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Do you love learning languages and studying other cultures? Put together your ideal combination with our flexible degree.
Our Modern Languages BA lets you choose from French, German, Russian, Spanish on their own or in combinations which also include Chinese or Portuguese and further offers a third language as a minor subject - including Catalan, Chinese (Mandarin), Modern Arabic or Japanese.
No prior knowledge of any languages is required, we stream our language classes from beginner to native speaker, so you'll be taught at the right level.
You'll combine practical classes in written and spoken language with understanding the wider context - the history and society of the nations that speak your chosen languages, their literatures and their roles around the world.
You'll expand your horizons with modules that go beyond the obvious: Students of French can study Mauritian creole or the quirks of Belgian culture; students of Portuguese can study Brazilian cinema; students of Russian may perform a play in the language even in their first year; options in Spanish range form modern Cuban poetry to colonialism and students of German are immersed in Austrian and Swiss cultures too.
You'll spend your third year studying or working overseas, an exceptional opportunity to put your languages to the test and develop your intercultural competence.
Study one, two or three languages with our highly flexible Modern Languages BA. Once we’ve received your UCAS application, we’ll get in touch to ask you for your language choices.
Study one language subject that will appear in your degree title, eg, Modern Languages (German) BA.
Choose from French, German, Russian and Spanish.
Study two language subjects combined and they will both appear in your degree title e.g. Modern Languages (French and Russian) BA.
You can choose from Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, but you cannot combine Chinese with Portuguese, and you must start with at least GCSE level in one of the two languages you study.
Add a further language as a minor subject alongside your main language(s). The minor subject will not appear in your degree title.
Options include Catalan, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Modern Arabic, and Portuguese. If you have A-level in the two main languages you are studying, you may be able to add a third language in Year 1, otherwise this option is available in Year 2.
Some language combinations may be restricted for timetabling reasons.
Levels: beginner, post-GCSE, post A-level, native/heritage speaker
You’ll take a French language module every year, streamed according to entry level. Our Culture and Language module will equip you with the skills to analyse and write about literary, visual, and conceptual texts , as well as some basics of linguistics, enabling you to apply those methods to the specific cultures and languages that interest you, and preparing you for the kinds of modules you can choose in your second and final years. You will also take a further module focusing on French. In later years, you’ll choose from a wide range of modules.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
You’ll take a German language module every year, streamed according to entry level. Our Culture and Language module will equip you with the skills to analyse and write about literary, visual, and conceptual texts , as well as some basics of linguistics, enabling you to apply those methods to the specific cultures and languages that interest you, and preparing you for the kinds of modules you can choose in your second and final years. You will also take a further module focusing on German. In later years, you’ll choose from a wide range of modules.
You’ll take a Russian language module every year, streamed according to entry level. Our Culture and Language module will equip you with the skills to analyse and write about literary, visual, and conceptual texts , as well as some basics of linguistics, enabling you to apply those methods to the specific cultures and languages that interest you, and preparing you for the kinds of modules you can choose in your second and final years. You will also take a further module focusing on Russian. In later years, you’ll choose from a wide range of modules.
Levels: beginner/post-GCSE, post A-level, native/heritage speaker
You’ll take a Spanish language module every year, streamed according to entry level. Our Culture and Language module will equip you with the skills to analyse and write about literary, visual, and conceptual texts , as well as some basics of linguistics, enabling you to apply those methods to the specific cultures and languages that interest you, and preparing you for the kinds of modules you can choose in your second and final years. You will also take a further module focusing on Spanish. In later years, you’ll choose from a wide range of modules.
Level: beginner, post A-level/heritage speaker
You’ll take a Portuguese language module every year, as well as choosing modules on the culture and politics of the Portuguese-speaking world.
Options include:
Level: Beginner Chinese (double language option)/ Beginner Mandarin Chinese, Post-A-Level Mandarin Chinese (Language as a minor subject options)
For the double language option of Beginner Chinese, you’ll take a Chinese language module every year, as well as choosing from a wide array of optional modules.
Why study Chinese?
Mandarin Chinese is the most-spoken first language in the world, with over 921 million speakers, and is the second most-spoken language when including language learners, totalling approximately 1.120 billion individuals (as per Ethnologue 24th Edition, 2021). The People’s Republic of China (PRC) boasts the second largest economy in the world by nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the largest economy according to Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) since 2014, with all signs pointing to its continued growth and importance. Chinese-related cultures and the literary tradition of Chinese characters date as far back as the second millennium B.C.E., both of which possess rich histories with important lessons for understanding China today. Mandarin Chinese is an official language of the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (also known as Taiwan), and Singapore, as well as on of the six working languages of the United Nations.
You can also take language modules in Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese or Modern Arabic.
You’ll spend your year abroad in a country where your main language is spoken. If you’re taking two main languages, you’ll divide your time equally between two countries.
How you spend your year abroad is up to you. You can choose from:
We give you extensive support and advice on arranging placements, and stay in touch while you’re abroad.
We have a large number of partner institutions across Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Russia, Russian-speaking Latvia, Switzerland and Spain, as well as destinations outside Europe such as Colombia, Mexico and La Réunion.
I love everything here. I enjoy studying more than one language and culture. I enjoy the books that I get to read. I love the flexibility and the open atmosphere in the department. It is a great place to study, and living in London is a major advantage with an opportunity to meet people from all over the world.
You'll receive approximately 10 to 16 hours of weekly contact time, comprising lectures, seminars and language classes.
Language classes will take up the majority of this time and are taught in small groups of no more than 20 for classroom or language lab teaching, and no more than 10 for oral and aural work.
For every hour spent in class, you'll complete a further two to three hours of independent study.
Assessment typically includes a combination of written exams and coursework, final-year dissertations, independent projects and creative journals.
The School offers excellent on-campus resources to aid your studies including:
The Queen Mary Library. The Multimedia Language Resource Centre, equipped with digital labs and resource rooms, teacher and student workstations, interactive whiteboards and software for viewing live international satellite TV broadcasts. Language clubs and social activities including film screenings, discussion groups and debates. Subscriptions to foreign newspapers and journals.
Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification.
For further information please visit: qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry/epq
Our standard contextual offer: Grades BBC. This must include at least one essay based A-Level subject. Excludes General Studies, Critical Thinking.
Our enhanced contextual offer (for care experienced students, refugee/asylum seekers or students who have completed Realising Opportunities or Access to Queen Mary): Grades BCC. This must include at least one essay based A-Level subject. Excludes General Studies, Critical Thinking.
More information on how this information is used for a contextual offer can be found on our contextualised admissions page.
We accept a wide range of European and international qualifications in addition to A-levels, the International Baccalaureate and BTEC qualifications. Please visit International Admissions for full details.
If your qualifications are not accepted for direct entry onto this degree, consider applying for a foundation programme.
Find out more about our English language entry requirements, including the types of test we accept and the scores needed for entry to the programme.
You may also be able to meet the English language requirement for your programme by joining a summer pre-sessional programme before starting your degree.
See our general undergraduate entry requirements.
UK students accepted onto this course are eligible to apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance England or other government bodies.
Queen Mary offers a generous package of scholarships and bursaries, which currently benefits around 50 per cent of our undergraduates.
Scholarships are available for home, EU and international students. Specific funding is also available for students from the local area. International students may be eligible for a fee reduction. We offer means-tested funding, as well as subject-specific funding for many degrees.
Find out what scholarships and bursaries are available to you.
We offer specialist support on all financial and welfare issues through our Advice and Counselling Service, which you can access as soon as you have applied for a place at Queen Mary.
Take a look at our Student Advice Guides which cover ways to finance your degree, including:
High-level skills in one or more languages will give you international mobility and an advantage in the job market in the UK, Europe or beyond. Your year abroad will also build your confidence and boost your employability.
Some of our students apply their degree knowledge directly, entering careers such as journalism, interpreting and teaching. Others transfer their communication, research and analytical skills into the arts, publishing, finance, business or IT.
Recent graduates of modern languages at Queen Mary have been hired by:
The School runs regular careers events, including workshops on how to harness the year abroad experience for the job market and opportunities for current students to meet alumni.
The Queen Mary careers team can also offer:
Learn more about career support and development at Queen Mary.
French - BA (Hons)
Russian - BA (Hons)
Spanish - BA (Hons)
French and Spanish - BA (Hons)
French and German - BA (Hons)
French and Russian - BA (Hons)
German - BA (Hons)
German and Spanish - BA (Hons)
German and Russian - BA (Hons)
Russian and Spanish - BA (Hons)
Spanish and Portuguese - BA (Hons)
The Discover Uni dataset (formerly Unistats)
The School of Languages, Linguistics and Film explores global culture and communication through a vibrant interdisciplinary environment with five distinct but interconnected areas of academic excellence. Our multilingual community brings together brilliant minds from across the world to share a wealth of expertise – from practical film-making and contemporary literature to experimental neurolinguistics and 11 different modern languages – so that students can become truly global citizens.
Our School’s five Departments are united by the common threads of communication and culture, opening the doors to new worlds of opportunity. Both a single and richly varied entity, our School’s work enables creative thinking that goes beyond national, linguistic and cultural boundaries. We combine research excellence with an unrivalled commitment to social justice and social mobility, true to the Queen Mary spirit, achieving the previously unthinkable through our School’s unique mix of bright minds.
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