French and Persian and Spanish

Combining three modern languages at degree level is an ambitious undertaking and a genuinely rewarding one. French, Persian and Spanish represent three major world languages that between them provide access to the literatures, cultures and contemporary societies of Western Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Central and South Asia. The combination is unusual and intellectually rich, requiring you to manage multiple grammatical systems, literary traditions and cultural contexts simultaneously, which develops exceptional linguistic and analytical flexibility.

At the University of St Andrews, this five-year full-time programme with a year integrated abroad develops each language to a high level of proficiency alongside literary, cultural and historical study. You will study French and Francophone language, literature and culture, the history and contemporary societies of the Spanish-speaking world, and the Persian language with its classical and modern literary traditions. Persian is spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan and is the language of one of the world's great literary traditions, encompassing poetry of extraordinary richness.

The year abroad is built into this programme, giving you sustained immersion in one or more of the language communities you are studying. You will develop advanced reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in all three languages, alongside the cultural and comparative knowledge that serious language study requires.

Graduates go on to careers in diplomacy, international organisations, translation and interpreting, journalism, academia, intelligence services, business with international operations, cultural organisations and development work. The combination of French, Persian and Spanish provides access to professional environments spanning Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, which is genuinely distinctive. Many go on to postgraduate study in modern languages, area studies, translation or international relations.