MA German and Spanish
About this course
MA (Hons) in German and Spanish, a German and Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies degree centred on the study of two European languages and cultures across a four-year undergraduate structure. The course incorporates a compulsory year abroad where students can study or work in one or two destinations. The first year covers introductory options including linguistics and language sciences, business, economics and informatics, and art and architectural history. The second year explores thematic topics through modules such as Researching Disability in German Literature and Society, Culture, Modernity and the City in the Weimar Republic, Reading Testimony in German, and The Contemporary Short Story in German. The third year consists of a period abroad involving study or work placements in locations such as Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna, or Freiburg. The final year focuses on advanced language proficiency and cultural study, featuring components such as spoken German and Spanish, essay and précis writing, and German-to-English and Spanish-to-English translation of literary and journalistic texts.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: from AAA to ABB (required: a language other than English at B) IB: 34 points with 655 at HL
See the highest paying Languages & English degrees in the UK →
Admissions (2022 entry, home applicants)
Offer rate 59%: 19 offers from 32 applications, from the university's Freedom of Information return.
What students say
Based on about 39 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 83%
- Learning opportunities: 66%
- Assessment and feedback: 64%
- Academic support: 88%
- Organisation and management: 63%
- Learning resources: 86%
- Student voice: 58%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 60 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- Continued on course: 94%
- Left higher education: 4%
- Moved to a lower qualification: 1%
What graduates do next
Based on about 6 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 60%
- Working and studying: 5%
- Further study: 20%
- Unemployed: 10%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 55 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 2%
- North West: 8%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 3%
- East Midlands: 6%
- West Midlands: 1%
- East of England: 2%
- London: 41%
- South East: 8%
- South West: 4%
- Wales: 1%
- Scotland: 23%
- Northern Ireland: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 55 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 96%
- Baccalaureate: 3%
- Other HE qualification: 1%
Modules
- practise professional communication
- discover the value of languages in the workplace
- gain insights into possible career options
- linguistics and language sciences
- business, economics and informatics
- politics, social policy, social anthropology and international relations
- art and architectural history
- history, classics and archaeology
- Celtic and Scottish ethnology
- philosophy, divinity and law
- Researching Disability in German Literature and Society
- Culture, Modernity and the City in the Weimar Republic
- Reading Testimony in German
- The Contemporary Short Story in German
- Screening Sex: Gender, Sexuality, and Identity on the German Screen and Beyond
- German Colonialism: History, Memory, Controversy
- Cultural Responses to War
- Migration, Exile, Diaspora
- Crime and Detection in Literature
- Gender and Culture
- The Coming-of-Age Narrative
- Introduction to European Cinema
- Dynamics of Language and Power
- Languages Beyond University
- another language such as Catalan or Portuguese
- different aspects of linguistics
- Berlin
- Augsburg
- Hamburg
- Heidelberg
- Tübingen
- Freiburg
- Leipzig
- Mainz
- Vienna
- study in one or two destinations
- work in one or two destinations
- study in one destination and work in another
- two semesters at a single institution
- one semester at two different institutions (in different destinations)
- arrange to work or volunteer with a private company or charity
- apply to an established placement scheme, such as the British Council’s English Language Assistants programme
- Student Wellbeing Service
- Student Counselling
- Student Disability and Learning Support
- University emergency helpline (available 24 hours a day)
- spoken German and Spanish
- essay and précis writing
- German-to-English and Spanish-to-English translation of literary and journalistic texts
- film
- literature
- history
- politics
- language
- linguistics
- media and cultural production
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of MA German and Spanish at University of Edinburgh earn?
The median salary is £29,000 after 3 years, £37,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £28,500 and £55,500. The £37,500 median after five years is £5,000 more than the UK median for German and Scandinavian studies.
What do graduates of MA German and Spanish at University of Edinburgh do next?
80% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on MA German and Spanish at University of Edinburgh?
83% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for MA German and Spanish at University of Edinburgh?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 34 points in the IB. The average entrant had 175 UCAS points.
What is the offer rate for MA German and Spanish at University of Edinburgh?
59% of home applicants received an offer for 2022 entry: 19 offers from 32 applications, according to the university's Freedom of Information return.
Does MA German and Spanish at University of Edinburgh include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has a compulsory year abroad.
How many students continue on MA German and Spanish at University of Edinburgh?
94% of students continued into their second year, and 4% left higher education.