Our aim across both the School of History, Archaeology and Religion and the School of Modern Languages is for you to become a ‘global citizen’ who thinks critically, understands cultural diversity and has a wealth of transferable skills.

The 4-year History and a Modern Language (BA) programme will help you develop high-level communication and critical-thinking skills, and foster resilience and independence through time spent in immersive foreign language contexts.

The history side of the programme lets you shape your passion for history according to your interests, studying the past with a critical eye while making connections to debates in the public sphere.

Our expertise reaches an extraordinary breadth of societies, periods and places, spanning the British Isles, Europe (east and west), Africa, Asia, and the Americas. And through our exciting range of modules, you’ll have the opportunity to study both well-established areas, such as political, social, cultural and gender history, or explore areas that might be new to you, such as environmental history or digital history.

On the languages side of the programme, you can choose to study Chinese, French or Spanish.

We run 2 language pathways. Those with an A-level or equivalent competence in a modern language will take our Upper Elementary pathway. Those with limited or no knowledge of a modern language take our Elementary pathway.

You’ll explore the language you’re studying and its social, political, historical and cultural contexts from a global perspective. We place a strong emphasis on cultural diversity, and our stimulating module selection celebrates cultural and linguistic mobility. Through a variety of language learning resources and materials, and range of student-centred learning activities, you’ll develop your reading, writing, oral, listening and mediation skills.

An integral part of this programme is the opportunity to spend time working or living abroad to experience life in the culture of the language you are studying. You’ll have the choice of either studying at a partner university or completing a work placement in each semester.

Career prospects

Graduating with a range of academic and practical skills – including teamworking, leadership and communication – the confidence to use them and the ability to see the big picture, you’ll be valued by employers and ideally placed to progress into a range of careers.

We’re committed to helping you achieve your professional ambitions and to make your mark in a competitive job market. Whether you have a clear idea of what you would like to do after university, or no idea at all, we have the tools and support to guide you.

We encourage our students to think about life beyond university from day one, offering modules and support to give you a competitive advantage on graduating no matter what path you choose to follow.