Bulgarian and Hungarian
Bulgarian and Hungarian are two European languages with distinct and fascinating linguistic histories. Bulgarian is a South Slavic language, closely related to Russian and Serbian, written in the Cyrillic alphabet, and the official language of Bulgaria, where it has been spoken and written for over a millennium. Hungarian, by contrast, is a Finno-Ugric language, entirely unrelated to the Indo-European languages that surround it, and one of Europe's most structurally distinctive tongues.
Together they offer access to two Central and Eastern European cultures that have long sat at important crossroads of history, politics, and culture.
At University College London, this four-year full-time programme develops your competence in both languages to an advanced level while also giving you deep engagement with the literature, history, and contemporary cultures of Bulgaria and Hungary. You will study each language through reading, writing, listening, and speaking, while exploring the social, political, and intellectual contexts that have shaped the cultures in which they are embedded. UCL's School of Slavonic and East European Studies provides exceptional depth in both regions, and you will be taught by specialists whose research expertise spans language, literature, history, and politics.
The combination of linguistic proficiency and area knowledge that this degree provides is rare and genuinely distinctive.
Graduates with expertise in Bulgarian and Hungarian are well positioned for careers in translation and interpreting, diplomacy, international organisations, journalism, academic research, and the civil service. Eastern and Central European expertise is valued in governmental and NGO contexts as well as in business and finance for companies operating in those markets. The analytical and linguistic skills developed through this programme are also applicable in a wide range of other professional contexts.
Postgraduate study in Slavonic studies, area studies, linguistics, or translation is a natural continuation for many graduates.