BA Bulgarian and Polish
About this course
BA in Bulgarian and Polish, a Russian Studies degree centred on the languages, literature, and culture of the region. Core topics include Research Methods. This four-year course includes a compulsory third year spent abroad. The first year establishes foundations through compulsory modules such as Bulgarian Language Level 1, Polish Language Level 1, Literature and Memory, and War, Trauma and Memory in East European Cinema, alongside optional study in areas like linguistics and drama. The second year advances linguistic proficiency and cultural knowledge through Bulgarian Language Level 2a-Comprehension, Bulgarian Language Level 2b-Production, Polish Language Level 2a-Comprehension, and Polish Language Level 2b-Production. The third year consists of a compulsory Year Abroad across two terms. The final year focuses on advanced language study and independent research, featuring compulsory modules like Bulgarian Language Level 3a - Comprehension, Bulgarian Language Level 3b - Production, Polish Language Level 3a - Comprehension, Polish Language Level 3b - Production, Polish Literature 3, and Free-standing Dissertation. Students can also select optional modules in their final year covering topics such as translation, cinema, and political art.
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 (Previous study of a foreign language is preferred (not necessarily one of the named languages) but not required. Applicants may study two languages at beginner level and may seek advice from the departments concerned if needed.) IB: 34 points (A total of 16 points in three higher level subjects, with no higher level score below 5. Foreign language preferred.)
See the highest paying Languages & English degrees in the UK →
What students say
Based on about 72 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 85%
- Learning opportunities: 79%
- Assessment and feedback: 78%
- Academic support: 89%
- Organisation and management: 82%
- Learning resources: 91%
- Student voice: 71%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 55 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- Continued on course: 91%
- Left higher education: 6%
- Moved to a lower qualification: 3%
What graduates do next
Based on about 9 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 60%
- Working and studying: 10%
- Further study: 10%
- Unemployed: 5%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 20%
- Business, Research and Administrative Professionals: 20%
- Administrative occupations: 10%
- Managers, directors and senior officials: 10%
- Sales occupations: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 75%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 50%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 30%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 215 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 1%
- North West: 4%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 3%
- East Midlands: 1%
- West Midlands: 2%
- East of England: 7%
- London: 67%
- South East: 8%
- South West: 4%
- Wales: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 55 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 86%
- Baccalaureate: 7%
- A degree: 5%
- Other HE qualification: 2%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Gold for student outcomes.
Modules
- Bulgarian Language Level 1
- War, Trauma and Memory in East European Cinema
- Literature and Memory
- Polish Language Level 1
- How Words Work: Sounds and Sense
- Tales of the Unexpected: the Supernatural and Fantastic in Literature, 1800 - 1930
- Languages in Contact along the Danube: Intercultural Frictions and Flows
- Minority Languages of Russia: Cultural, Linguistic Diversity and Endangerment
- Staging Europe: Modern European Drama and Theatre
- Between the Alps and the Adriatic: Modern Slovene Culture and Literature
- Old Church Slavonic and Comparative Slavonic Grammar as a Language Learning Strategy
- Contemporary Performance and Activism in Europe
- Language and social justice: ideologies, politics, and participation
- Representations of Russia
- Bulgarian Language Level 2a-Comprehension
- Bulgarian Language Level 2b-Production
- Introduction to Bulgarian Culture and Literature
- Writing from the Other Europe
- Polish Language Level 2a-Comprehension
- Polish Language Level 2b-Production
- Introduction to Polish Literature
- How Words Work: Sounds and Sense
- Tales of the Unexpected: the Supernatural and Fantastic in Literature, 1800 - 1930
- Languages in Contact along the Danube: Intercultural Frictions and Flows
- Minority Languages of Russia: Cultural, Linguistic Diversity and Endangerment
- Staging Europe: Modern European Drama and Theatre
- Between the Alps and the Adriatic: Modern Slovene Culture and Literature
- Old Church Slavonic and Comparative Slavonic Grammar as a Language Learning Strategy
- Contemporary Performance and Activism in Europe
- Contemporary Polish Cinema
- Language and social justice: ideologies, politics, and participation
- Year Abroad Term 1
- Year Abroad Term 2
- Bulgarian Language Level 3a - Comprehension
- Bulgarian Language Level 3b - Production
- Polish Language Level 3a - Comprehension
- Polish Language Level 3b - Production
- Polish Literature 3
- Free-standing Dissertation
- Narratives of Exile
- Crossroads of Culture: Language and Identity in the Literatures of Ukraine from Crimea to the Shtetl
- Contemporary Art and Politics in Eastern Europe and Russia
- Translation: Theory and Practice
- Perspectives on Nonbinary, Gender-inclusive and Genderqueer Language
- The Person, Love and Utopia in Russian Thought
- Russian and Soviet Cinema: Innovation and Experiment
- Contemporary Russian Cinema
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Bulgarian and Polish at University College London earn?
The median salary is £30,000 after 15 months, £31,000 after 3 years, £42,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £32,500 and £57,000. The £42,500 median after five years is £6,000 more than the UK median for Slavic studies.
What do graduates of BA Bulgarian and Polish at University College London do next?
80% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Bulgarian and Polish at University College London?
85% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Bulgarian and Polish at University College London?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 34 points in the IB. The average entrant had 154 UCAS points.
Does BA Bulgarian and Polish at University College London include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has a compulsory year abroad.
How many students continue on BA Bulgarian and Polish at University College London?
91% of students continued into their second year, and 6% left higher education.