English Literature and Spanish

Combining English literature and Spanish brings together two disciplines that are each, in their own right, profound ways of engaging with human experience through language. English literature gives you access to one of the world's richest literary traditions, spanning centuries and continents, and trains you to read, interpret, and argue with rigour and imagination. Spanish opens up the literature, culture, and history of Spain and the Spanish-speaking Americas, one of the most diverse and dynamic linguistic communities in the world.

Together, the two subjects make you a genuinely comparative thinker, at home across languages, traditions, and critical frameworks.

At the University of Manchester, this four-year programme develops your literary and linguistic abilities in parallel. You will study English literature across a wide historical range, engaging with poetry, fiction, drama, and criticism from medieval texts to contemporary writing. At the same time, you will develop advanced Spanish language skills alongside study of Hispanic literature, film, and culture, reading major works from Spain and Latin America in their original language and exploring the historical and political contexts that shaped them.

Critical theory, close reading, and comparative analysis are central to both strands of the programme, and you will develop strong academic writing and argumentation skills that serve you across both disciplines.

This full-time programme runs over four years and includes a sandwich year with a work placement opportunity. The combination of rigorous literary study, language proficiency, and real-world experience makes for a particularly well-rounded degree. Graduates go on to careers in publishing, journalism, teaching, translation, the cultural sector, law, the civil service, international business, and a wide range of other fields where strong communication, analytical thinking, and cultural awareness are valued.

Many also choose to continue to postgraduate study in comparative literature, translation, Hispanic studies, or literary criticism.