Undergraduate students attending a Hispanic studies lecture

Department of Modern Languages and Culture

Welcome to the Department of Modern Languages and Culture at the University of Nottingham, a vibrant hub of linguistic and cultural exploration. With an array of language options, our department offers an enriching experience beyond language learning. 

Our courses encompass a rich array of languages, from French and German to Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, Latin American Studies, Translation Studies, and more.

Language centre

We are home to the Language Centre, which offers language classes and services to all University of Nottingham students and staff. 

Language societies

Joining a society is a wonderful way to make new friends. They are especially helpful as they offer fun, relaxed chances to improve language skills. Explore all our language societies. 

Beginners welcome! 

We love people who love languages and having studied a language previously isn't a prerequisite for all our courses.

Learn more about your options to start a first, second, or even third language as a beginner.

Learn the language, live the culture

Whether through a year abroad, diverse module choices covering culture and history, or participation in language societies, you'll engage with the language and culture.

Why choose us? 

  • Linguistic diversity and research - As one of the UK’s largest modern language departments, we offer over 30 degrees across eight languages, making us a leading center for research.
  • Extensive options - You can choose single or combined language programmes tailored to your interests and career aspirations
  • Flexible options - Tailor your studies to suit your interests and career aspirations with a wide range of optional modules covering literature, media, politics, history, and culture.
Find out more about the Department of Modern Languages and Culture >

What our students say...

Kathryn Moore smiling on a balcony
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When I started learning Russian, I was a total beginner. Learning Russian has definitely been one of the hardest challenges that I have ever undertaken. In my first year, I was a bit overwhelmed with all the different grammar structures that I needed to learn. However, I think that the most rewarding thing about learning a language is seeing the progress that I have made in such a short space of time.

 

Read Kathryn's full profile

 

Kathryn Moore smiling on a balcony

Kathryn Moore

Russian and History BA, 2021 winner of The First Generation Undergraduate of the Year Award

Pablo Larios Vazquez headshot
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For the Cultures of Everyday Life module we went out into the streets and produced a portfolio of sounds and pictures annotated to demonstrate how everyday life effects us. It was quite a philosophical module and we used concepts, such as Rhythmanalysis, to analysis our findings. The theoretical knowledge definitely helped me when producing the practical work.

 

Read Pablo's full profile

 

Pablo Larios Vazquez headshot

Pablo

Spanish and International Media and Communications Studies BA

Our courses

See all

Modern Languages BA

4 years full-time (year 3 abroad)

Modern Language Studies BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
T900

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time

French Studies BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
R120

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time

French and History BA Jt Hons

Qualification
BA Jt Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
RV11

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time

French and Philosophy BA Jt Hons

Qualification
BA Jt Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
RV15

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time

German and History BA Jt Hons

Qualification
BA Jt Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
RV21

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time

German BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
R220

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time

Hispanic Studies and History BA Jt Hons

Qualification
BA Jt Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
VR14

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time

Hispanic Studies BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
R410

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time

History and Contemporary Chinese Studies BA Jt Hons

Qualification
BA Jt Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
VT11

Faculty of Arts

3 years full-time

History and East European Cultural Studies BA Jt Hons

Qualification
BA Jt Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
VRD7

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time (year 3 abroad)

Modern European Studies BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
R906

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time (year 3 abroad)

Modern Languages with Business BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
R9N1

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time (year 3 abroad)

Modern Languages with Translation BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
ABB - including B in one or more of French, German, Russian or Spanish

UCAS code
74Q9

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time

Russian and Contemporary Chinese Studies BA Jt Hons

Qualification
BA Jt Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
RT71

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time

Modern Languages BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
ABB - including B in one of Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Russian or Spanish

UCAS code
R900

Modern Languages BA

4 years full-time (year 3 abroad)

Modern Language Studies BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
T900

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time

Russian Studies BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
R700

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time

English and French BA Jt Hons

Qualification
BA Jt Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
QR31

Faculty of Arts

4 years full time

English and Hispanic Studies BA Jt Hons

Qualification
BA Jt Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
QRH4

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time (includes year abroad)

French and International Media and Communications Studies BA Jt Hons

Qualification
BA Jt Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
RP19

Faculty of Arts

4 years full-time

Spanish and International Media and Communications Studies BA Jt Hons

Qualification
BA Jt Hons

Entry requirements
ABB

UCAS code
RP4X

Faculty of Social Sciences

4 years full-time

Economics with French BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
A*AA

UCAS code
L1R1

Faculty of Social Sciences

4 years full-time

Economics with German BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
A*AA

UCAS code
L1R2

Faculty of Social Sciences

4 years full-time

Economics with Hispanic Studies BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
A*AA

UCAS code
L1R4

Faculty of Social Sciences

4 years full-time (year 3 abroad)

Law with French and French Law BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
AAA including French

UCAS code
M1R1

Faculty of Social Sciences

4 years full-time (year 3 abroad)

Law with Spanish and Spanish Law BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
AAA including Spanish

UCAS code
M1R4

Faculty of Arts

3 or 4 years full-time depending on language or placement choices

Liberal Arts BA Hons

Qualification
BA Hons

Entry requirements
AAA

UCAS code
Y002

See all

About our courses

In this course, we use various teaching methods, such as:
 
  • Lectures
  • Seminars 
  • Workshops
  • Oral classes
  • Tutorials 
  • eLearning 

The majority of the language teaching you will experience on this degree will be led by native speakers.

Assessment

For assessments, you will encounter a combination of essays, exams, commentaries, dissertations, in-class tests, oral exams, presentations, written exams, and commentaries. This varied approach ensures that your learning outcomes are assessed comprehensively.

Peer mentoring

Students can opt into our peer mentoring scheme. Your peer mentor will help you settle into life at Nottingham, provide advice on the transition to university-level study and help you access support if needed.

CLAS Work Placement and Employability Programme

Through our Work Placement and Employability Programme, you'll have the opportunity to gain practical experience and network with potential employers. Modules such as the Accredited Placement Module and CLAS Year Abroad Work Placement provide structured pathways for professional development.

Learn more about the modules 

Employability skills 

Studying languages not only enhances your communication abilities but also equips you with valuable transferable skills sought after by employers. These include:

  • critical analysis
  • independence and initiative
  • research and media literacy
  • cross-cultural awareness
  • interdisciplinary career profile
  • essential language skills 

"With hindsight, I can fully appreciate how my degree got me where I am today. Although I don’t directly use the languages that I studied in my current job, I use the transferrable skills from my language degree every day. I use my listening skills to understand what problems can be solved with data, my reading skills to spot patterns and anomalies within data sets, my writing skills to write targeted reports and recommendations and my speaking skills to communicate with different audiences.''

- Corinne Leighton, French and Russian BA, Information and Data Analyst

Graduate destinations

Our graduates embark on diverse career paths across various sectors, including but not limited to:

  • law
  • health and pharmacy 
  • publishing
  • journalism 
  • financial services 
  • recruitment
  • consultancy 

Find out more about how you can use your degree

''Having another language is an incredibly helpful skill, especially when you’re working in a global organisation. I joined Snap when we’d just opened our office in Paris and got to use my French when dealing with our French team members, journalists and partners.''

- Tobi Ruth Adebekun, French and International Media and Communications Studies BA, Communications Manager, International at Snapchat

Read graduate and student profiles here 

The year abroad in our Modern Languages program offers amazing opportunities to fully immerse yourself in the language and culture of your chosen country. You may spend the full academic year abroad in one country or split your time between multiple countries.

We offer opportunities to study in many countries including Austria, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, or/and Taiwan.

See our study abroad webpage for more information.

''My year abroad was amazing and was 100% the best part of my four years studying. Using everything I’d learned at school and university and putting it into practice with natives was such a life changing experience.''

- Charlotte Williams, Founder of SevenSix Agency

''My year abroad gave me the most life skills I think of any year of my education. It was phenomenal.''

- Freddie Field, Resource Optimisation Manager, Tecknuovo

 

Please note: In order to study abroad you will need to achieve the relevant academic requirements as set by the university and meet the selection criteria of both the university and the partner institution. The partner institution is under no obligation to accept you even if you do meet the relevant criteria.

Offers are usually made without interview. Please note that students with non-standard entry qualifications, including mature students, may be invited for an interview.

We follow the university's flexible admissions policy and take educational and personal circumstances into consideration. 

Further details are available on our applying pages.

Watch the video below:

Join us and be guided by our Admissions Manager, Maryam. With her expert guidance, you'll discover some common myths we hear from potential students. From your reference worries to your predicted grades, and everything in between, Maryam clears up some key points you need to know to start your university experience.

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