Modern Languages and Cultures

The Department of Modern Languages and Cultures brings together a community of highly-regarded and innovative researchers and teachers. Their work spans a wide range of fields, and enables our students to explore distinctive subjects in a highly supportive learning environment.

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The 2018 National Student Survey questioned UK undergraduates on various aspects of the student experience, including their overall satisfaction.

French at QMUL was ranked top in London for overall student satisfaction.
Iberian Studies, which includes Catalan, Portuguese and Spanish, was also top in London with an overall satisfaction rating of 97.1%,
which puts QMUL first in the Russell Group for this subject.
German was ranked second in London and had an overall satisfaction rating of 94%, above an average of 86%.

Do you love learning languages and studying other cultures? Put together your ideal combination with our flexible degree.

Starting in September 2019 our new Modern Languages BA will let you choose one or two from French, German, Russian, Spanish, Catalan and Portuguese, with the option of taking a further language as a minor subject – including Arabic, Chinese or Japanese.

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Study with us

Our language students study of all things related to their chosen language(s) – language, culture, film, art, literature, philosophy and linguistics.

Undergraduate

Postgraduate

Research

Our research in Modern Languages and Cultures investigates literary, linguistic, and cultural history from the Middle Ages to the present.

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News

Excellent National Student Survey Results
15 August, 2018

Dr Rhiannon McGlade presents her book at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona
8 August, 2017

Conference on Judeo-Spanish and Sephardi Studies
8 August, 2017

All news

Tweets by Modern Languages and Cultures

A few weeks after graduating I got directly recruited on LinkedIn to work on the launch of a global intranet site, as an Internal/Digital Communications intern. It was fantastic experience, especially as I was one of the only German speakers, as I was even able to do translations and speak in German in international calls to a colleague in Frankfurt. In addition, I interacted with many international colleagues from all over the world, including the Netherlands, Thailand, Mexico and Chile to name but a few. In this case the cultural awareness and the analytical and communications skills I developed whilst studying German were extremely beneficial.

Elizabeth, BA German
The positive and friendly attitude of the teachers, admin staff and students - it makes for a great working environment. The Russian course in particular is fantastically well administered, a really great learning experience such as I have never had before - my Russian has come on in leaps and bounds in only two years.

Timothy, BA Russian and Business Management
The insight that i got into literature, history, philosophy and art from the modulesincludingOut of Place:Literature and Dislocation and French Feminist Writing inspires me still to this day. Comparing texts, ideas and theories gave me the analytical skills that i use every day to find and write interesting news stories (in my job as a journalist). It also helped that all my lecturers were always incredibly helpful and so understanding.

Hanna, BA French
What I have appreciated the most as a student of Hispanic Studies are the very helpful and friendly teaching staff, who are committed to providing personal feedback and encourage critical thinking and independent study. Furthermore, the department offers a variety of modules, ranging from literature and linguistics to politics in the Hispanic world and they organise several cultural events throughout the year. Students from a myriad of international backgrounds participate in the smaller seminar groups which allow for nuanced and interesting discussions.

Amela, BA English and Hispanic Studies