Spanish and Latin

Spanish and Latin make for a pairing that bridges the ancient and the modern in illuminating ways. Latin is the language of the Roman world and the foundation of all the Romance languages, the tongue of Virgil, Cicero and Ovid, of medieval scholarship and of legal, scientific and ecclesiastical writing that shaped centuries of Western history. Spanish, itself a direct descendant of Latin, is now spoken by more than 500 million people and is the official language of 20 countries across Europe, the Americas and Africa, making it one of the most globally significant languages a student can choose.

Studying both opens a long continuum of culture and thought from ancient Rome to the contemporary Spanish-speaking world.

At University College London this four-year programme develops your Spanish to an advanced level while building your Latin from whatever starting point you bring, with the aim of reading Latin texts with confidence by the time you graduate. You will study Spanish and Latin American literature, film and cultural history alongside Latin texts from the classical and medieval periods, with attention both to linguistic precision and to the literary and intellectual traditions they represent. UCL's location in London provides exceptional cultural resources, and the department's scholarly strength in both Hispanic studies and the classical world gives you access to outstanding expertise.

Graduates go on to careers in academia, publishing, journalism, translation and interpreting, cultural organisations, the law, diplomacy, education and international business. The combination of advanced Spanish and Latin is particularly distinctive, reflecting a range and depth of linguistic and cultural knowledge that marks graduates out. Many continue to postgraduate study in Hispanic studies, classical languages, comparative literature, translation or cultural history.

The degree is a demanding and rewarding intellectual undertaking that opens a wide range of career paths.