BA Modern Languages
Royal Holloway, University of London
About this course
BA Modern Languages is a four-year undergraduate degree centred on linguistic fluency, translation, and the cultural study of French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Core topics include Research Methods, Communication & Writing, Critical & Analytical Thinking. Students undertake a compulsory year abroad during the third year, with an optional placement year also available. The first year establishes fundamental linguistic competence through modules such as Critical Analysis for Linguists, French Advanced Written I, German Advanced Oral I, and Italian Ab Initio Written I. Second-year studies advance proficiency via modules like French Language II, German Language II, Italian Language II, and Spanish Language II. The third year consists of a compulsory year abroad spent studying, working, or a combination of both. The final year involves advanced study with modules including Pratique du Français III, German Language III, Advanced Italian III, and Spanish III. Optional modules across the degree allow specialisation in areas such as cinema, literature, art history, and translation, while students may also undertake a final-year dissertation.
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-BBC (Required subjects: A-level in the appropriate language(s) at grade B for the advanced level language pathway There is no language requirement for the beginners' language pathway but at least one essay-based subject is required at grade B and only one language can be studied at this level We require English Language and Mathematics GCSE at grade 4 (C) Please note that if you choose to apply for this course you will need to provide details of which languages you wish to study on your UCAS application form. For further details on how to do this please visit our How to apply page.) IB: 6,5,5, in Higher Level or 32 points overall including 5 in the appropriate language if taken at Higher Level if the advanced level language pathway is required or 5 in an essay based subject for the beginners level.
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Real offers for this course
Applicants have posted 1 UCAS decision for BA Modern Languages (R900) at Royal Holloway, University of London for 2027 entry so far. The published offer is ABB at A level.
What students say
Based on about 13 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 94%
- Learning opportunities: 93%
- Assessment and feedback: 94%
- Academic support: 90%
- Organisation and management: 83%
- Learning resources: 93%
- Student voice: 84%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 25 students who started, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 95%
- Left higher education: 5%
What graduates do next
Based on about 11 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 70%
- Working and studying: 10%
- Further study: 5%
- Unemployed: 5%
Most common jobs
- Elementary occupations: 25%
- Teaching Professionals: 20%
- Business, Research and Administrative Professionals: 10%
- Sales occupations: 10%
- Managers, directors and senior officials: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 80%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 60%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 40%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 100 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 1%
- North West: 2%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 1%
- East Midlands: 2%
- West Midlands: 1%
- East of England: 9%
- London: 43%
- South East: 31%
- South West: 8%
Who gets in
Based on about 15 students who started, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 100%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Critical Analysis for Linguists
- French Advanced Written I
- French Advanced Oral I
- French Ab Initio Written I
- French Ab Initio Oral I
- German Advanced Written I
- German Advanced Oral I
- German Ab Initio Written I
- German Ab Initio Oral I
- Italian Advanced Written I
- Italian Advanced Oral I
- Italian Ab Initio Written I
- Italian Ab Initio Oral I
- Spanish Advanced Written I
- Spanish Advanced Oral I
- Spanish Ab Initio Written I
- Spanish Ab Initio Oral I
- Key French Texts: The Individual and Society
- The Visual Image in French Culture and Society
- Tales of the City: Introduction to Thematic Analysis
- International Film 1: Contexts and Practices
- The Birth of Film
- French Language: Culture and Translation
- Introduction to German Studies
- Strange Encounters: Texts and Contexts in Modern German Culture
- Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio and their Heritage
- Journeys of Identity Discovery, Subversion and Destruction in the Hispanic Worlds
- Spanish Language: Culture and Translation
- French Language II
- German Language II
- Italian Language II
- Spanish Language II
- Writing Romance and Desire
- Cinema in France
- Advanced French Translation: Skills and Practice
- Death, Desire, Decline: Thomas Mann and Franz Kafka
- Belonging and the Self in Contemporary German Fiction and Film
- Postwar Italian Cinema: the Auteur Tradition
- Art and Literature in Renaissance Florence
- Fake News, Gossip, and the Pursuit of Truth: From Renaissance Newsletters to Online Journalism
- Advanced Spanish Translation: Skills and Practice
- Deceit, Desire and the Self: Literature of the Spanish Golden Age
- Seducing the Nation: Spanish Film 1940s to 1980s
- Conflict in Latin American Literature
- Year Abroad
- Pratique du Français III
- German Language III
- Advanced Italian III
- Spanish III
- From Aestheticism to the Avant-Garde
- Transnationalism, Diaspora and Globalisation in Contemporary Film: Dissertation
- Modern Languages Dissertation
- Text and Image in France: from Cubism to the Present
- Blindness and Vision in French Culture
- Villains and Villainy in Early Modern French Theatre
- Redefining the Erotic in Contemporary French Literature and Film
- Narrative and Identity: The German Novel from the 18th to the 21st Century
- National Socialism and the Third Reich in German Film and Visual Culture from 1933 to the Present
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Modern Languages at Royal Holloway, University of London earn?
The median salary is £28,500 after 15 months, £25,500 after 3 years, £31,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £24,500 and £38,500. The £31,000 median after five years is £3,000 less than the UK median for French studies.
What do graduates of BA Modern Languages at Royal Holloway, University of London 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 Royal Holloway, University of London?
94% 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 Royal Holloway, University of London?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 125 UCAS points.
Does BA Modern Languages at Royal Holloway, University of London include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional placement year and a compulsory year abroad.
How many students continue on BA Modern Languages at Royal Holloway, University of London?
95% of students continued into their second year, and 5% left higher education.