BA Philosophy and Modern Languages
About this course
BA in Philosophy and Modern Languages, a modern languages and philosophy degree centred on critical inquiry into human thought alongside advanced foreign language acquisition. Core topics include Research Methods, Historical Research, Critical & Analytical Thinking, Language & Translation, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, and Global & Comparative Perspective. The programme includes an optional third year spent studying or working abroad in a country relevant to the chosen language. The first year introduces foundational linguistic skills alongside core philosophical studies through compulsory modules such as Knowledge and Reality 1, Knowledge and Reality 2, Evidence and Argument 1, Introduction to Philosophical Analysis, and Philosophy of Morality. Second-year studies advance language proficiency and philosophical exploration through compulsory modules including Philosophy of Mind 1, Body and Mind, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Language, Philosophical Research, and Moral Agency in Social Context. Students can further tailor their studies by selecting from various optional modules spanning European thought, cultural history, and contemporary societal issues. Optional choices in the second year include Phenomenology, Existentialism, Symbolic Logic, Philosophy of Science, Aesthetics, History of Philosophy, Philosophy of Psychiatry, Philosophy of Law, The Deep Past, History and Humanity, Ethics of Emerging Technologies, Mind and World in Contemporary Japanese Philosophy, Plato's Dialogues, Philosophy of Music, Philosophy of Games, Digital Worlds and Social AI, The Holocaust: Explanation, Understanding and Responsibility, and Cyborg Studies.
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Entry requirements
A level: ABB. Required subjects: Dependent on language level chosen (see below). IB: 32/655.
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Admissions (2022 entry, home applicants)
Offer rate 54%: 27 offers from 50 applications, from the university's Freedom of Information return.
What students say
Based on about 7 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 98%
- Learning opportunities: 84%
- Assessment and feedback: 74%
- Academic support: 90%
- Organisation and management: 80%
- Learning resources: 97%
- Student voice: 73%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 80%
- Left higher education: 20%
What graduates do next
Based on about 31 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Working: 52%
- Working and studying: 22%
- Further study: 12%
- Unemployed: 2%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 20%
- Teaching Professionals: 15%
- Elementary occupations: 5%
- Administrative occupations: 5%
- Teaching and Childcare Support Occupation: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 75%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 75%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 45%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 70 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North West: 1%
- East Midlands: 1%
- West Midlands: 3%
- East of England: 8%
- London: 48%
- South East: 23%
- South West: 12%
- Wales: 2%
- Scotland: 2%
Who gets in
Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 90%
- Baccalaureate: 10%
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
- Knowledge and Reality 1
- Knowledge and Reality 2
- Evidence and Argument 1
- Introduction to Philosophical Analysis
- Philosophy of Morality
- 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
- Philosophical Problems 1
- Introduction to Asian Philosophy
- Philosophy of Film
- Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
- An Emotional Experience: Russian Literature and the Expression of Feeling
- Russia: Empire and Identity
- Chinese Art and the Art of Living
- 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)
- Philosophy of Mind 1
- Body and Mind
- Metaphysics
- Philosophy of Language
- Philosophical Research
- Moral Agency in Social Context
- Phenomenology
- Existentialism
- Symbolic Logic
- Philosophy of Science
- Aesthetics
- History of Philosophy
- Philosophy of Psychiatry
- Philosophy of Law
- The Deep Past, History and Humanity
- Ethics of Emerging Technologies
- Mind and World in Contemporary Japanese Philosophy
- Plato's Dialogues
- Philosophy of Music
- Philosophy of Games
- Digital Worlds and Social AI
- The Holocaust: Explanation, Understanding and Responsibility
- Cyborg Studies
- 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 Philosophy and Modern Languages at University of Exeter earn?
The median salary is £31,500 after 15 months, £29,500 after 3 years, £41,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £32,500 and £59,000. The £41,000 median after five years is £8,000 more than the UK median for Language and area studies (other).
What do graduates of BA Philosophy and Modern Languages at University of Exeter do next?
86% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Philosophy and Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
98% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Philosophy and Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
The typical offer is ABB at A level. The average entrant had 153 UCAS points.
What is the offer rate for BA Philosophy and Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
54% of home applicants received an offer for 2022 entry: 27 offers from 50 applications, according to the university's Freedom of Information return.
Does BA Philosophy and 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 Philosophy and Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
80% of students continued into their second year, and 20% left higher education.