French and Spanish

French and Spanish together give you access to two of the world's most widely spoken languages and to the extraordinarily rich literary, artistic, and cultural traditions they carry. French is the official language of around 30 countries across Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, and the language of Moliere, Proust, Camus, and a philosophical tradition that includes Descartes, Voltaire, and Simone de Beauvoir. Spanish is the native language of over 400 million people across Latin America, Spain, and beyond, and carries its own enormous literary heritage from Cervantes through Borges, Neruda, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez to contemporary voices from many countries.

At the University of Edinburgh, this four-year full-time degree develops high-level proficiency in both languages, taking you from your entry level to advanced written and spoken competence in French and Spanish alongside deep engagement with the cultures, histories, and literatures they represent. Edinburgh's modern languages department is one of the UK's strongest, with research expertise spanning medieval to contemporary texts, post-colonial literatures, translation, and cultural theory. You will study language skills at an advanced level, literature, film, history, and contemporary society in both the Francophone and Hispanic worlds, developing the ability to analyse and communicate about cultural and literary questions with sophistication and precision.

Graduates in French and Spanish go on to work in translation and interpreting, international business, diplomacy, the civil service, education, publishing, journalism, law, the cultural sector, and a wide range of international organisations. The combination of two widely spoken and professionally valuable languages opens career opportunities across most of the world's major economies and regions. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in linguistics, literature, area studies, or international relations.