Serbian/Croatian and Ukrainian
Serbian/Croatian and Ukrainian are South and East Slavic languages that together provide access to two of the most historically significant and geopolitically consequential regions of Europe. Serbian and Croatian are, from a linguistic standpoint, varieties of the same language, but they are written in different scripts (Cyrillic for Serbian, Latin for Croatian), embedded in distinct national and cultural identities, and connected to histories that include the complex and often painful story of the former Yugoslavia. Ukrainian is an East Slavic language spoken by around 45 million people and has become, in recent years, a subject of urgent international attention given Ukraine's central role in European security and the extraordinary resilience of its people and cultural identity.
At UCL, which has one of the UK's most comprehensive Slavic and East European studies programmes, this four-year programme develops both sets of languages to a high level while engaging you with the literatures, histories and contemporary cultures of the South Slavic and Ukrainian worlds. You will study language, area studies, cultural history and contemporary society across both traditions, developing the linguistic and analytical skills to engage with these regions in professional and academic contexts. The typical entry tariff is 152 UCAS points.
Graduates with expertise in Serbian/Croatian and Ukrainian are rare and valuable in a range of professional contexts. Diplomacy, international organisations, journalism, humanitarian and development work, intelligence analysis, academic research, translation and interpreting, and business in the western Balkans and Ukraine are among the career paths open to graduates. The relevance of Ukrainian expertise has grown substantially in recent years and is likely to remain high given the ongoing importance of Ukraine to European security and reconstruction.
Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in Slavic studies, area studies, international relations or security studies.