German and Yiddish

German and Yiddish is a genuinely singular combination, available at very few universities in the world. German is Europe's most widely spoken native language, the key to a rich literary, philosophical, and cultural tradition that spans Goethe and Kafka, Beethoven and Brecht, and connects you to the largest economy in the European Union. Yiddish is the language of the Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora, a Germanic language in its deep structure but one that developed its own rich literary, theatrical, and intellectual tradition across Eastern Europe and the United States, before the Holocaust devastated the communities that spoke it.

Studying German alongside Yiddish means engaging with both the cultural richness of the Germanic tradition and one of the most important stories of European Jewish life and loss.

At University College London, one of the world's great research universities, this four-year full-time programme reflects the institution's unique depth in both German studies and Jewish studies, including the Yiddish language and the literary, cultural, and historical worlds it opens up. UCL's engagement with Yiddish is serious and scholarly, connecting you to an internationally recognised research tradition. The typical entry tariff of 168 points reflects the competitive nature of the programme and the high linguistic and academic standards it expects.

You will develop proficiency in both German and Yiddish, reading and engaging with texts, histories, and cultures that span from medieval Germanic Europe through to the contemporary.

Graduates of this combination pursue careers in translation, Jewish studies, academia, cultural institutions, publishing, journalism, archival work, and the international organisations and cultural foundations concerned with memory, heritage, and identity. The depth of linguistic and cultural knowledge this programme develops is genuinely rare and is valued by institutions that work on Jewish cultural heritage, German-Jewish history, and the scholarship of diaspora communities. Postgraduate study in German, Jewish studies, Yiddish literature, or European history is a natural next step for those who want to pursue research or specialist professional work in these fields.