French and Russian

French and Russian is a language combination that opens access to two of the world's major literary, cultural, and political traditions, and to the two European languages that have historically had the greatest global reach outside the English-speaking world. French remains one of the most widely spoken languages on the planet, an official language of international organisations and a living literary language of great vitality. Russian is the language of one of the twentieth century's most significant literary traditions, of a major geopolitical power, and of a cultural sphere that extends across Eurasia.

At Queen Mary University of London this four-year full-time degree develops your competence in both languages from whatever level you begin, taking you through their grammar, literature, culture, and contemporary use. The four-year structure typically incorporates a year abroad, giving you sustained immersion in environments where your languages are spoken, which is the most effective way to build genuine fluency. You will engage with French and Russian literature, film, history, and society, developing the ability to read and discuss complex texts in both languages and to understand the cultural contexts that give those texts their meaning.

Graduates with French and Russian are in strong demand for roles that require communication across European and Eurasian contexts. Diplomacy, international business, journalism, translation and interpreting, academia, and roles in international organisations are all natural destinations. The literary and cultural dimensions of the degree also develop skills in analysis, writing, and critical thinking that transfer well to law, publishing, communications, and many other professional fields.

Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in French and Francophone studies, Slavonic studies, translation, or comparative literature, and the combination of two major languages makes the profile attractive to academic programmes as well as to employers.