Modern Languages

French and Spanish are the two most widely spoken Romance languages in the world, with French spoken across five continents and Spanish being the first language of over 500 million people in Europe and the Americas. Studying them together at the University of Surrey gives you access to an extraordinary range of literary, cultural and professional contexts, as well as the linguistic insight that comes from working with two languages that share Latin roots while diverging in sound, vocabulary and regional variation in fascinating ways.

This four-year full-time programme develops both languages to a high level of proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing, situating language learning within a serious engagement with the literatures, histories, film cultures and contemporary societies of the French and Spanish-speaking worlds. The year abroad is an integral part of the programme, spending time in countries where French and Spanish are spoken, giving you the direct cultural and linguistic immersion that accelerates fluency and deepens understanding in ways that no classroom alone can achieve. Surrey's active integration of digital tools into the curriculum also ensures that you graduate with the technological literacy and confidence that employers increasingly expect from modern language graduates.

Graduates of French and Spanish programmes are highly sought after in international business, diplomacy, translation and interpreting, the civil service and diplomatic service, journalism, publishing, education, the creative industries, and international organisations. The combination of two of the world's most influential languages gives you a professional reach that is genuinely global. Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in linguistics, Hispanic studies, French studies, European politics, or translation, deepening their specialism or pursuing academic careers.