Modern Languages and History

Modern languages and history is a degree that brings together two disciplines whose concerns are deeply interconnected: the study of the past through the documents, literature, and ideas that survive from it, and the linguistic fluency needed to engage with those materials across national and cultural boundaries. History without language is limited to what has been translated; language without history lacks the context that gives meaning to the texts and cultures you encounter. Together they produce a graduate with both analytical depth and communicative range.

At Royal Holloway you will study this four-year full-time programme, with the option of French, German, Italian, or Spanish as your language. A sandwich year and a work placement are included in the programme, giving you professional experience alongside your academic study. You will develop your chosen language to a high level of proficiency, including the ability to engage with historical texts, literary works, and contemporary culture in the original language, alongside a rigorous grounding in the historical methods, periods, and problems that form the core of historical study.

The combination develops the research, writing, and analytical skills that both disciplines demand.

Graduates of modern languages and history are well placed for careers in education, publishing, journalism, translation, heritage, the civil service, diplomacy, international business, and the many roles in communications and public affairs where both linguistic fluency and historical understanding are valued. The combination is particularly distinctive in competitive graduate fields where most candidates have a single specialism. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in history, modern languages, European studies, or translation, building on the dual expertise the degree provides.