BA Modern Languages
About this course
BA in Modern Languages, a modern languages degree centred on linguistic proficiency and cultural studies. Core topics include Language & Translation, Historical Research, Critical & Analytical Thinking, Global & Comparative Perspective, and Research Methods. Students can study one, two or three languages from beginner or post-qualifying levels, with options to complete an international placement year. The first year introduces foundational language acquisition through modules such as French Language, German Language, and Italian Language, alongside optional studies in topics like The Making of Modern France and Turning Points in German History 1200 - 2000. The second year advances proficiency with compulsory study in courses including French Language, Written and Oral, German Language, Written and Oral, and Intermediate Chinese (One), while optional modules allow exploration in areas such as Digital China: Popular Culture, Technology, and Society and Berlin - Culture, History and Politics. Optional module choices span specialized subjects in literature, film, history, and philosophy, allowing students to tailor their academic trajectory.
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: ABB-BBB. Required subjects: View our Language entry requirements below. IB: 32/655-30/555.
See the highest paying Languages & English degrees in the UK →
Admissions (2022 entry, home applicants)
Offer rate 98%: 471 offers from 483 applications, from the university's Freedom of Information return.
What students say
Based on about 47 final-year students who answered
- Teaching on my course: 90%
- Learning opportunities: 79%
- Assessment and feedback: 83%
- Academic support: 93%
- Organisation and management: 81%
- Learning resources: 95%
- Student voice: 79%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 55 students who started
- Continued on course: 96%
- Left higher education: 4%
What graduates do next
Based on about 25 graduates who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 60%
- Working and studying: 10%
- Further study: 15%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 20%
- Teaching Professionals: 15%
- Administrative occupations: 10%
- Elementary occupations: 10%
- Business, Research and Administrative Professionals: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 75%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 75%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 50%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 160 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North West: 2%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 2%
- East Midlands: 1%
- West Midlands: 7%
- East of England: 13%
- London: 34%
- South East: 15%
- South West: 22%
- Wales: 4%
Who gets in
Based on about 50 students who started
- A levels: 95%
- Baccalaureate: 5%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Gold overall, Gold for student experience, Gold for student outcomes.
Modules
- French Language
- French Language for Beginners
- German Language
- German Language for Beginners
- Italian Language
- Italian Language for Beginners
- Beginners Chinese
- Portuguese Language for Beginners
- Contemporary Russian Written and Oral
- Russian Language for Beginners
- Spanish Language
- Spanish Language for Beginners
- The Making of Modern France
- The Devil is in the Detail: An Introduction to the Short Story in French
- The French Language, Present and Past
- An Introduction to French Thought
- A Nation Remembers: Issues in German Cultural Memory
- Turning Points in German History 1200 - 2000
- An Emotional Experience: Russian Literature and the Expression of Feeling
- Russia: Empire and Identity
- Chinese Art and the Art of Living
- Introduction to Asian Philosophy
- Italy Inside Out: Popular Visual Narratives about Italy
- A Thousand Faces: Cultures and History in 19th-Century Italy
- Comparative Literatures and Cultures: Theories and Approaches
- Reading Comparatively
- Introduction to Film
- Language, Culture, International Relations
- An Introduction to the Hispanic World: Texts in Context
- The Making of Modern Latin America: History Through Literature and Culture
- An Introduction to the Literature and Film of Spain
- French Language, Written and Oral
- Intermediate French
- German Language, Written and Oral
- Intermediate German
- Italian Language, Written and Oral
- Italian Language
- Intermediate Chinese (One)
- Intermediate Portuguese
- Contemporary Russian Written and Oral I
- Intermediate Russian
- Spanish Language, Written and Oral
- Spanish Language (ex-beginners)
- Chinoiserie and Européenerie: Artistic and Vultural Exchanges between China and Europe
- Digital China: Popular Culture, Technology, and Society
- Revolutions! Art and Society in France, 1770-1830
- Evolution of the French Language
- Intimate Spaces of the French Enlightenment
- Violence and Virtue: Early Modern French Theatre
- Subversive Texts: Baudelaire and Rachilde
- Berlin - Culture, History and Politics
- Gender, Race and Migration in 20th and 21st-century German Literature
- Migrating Texts: Classical Reception, Adaptation, Translation
- Research Skills in Languages and Cultures
- Contemporary Latin American Cinema
- Multilingualism in Society
- Tales of Freedom, Necessity and Providence
- From Page to Screen: Female Detectives in Literature, Film, and Television
- Exploring Revolution: The Making of Soviet Society and Culture in the 1920s
- Apocalypse/Utopia: the Russian Roots of Revolution
- Other Shores: Exile and Emigration in Russian Literature
- Federico Garcia Lorca: Theatre and Poetry
- The Latin American Short Story
- Catalonia Is Not Spain? Modern Catalan Culture in Context
- "What is Love? And Do I Need It?" An Introduction to Spanish Renaissance Love Poetry
- Fiction in Post-War Spain: Voices of Conformity and Subversion
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Modern Languages at University of Exeter earn?
The median salary is £29,000 after 15 months, £27,500 after 3 years, £36,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £29,000 and £46,500. The £36,000 median after five years is £3,000 more than the UK median for Language and area studies (other).
What do graduates of BA Modern Languages at University of Exeter do next?
85% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
90% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
The typical offer is BBB at A level. The average entrant had 152 UCAS points.
What is the offer rate for BA Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
98% of home applicants received an offer for 2022 entry: 471 offers from 483 applications, according to the university's Freedom of Information return.
Does BA Modern Languages at University of Exeter include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional placement year and an optional year abroad.
How many students continue on BA Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
96% of students continued into their second year, and 4% left higher education.