English and Modern Languages with a Year Abroad

English and modern languages is a combination that reflects how deeply the study of literature and the study of language belong together. English literature is the study of how one of the world's most widely used languages has been shaped into enduring art across centuries and cultures. Modern languages study shows how that same impulse to use language creatively and expressively has produced equally rich traditions in other tongues, and how mastery of a second language opens up those traditions in ways that translation alone cannot replicate.

At King's College London, this four-year full-time programme places you in a department of English with wide-ranging expertise spanning medieval literature to modern poetry, women's writing, contemporary literary theory, close reading, and historical scholarship. The modern languages component develops genuine proficiency in your chosen language alongside cultural and literary study, taught by specialists in that tradition. King's central London location gives you access to one of the world's great literary cities and connects you to the professional worlds of publishing, journalism, and the arts.

The programme is structured around a year abroad that is integral to the degree, providing the immersive linguistic and cultural experience that is fundamental to real language competence. The typical entry tariff is 168 UCAS points.

Graduates of English and modern languages programmes from King's are well prepared for careers in publishing, journalism, law, the civil service, education, arts administration, international business, and cultural diplomacy. The combination of literary analysis, cross-cultural understanding, and language competence is valued across every profession where reading carefully, writing well, and engaging across cultural boundaries matters. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in English, linguistics, comparative literature, or translation, and King's provides a strong foundation for advanced academic work in any of these areas.