English and German

English and German is a combination that brings together two of the richest literary and intellectual traditions in the Western world. English literature spans from the earliest medieval writing through the Renaissance, the Romantic period, the novel's rise, and the extraordinary flowering of global literatures in English in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. German literature and culture encompasses Luther and the Reformation, the Enlightenment and its greatest philosophers, the Romantic tradition, modernism, expressionism, and contemporary writing from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, as well as the troubled and remarkable history of the German-speaking world from Weimar to reunification and beyond.

At the University of Aberdeen, this four-year, full-time programme situates English literature within a European, historical, and contemporary context, combining the literary critical training of one of the UK's leading English research departments with rigorous study of the German language, literature, history, and culture. You will develop genuine bilingual competence in German alongside advanced critical skills in literary study, and the two disciplines enrich each other: your German gives you access to literary and intellectual traditions that have deeply influenced English-language writing, and your literary training gives you interpretive tools that apply across both bodies of work. The programme includes a year abroad, essential for developing your German and for experiencing the cultural and intellectual environment of the German-speaking world.

A typical entry tariff of 168 points reflects the academic expectations of the programme. Graduates with English and German go on to careers in publishing, journalism, education, translation, arts administration, the civil service, international business, and cultural organisations. The combination of literary depth and German language proficiency is particularly valued in roles with an international dimension.

Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in English, German, comparative literature, or translation.