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Modern Languages and Comparative Literature and Culture

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,C-B,B,B

Where an applicant is taking the EPQ alongside A-levels, the EPQ will be taken into consideration and result in lower A-level grades being required. Socio-economic factors which may have impacted an applicant’s education will be taken into consideration and alternative offers may be made to these applicants. Grade B at A level in the appropriate language(s) for the advanced level language pathway. For the beginners language pathway there is no language requirement but only one language can be studied at beginners level.

Access to HE Diploma

D:27,M:18

Access course must be in a relevant subject area. Please note that the Access to Higher Education Diploma will only be acceptable if the applicant has had a considerable break from education. Grade B at A level in the appropriate language(s) for the advanced level language pathway. For the beginners language pathway there is no language requirement but only one language can be studied at beginners level.

Applicants with the Cambridge Pre-U are strongly encouraged to apply to Royal Holloway. Offers will be made on the basis of equivalent A-Level grades as can be found on the Royal Holloway website.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

We require at least five GCSEs at grade A*-C or 9 - 4 including English and Mathematics.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

30

5,5,5, with a minimum of 32 points overall including the appropriate language(s) if taken at Higher Level.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H3,H3,H3,H3,H3

Including the appropriate language(s) if the advanced level language pathway is required. There is no language requirement for beginners level.

Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)

DDD

BTEC must be in a relevant subject with an A-level grade B in the appropriate language if the advanced level language pathway is required. There is no language requirement for beginners level.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DM

BTEC must be in a relevant subject area plus A Level Grade B. Grade B at A level in the appropriate language for the advanced level language pathway. For the beginners language pathway there is no language requirement but only one language can be studied at beginners level.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)

D

Plus A Levels Grades B,B. Grade B at A level in the appropriate language for the advanced level language pathway. For the beginners language pathway there is no language requirement but only one language can be studied at beginners level.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM

BTEC must be in a relevant subject with an A-level grade B in the appropriate language if the advanced level language pathway is required. There is no language requirement for beginners level.

Scottish Advanced Higher

B,B,B-B,B,C

Including the appropriate language if the advanced level language pathway is required. There is no language requirement for beginners level.

Scottish Higher

B,B,B,B,B

Including the appropriate language if the advanced level language pathway is required. There is no language requirement for beginners level.

Requirements are as for A Levels where one non subject specified A Level can be replaced by the same grade in the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate

UCAS Tariff

112-144

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time including placement abroad | 2024

Subjects

French studies

German studies

Spanish studies

Italian studies

Comparative literary studies

As a joint honours student with Modern Languages you will gain fluency in the languages of your choice - French, German, Italian and / or Spanish. Whether you start at beginners’, advanced or native-speaker levels, you will gain skills in writing, reading, speaking and listening. You will study core language components for the language you have chosen, being taught wholly or in part by native speakers.

The remainder of your modern languages study will give you an opportunity to explore the literature, art, culture and history of the language area you are studying, from seventeenth-century French theatre to representations of childhood and youth in German culture, and from Italian fashion and design to visual arts from all the corners of the Spanish-speaking world. As a modern linguist, you will develop excellent communication and research skills, and combine proficiency in multiple languages with cross-cultural perspectives.

In your third year you will have the opportunity to spend a year working, teaching or studying abroad, where you will immerse yourself in another language and culture, truly broadening your horizons in the process.

Comparative Literature and Culture offers you the opportunity to study global literature as well as to explore film, philosophy and the visual arts. You will look at a fascinating breadth of material with a focus on contexts – places, periods, and genres – and explore how key cultural shifts transform how we see, represent, and make sense of our changing world. This is a unique and intellectually stimulating subject which will develop you as a culturally-aware, creative and adaptable thinker.

We’ve developed this course so that you can tailor it to suit your own evolving interests. You can choose options which range across continents and centuries, from antiquity to the present day, novels and poetry to philosophy, cinema and art. You will read, watch, and compare from Ancient Greece to contemporary New York, from Cuba to Korea, from epics to crime fiction, and from tragedy to the avant-garde. You will also be able to study texts from a vast array of countries and cultures, all translated into English.

In the event of a no-deal Brexit, we will commit to providing 2019 and 2020 entry students with a subsidy equivalent to current Erasmus+ funding (where this would have previously been funded by the Erasmus+ scheme). To find out more visit the Erasmus+ page.

- Gain global awareness and excellent communication, research and critical skills.

- Enjoy an immersive year abroad perfecting your language while you study, work or teach.

- Choose from literature, film, art and philosophy.

- Get a critical edge whilst developing your passions.

- Situate your language studies into a global context.

Modules

Please refer to our website for information:
https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/mllc/modern-languages-and-comparative-literature-and-culture.aspx

Assessment methods

Your course will be assessed by a combination of examinations and in-course assignments in the form of essays or presentations.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£23,800
per year
International
£23,800
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studyhere/undergraduate/feesandfunding/bursariesandscholarships/home.aspx

The Uni


Course location:

Royal Holloway, University of London

Department:

Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

96%
French studies
90%
German studies
78%
Spanish studies
83%
Comparative literary studies

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

French studies

Teaching and learning

98%
Staff make the subject interesting
98%
Staff are good at explaining things
89%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
75%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

75%
Library resources
89%
IT resources
64%
Course specific equipment and facilities
89%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

79%
UK students
21%
International students
10%
Male students
90%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
B

German and scandinavian studies

Teaching and learning

80%
Staff make the subject interesting
95%
Staff are good at explaining things
85%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
75%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

80%
Library resources
89%
IT resources
72%
Course specific equipment and facilities
60%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

79%
UK students
21%
International students
17%
Male students
83%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
C

Iberian studies

Teaching and learning

82%
Staff make the subject interesting
90%
Staff are good at explaining things
86%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
80%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

59%
Library resources
92%
IT resources
86%
Course specific equipment and facilities
51%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

79%
UK students
21%
International students
19%
Male students
81%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
B

Italian studies

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

79%
UK students
21%
International students
17%
Male students
83%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
B

Others in language and area studies

Teaching and learning

87%
Staff make the subject interesting
87%
Staff are good at explaining things
89%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
86%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

71%
Library resources
83%
IT resources
78%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

79%
UK students
21%
International students
11%
Male students
89%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

French studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£19,000
low
Average annual salary
94%
low
Employed or in further education
47%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

28%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
11%
Teaching and educational professionals
10%
Other elementary services occupations

German and scandinavian studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£19,500
med
Average annual salary
97%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

28%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
10%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
7%
Other elementary services occupations

It's often said the UK doesn't produce enough modern language graduates, and graduates from German courses have a lot of options available to them when they complete their courses. The unemployment rates last year was lower than graduates in general. Nearly a quarter of working graduates from 2015 got jobs outside the UK — mostly as English teachers — which is much higher than for most subjects. The relative strength of the German economy means there will continue to be opportunities there in the future. But more graduates went to work in London, and those who want to stay at home to work find jobs anywhere where good communication skills are a must, particularly in education, in marketing, in the arts and in business and finance as teachers, writers, personnel officers, financial advisors, analysts, sales people and marketers.. But remember — whilst employers say they rate graduates who have more than one language, you need to have them as part of a whole package of good skills.

Iberian studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£19,500
med
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

21%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
17%
Teaching and educational professionals
7%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

It's often said there's a shortage of modern language graduates, and graduates from Spanish courses have a lot of options available to them when they complete their courses. In 2015, nearly 1300 UK graduates got degrees in Spanish and the subject is seeing its popularity increase. About one in five got jobs overseas — often as English teachers. If you want to put your degree to work in the UK, teacher training is a common option, and businesses see Spanish-speaking countries as important markets, leading to graduate opportunities in marketing, human resources, sales and project management. But remember — whilst employers say they rate graduates who have more than one language, you need to have them as part of a whole package of good skills.

Italian studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£19,500
med
Average annual salary
97%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

28%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
10%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
7%
Other elementary services occupations

This is one of the less common modern languages for students to take, but graduates from Italian courses have a lot of options available to them when they complete their degrees. About one in five graduates from 2015 got jobs overseas — often as English teachers — which is much higher than for most subjects, and higher than previous years. Nearly half of the rest went to work in London. Those who want to stay at home to work usually find jobs anywhere where good communication skills are a must — and in 2015, that included education, marketing and finance. But remember — whilst employers say they rate graduates who have more than one language, you need to have them as part of a whole package of good skills.

Others in language and area studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£20,000
med
Average annual salary
98%
med
Employed or in further education
61%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

27%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
8%
Teaching and educational professionals
8%
Administrative occupations: records

Just over 150 students graduated with this type of degree in 2015, as it's a pretty specialised subject. Graduates were very likely to take their communication skills to the marketing and PR industry, and a lot of the jobs are in and around London, so if you want a job outside these areas then be aware that they might not necessarily be easy to come by.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

French studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£26k

£26k

£33k

£33k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

German and scandinavian studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£26k

£26k

£33k

£33k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Iberian studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£26k

£26k

£33k

£33k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Italian studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£26k

£26k

£33k

£33k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Others in language and area studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£26k

£26k

£33k

£33k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here