme at Queen Mary University of London develops your proficiency in both languages from whatever starting point you bring, progressing through structured language development in grammar, spoken fluency, reading, and writing alongside engagement with the literature, history, and culture of the German and Spanish-speaking worlds. With a typical tariff of 136 points, the programme attracts students with genuine commitment to both languages and the motivation to sustain the dual effort that reaching high-level proficiency in two languages requires. Queen Mary's strong modern languages department and its London location, with its concentration of international organisations, businesses, and cultural institutions, provide an excellent environment for language study with professional relevance.

You will engage with literary texts, film, cultural history, and contemporary society in both languages, developing the analytical skills to interpret complex material and the linguistic confidence to communicate about it in German and Spanish as well as in English. The combination of two major European languages gives you a reach across an enormous part of the world's population and economy.

Graduates move into careers in translation and interpreting, the civil service and diplomatic service, international business, journalism, education, publishing, and a wide range of roles where European language capability is genuinely valuable. Postgraduate study in languages, European studies, or linguistics is a natural next step for those who want to specialise.