Modern Languages with a Year Abroad

At King’s, we believe studying a modern foreign language can unlock the world, and our courses are designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to become the next generation of leading European and global citizens. As well as achieving fluency in your chosen language(s), you will also explore the culture and society of countries where those languages are spoken through our exceptionally wide choice of modules – with opportunities to cover everything from politics, literature, and film, to history and cultural studies.

Our Departments offer you a lively and intellectually stimulating home in the heart of London where you will be taught by leading experts. You will also study, teach or work in a French-, German-, Portuguese- or Spanish-speaking country on your Year Abroad, putting your learning into practice. Students on degree programmes combining two languages may take one at ab initio (beginners) level.

For more about the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, follow the departmental contact links.

Key benefits

French, German and Spanish have been taught at King's since 1831 and Portuguese since the 1860s, making us one of the oldest modern languages programmes in the country.

Our language departments are consistently voted among the best in the UK and offer our graduates excellent career prospects.

Broad range of specialist modules in French, German, Portuguese and Hispanic Studies, from medieval to contemporary literature as well as politics, history, cultural studies, and film.

Based in the heart of London, King's location offers access to a variety of galleries, theatres, specialist libraries and resources, including the Goethe-Institut and Austrian Cultural Forum, the Institut Français, Canning House, Camoes Centre for Portuguese Language and Culture, and the Instituto Cervantes, as well as events organised by embassies and other related cultural institutions.

The Year abroad in a French, German, Portuguese or Spanish-speaking country offers the opportunity to immerse yourself in culture and society and attain language fluency. We have exchanges with a number of partner universities in Europe, as well as North and South America.

Personal attention is given to each student, creating an intellectually stimulating and warm environment that is reflected in consistently excellent student satisfaction ratings.

Please see our online prospectus for further details on this programme: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/modern-languages-ba