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Undergraduate Study

BA Comparative Literatures and Cultures and Modern Languages - 2026 entry

Please note: The below is for 2026 entry. Click here for 2025 entry.
UCAS code Q205
Duration 4 years
Entry year 2026
Campus Streatham Campus
Discipline Modern Languages and Cultures
Contact
Typical offer

View full entry requirements

A-Level: ABB
IB: 32/655
BTEC: DDM

Contextual offers

A-Level: BBC
IB: 28/554
BTEC: DMM

Overview

  • Gain a breadth of knowledge in literature, film and art from around the world, from the ancient to the contemporary.
  • Develop your translation literacy and understanding of the cultural, political, social and economic forces that shape how material travels from one language and context to another.
  • Our BA takes a comparative lens on pressing issues such as migration, the environment, and gender and sexuality. We have a decolonial focus, both in terms of theory and our commitment to consider literature beyond the Western canon.
  • Opportunity to learn Chinese (Mandarin), French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian or Portuguese from beginners. French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Russian can also be taken from advanced/post-A level.
  • Option to spend your third year studying or working abroad in a country where you can develop your chosen language. Students studying beginners languages are required to study the 4-year “with International Placement” course.
  • Gain a high level of proficiency in reading, writing, understanding and speaking your selected language, providing you with valued language skills of potential use for future careers.

View 2025 Entry

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Open Days

How to apply

International Placement

Contact

Web: Enquire online

Phone: +44 (0)1392 72 72 72

Top 150 icon

Top 150 in world subject rankings for Modern Languages and Cultures

QS World University Subject Rankings 2025

Classical statue icon

Internationally recognised fine art, heritage and film collections on site, including the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum

Medal with star on icon

Top 20 in UK subject rankings for Modern Languages

The Complete University Guide 2026

An image of a globe on a stand, depicted through a line drawing, showcasing the continents and countries of the world.

Choose our 4 year course to spend a year abroad, studying at a partner university or in employment

Top 150 icon

Top 150 in world subject rankings for Modern Languages and Cultures

QS World University Subject Rankings 2025

Classical statue icon

Internationally recognised fine art, heritage and film collections on site, including the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum

Medal with star on icon

Top 20 in UK subject rankings for Modern Languages

The Complete University Guide 2026

An image of a globe on a stand, depicted through a line drawing, showcasing the continents and countries of the world.

Choose our 4 year course to spend a year abroad, studying at a partner university or in employment

Course duration

Did you know that there are both 3-year and 4-year degree programmes in Modern Languages at Exeter?

There are significant benefits of choosing the 4-year with International Placement programme, particularly in enhancing your language proficiency.

Both the 4-year and 3-year programmes offer a comprehensive and in-depth study of modern languages and cultures. However, the 4-year degree includes a valuable international placement year, giving you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the language and culture of your chosen country while either studying or working.

We know that graduates who have studied the 4-year course with a year abroad have benefitted from a range of key skills that have been vital in shaping their early careers:

  • Enhanced language proficiency – Evidence shows that speaking your chosen language in the country where it is the main language helps improve proficiency significantly.
  • Cultural immersion – Spending time on an international placement will give you a deeper understanding of the nation’s cultures and broaden your appreciation of individuals from different backgrounds.
  • Personal and professional development – You will have the opportunity to independently build intercultural communication skills and experience a range of professional sectors. These are key skills highly valued by today’s employers.
  • Competitive edge – Our graduates have gone on to work for organisations across the globe, and they tell us that gaining skills and experiences while on the international placement is the most important factor when applying for jobs after graduating.

Please also note that, if you are starting a language from beginner level, you must take the 4-year programme to ensure you develop the necessary language skills. If you are studying languages post-A level, it is possible to choose the 3-year programme. You can apply to both the 3- and 4-year courses via UCAS.

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Entry requirements (typical offer)

Qualification Typical offer Required subjects
A-Level ABB Dependent on language level chosen (see below)
IB 32/655 Dependent on language level chosen (see below)
BTEC DDM Dependent on language level chosen (see below)
GCSE C or 4 English Language
Access to HE 24 L3 Credits at Distinction Grade and 21 L3 credits at Merit Grade Dependent on language level chosen (see below) the required L3 credits in Modern Foreign Language subject area
T-Level N/A T-Levels not accepted
Contextual Offer

A-Level: BBC
IB: 28/554
BTEC: DMM

Specific subject requirements must still be achieved where stated above. Find out more about contextual offers.

Other accepted qualifications

View other accepted qualifications

English language requirements

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

NB General Studies is not included in any offer.

Grades advertised on each programme webpage are the typical level at which our offers are made and provide information on any specific subjects an applicant will need to have studied in order to be considered for a place on the programme. However, if we receive a large number of applications for the programme we may not be able to make an offer to all those who are predicted to achieve/have achieved grades which are in line with our typical offer. For more information on how applications are assessed and when decisions are released, please see: After you apply

Choosing a language

You may choose one language to study alongside Latin. Find out more about the languages we offer below

Check subject requirements for different language levels

It may be possible to study further languages to a lower level of proficiency than degree level in the Language Centre, subject to demand: this is arranged on registration at Exeter.

Completing your UCAS form

When completing your UCAS form you must indicate the language you want to study with us under ‘further details’ in the ‘choices’ section of the application form, using the below abbreviations.

French Fren
Chinese (Mandarin) Chin
German Germ
Italian Ital
Portuguese Port
Russian Russ
Spanish Span

For further information on completing your UCAS form, please visit the UCAS website.

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Course content

Each year, you will study 30 credits of a compulsory language module, 30 credits of optional modules developing your knowledge and understanding of the country/countries where your chosen language is spoken, and 60 credits of Comparative Literatures and Cultures modules. 

The Modern Languages side of the programme offers the choice of one of seven major languages (Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian or Spanish), taught by experienced language specialists including native speakers and academic staff at the cutting edge of research in their particular discipline.

Progression through the programme will combine the acquisition of language with the study of the literature, culture, film, history and/or linguistics of the language disciplines as well as advanced translation practice. You will develop a high level of proficiency in reading, writing, understanding and speaking your selected language.

Comparative Literatures and Cultures at Exeter is unique for its breadth, introducing you to literature, film and art from around the world, from the ancient to the contemporary. You will be taught by world-leading scholars with expertise in literature and culture from the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. You will develop the key intercultural understanding and communication skills necessary to be a global citizen.

This programme will prepare you for a range of careers around the world. It includes a compulsory element of either an employability module (e.g. Humanities in the Workplace) or a module preparing you for MA study. You also have the option to spend your third year studying or working abroad in a country where you can develop your chosen language.

Students studying beginners languages must take the 4-year “with International Placement” course.

The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.

Stage 1: 60 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules

30 credits of compulsory Comparative Literatures and Cultures modules, 30 credits of compulsory language module. 

[Note a] select one compulsory language module for 30 credits.

Compulsory modules

CodeModule Credits
SML1003 Comparative Literatures and Cultures: Theories and Approaches 15
SML1004 Reading Comparatively 15
Modern Languages Stage 1 Compulsory Language Modules Please see Note a above
MLF1001 French Language 30
MLF1052 French Language for Beginners 30
MLG1001 German Language 30
MLG1052 German Language for Beginners 30
MLI1001 Italian Language 30
MLI1052 Italian Language for Beginners 30
MLM1052 Beginners Chinese 30
MLP1052 Portuguese Language for Beginners 30
MLR1001 Contemporary Russian Written and Oral 30
MLR1030 Russian Language for Beginners 30
MLS1001 Spanish Language 30
MLS1056 Spanish Language for Beginners 30

Optional modules

Please select 30 credits of optional modules related to your chosen language, and 30 credits of Comparative Literatures and Cultures options. Your chosen CLC options should not be related to your chosen language.

CodeModule Credits
Comparative Literature and Cultures Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6
CLA1006 Greek and Roman Drama 30
SML1207 Introduction to Film 15
MLF1018 The Devil is in the Detail: An Introduction to the Short Story in French 15
MLM1014 Chinese Art and the Art of Living 15
MLP1002 Introduction to the Lusophone World 15
MLS1064 An Introduction to the Hispanic World: Texts in Context 15
HAS1002 Introduction to Black British Studies 15
THE1101 The Bible: Past and Present 15
SML1002 Constructing Nature: Stories we Live By 15
MLG1014 A Nation Remembers: Issues in German Cultural Memory 15
MLI1016 Italy Inside Out: Popular Visual Narratives about Italy 15
MLR1006 An Emotional Experience: Russian Literature and the Expression of Feeling 15
MLS1164 A Journey of Discovery: Hispanic Global Culture 15
AHV1005 Inside the Museum 15
ARA1021 Introduction to Persian History and Culture 15
EAS1037 The Novel 15
EAS1041 Rethinking Shakespeare 15
French Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6
MLF1017 The Making of Modern France 15
MLF1018 The Devil is in the Detail: An Introduction to the Short Story in French 15
SML1207 Introduction to Film 15
MLF1103 The French Language, Present and Past 15
MLF1105 An Introduction to French Thought 15
MLF1121 French Visual History 15
SML1208 Language, Culture, International Relations 15
German Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6
MLG1020 Made in Germany: the History and Culture of a Global Brand 15
SML1207 Introduction to Film 15
MLG1014 A Nation Remembers: Issues in German Cultural Memory 15
SML1208 Language, Culture, International Relations 15
Italian Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6
SML1207 Introduction to Film 15
MLI1016 Italy Inside Out: Popular Visual Narratives about Italy 15
MLI1121 A Thousand Faces: Cultures and History in 19th-Century Italy 15
SML1208 Language, Culture, International Relations 15
Chinese Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6
PHL1010 Introduction to Asian Philosophy 15
MLM1014 Chinese Art and the Art of Living 15
SML1208 Language, Culture, International Relations 15
Portuguese Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6
MLP1002 Introduction to the Lusophone World 15
SML1207 Introduction to Film 15
SML1208 Language, Culture, International Relations 15
Russian Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6
MLR1006 An Emotional Experience: Russian Literature and the Expression of Feeling 15
SML1207 Introduction to Film 15
MLR1023 Russia: Empire and Identity 15
SML1208 Language, Culture, International Relations 15
Spanish Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6
MLS1064 An Introduction to the Hispanic World: Texts in Context 15
MLS1068 An Introduction to the Literature and Film of Spain 15
SML1207 Introduction to Film 15
MLS1066 The Making of Modern Latin America: History Through Literature and Culture 15
MLS1164 A Journey of Discovery: Hispanic Global Culture 15

Stage 2: 60 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules

Alongside the compulsory SML2001 Migrating Texts, students should choose at least one of HUM2001 or SML2003.

Note b - select one compulsory 30-credit language module

Compulsory modules

CodeModule Credits
SML2001 Migrating Texts: Classical Reception, Adaptation, Translation 15
HAS2010 Work Experience: Building Skills and Unlocking Opportunities 15
SML2003 Research Skills in Languages and Cultures 15
Modern Languages Stage 2 Compulsory Language Modules Please see Note b above
MLF2001 French Language, Written and Oral 30
MLF2152 Intermediate French 30
MLG2001 German Language, Written and Oral 30
MLG2052 Intermediate German 30
MLI2001 Italian Language, Written and Oral 30
MLI2051 Italian Language 30
MLM2052 Intermediate Chinese (One) 30
MLP2052 Intermediate Portuguese 30
MLR2001 Contemporary Russian Written and Oral I 30
MLR2030 Intermediate Russian 30
MLS2001 Spanish Language, Written and Oral 30
MLS2156 Spanish Language (ex-beginners) 30

Optional modules

Optional modules are subject to change each year based on staff availability. Please select 30 credits of optional modules related to your chosen language, and 30 credits of Comparative Literatures and Cultures options. Your chosen CLC options should not be related to your chosen language.

CodeModule Credits
Comparative Literature and Cultures Stage 2 Option Modules 2025-6
CLA2006 Greek and Roman Drama 30
SML2004 Contemporary Latin American Cinema 15
MLF2005 Classical myth in French and francophone cinema 15
MLG2003 Youth and Age: Generations in German Fiction and Film 15
MLI2004 From Page to Screen: The Italian Female Detective in Literature, Film and Television 15
MLR2026 The Deceptive City: the Creation of St Petersburg in Russian Literature 15
AHV2023 Global Impressionisms 15
EAS2103 Modernism and Modernity: Literature 1900-1960 30
SML2003 Research Skills in Languages and Cultures 15
SML2247 Tales of Freedom, Necessity and Providence 15
MLM2008 Introduction to Modern Chinese Literature 15
MLM2003 Chinoiserie and Europeenerie: Artistic and cultural exchanges between China and Europe 15
MLR2025 Imperfect Murder: Reading Crime and Punishment 15
EAS2113 Culture, Crisis and Ecology in a Postcolonial World 30
CLC Op French Stage 2 2025-6
MLF2006 French-language Road Movies: Space, Place and Identity 15
MLF2012 Evolution of the French Language 15
MLF2029 Varieties of French 15
MLF2069 East is East? Cross-Cultural Encounters in Medieval French Literature 15
MLF2070 Violence and Virtue: Early Modern French Theatre 15
MLF2076 Subversive Texts: Baudelaire and Rachilde 15
HIH2208A Medieval Paris 30
HIH2591 Philip Augustus and the Making of France, 1180-1223 30
CLC Op German Stage 2 2025-6
MLG2003 Youth and Age: Generations in German Fiction and Film 15
MLG2018 Berlin - Culture, History and Politics 15
MLG2019 Gender, Race and Migration in 20th and 21st-century German Literature 15
CLC Op Italian Stage 2 2025-6
AHV2208 Ideal Cities? Urban Cultures of Renaissance Italy 15
MLI2004 From Page to Screen: The Italian Female Detective in Literature, Film and Television 15
MLI2019 Italian(s) in the World 15
CLC Op Chinese Stage 2 2025-6
MLM2008 Introduction to Modern Chinese Literature 15
CLC Op Russian Stage 2 2025-6
MLR2021 Understanding Russia 15
MLR2023 A Russian Carnival of the Animals 15
MLR2025 Imperfect Murder: Reading Crime and Punishment 15
MLR2026 The Deceptive City: the Creation of St Petersburg in Russian Literature 15
CLC Op Spanish Stage 2 2025-6
MLS2044 How to be a Knight: Political Lessons from 14th-Century Spain 15
MLS2045 Federico Garcia Lorca: Theatre and Poetry 15
MLS2061 The Latin American Short Story 15
MLS2072 Place and Identity in Contemporary Venezuelan Culture 15
MLS2073 Literary Non-Fiction in Argentina: When Writing Meets the Real 15
MLS2158 "What is Love? And Do I Need It?" An Introduction to Spanish Renaissance Love Poetry 15
HIH2145A Spain from Absolutism to Democracy 30

If you choose the with International Placement variant of this course, your placement will take place in Year 3.

c You must take one of these modules.

Compulsory modules

CodeModule Credits
SML3010 Work and Study Abroad [see note c above]120
SML3020 Study Abroad at a Partner University (with Assessment in the Foreign Language) [see note c above]120
SML3025 Internship Abroad Combined with Study at a Partner University Abroad [see note c above]120

Stage 3: 30 credits of compulsory Dissertation, 30 credits of compulsory language

Note C - You must select 30 credits in your chosen language modules, 60 credits of optional modules

Compulsory modules

CodeModule Credits
SML3030 Extended Dissertation 30

Optional modules

CodeModule Credits
Comparative Literature and Cultures Final Stage Option Modules 2025-6
CLA3265 Art and Visual Culture in the Roman World 15
EAS3194 Resource Fictions: Oil, Water and Conflict in the World-System 30
EAS3195 Acts of Writing: From Decolonisation to Globalisation 30
EAS3421 Picturing the Global City: Literature and Visual Culture in the 21st Century 30
HAS3006 The Legend of King Arthur 30
MLG3037 Coping with Catastrophe: German Culture, Literature and Politics in the Interwar Years 15
MLM3009 China through the Lens: Cultural Translation and Self-Presentation 15
MLR3026 The Deceptive City: The Creation of St Petersburg in Russian Literature 15
SML3052 The Place of Meaning: Gardens in Europe and Asia 15
AHV3007 Global Modernisms 15
ARA3197 The Arabian Nights: Perception and Reception 15
CLA3275 Women Writing Classics 15
MLG3036 Dictatorships on Display: History Exhibitions in Germany and Austria 15
MLM3008 Introduction to Modern Chinese Literature 15
MLR3125 Imperfect Murder: Reading Crime and Punishment 15
SML3040 Women in Translation: Gender and Publishing in the 21st Century 15
SML3041 Green Matters in Modern Languages and Cultures 15
SML3044 Migration in World Cinema 15
CLC Op Final Stage French 2025-26
MLF3007 Multilingualism, Audiovisual Translation and Power in Cinema-monde 15
MLF3034 Sociolinguistics of French 15
MLF3046 Dialectology in France 15
MLF3075 First-Person Outsiders in Modern French Literature 15
MLF3079 Sex, Subversion and Censorship: Libertine Literature in Seventeenth-Century France 15
MLF3080 Les Miserables from the Nineteenth Century to the Present Day 15
CLC Op Final Stage German 2025-26
MLG3036 Dictatorships on Display: History Exhibitions in Germany and Austria 15
MLG3040 Sex, Sciences and the Arts 15
CLC Op Final Stage Chinese 2025-26
MLM3008 Introduction to Modern Chinese Literature 15
CLC Op Final Stage Italian 2025-26
MLI3033 Multicultural Italy 15
MLI3199 Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend 15
CLC Op Final Stage Portuguese 2025-26
SML3014 Socialist Thought and Practice in Latin America and Africa 15
MLP3005 Changing voices: tracing the development of Portuguese over time 15
CLC Op Final Stage Russian 2025-26
MLR3121 Understanding Russia 15
MLR3123 A Russian Carnival of the Animals 15
MLR3125 Imperfect Murder: Reading Crime and Punishment 15
MLR3026 The Deceptive City: The Creation of St Petersburg in Russian Literature 15
CLC Op Final Stage Spanish 2025-26
MLS3037 Women and Feminism in 20th Century Spain 15
MLS3057 Cross Currents: Memory, Myth and Modernity in Latin America 15
MLS3071 The Chilean Road to Socialism (1970-1973): What Happened and Why? Elements for a Debate 15
MLS3072 Unlawful Sex: Sexualities on Trial in Medieval Spain 15
SML3014 Socialist Thought and Practice in Latin America and Africa 15
SML3031 Advanced Translation Skills 15

Our languages

Combined Honours students can choose from one of the seven languages we offer at Exeter.

All languages are available at beginners level. French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish can be studied at advanced level.

In addition, there is also the possibility to take modules in an extra language through the Language Centre.

Fees

Tuition fees for 2025 entry

UK students: £9,535 per year
International students: £24,700 per year

Scholarships

The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year, such as our Exeter Excellence Scholarships*.

Financial support is also available for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, lower income households and other under-represented groups to help them access, succeed and progress through higher education.

* Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.

Find out more about tuition fees and scholarships

Learning and teaching

How will I learn?

The nature of learning at university involves considerable self-guided study and research. You will be taught through a combination of lectures and discussion-based seminars. We also support the development of team-based learning by organising students into study groups, and we make full use of both traditional learning resources and our virtual learning environment. Lecturers and tutors are all available to provide further support in one-to-one consultations.

Written language is taught through weekly classes, with teams of tutors, including native speakers who contribute to a programme aimed at grammar improvement and the development of advanced writing and translating skills. You’ll also have weekly oral practice in classes of eight to 10 students with native speakers of the language(s) that you are studying. You will have access to our Language Lab for private study, and can benefit from the Peer Assisted Learning scheme.

Most of your work will be done in group and self-directed study: reading or viewing module material, writing essays or preparing for your seminars. Active participation in seminars develops important transferable skills such as good verbal and visual communication and effective interaction with other people.

You will also develop a range of professional abilities, such as time management and team working, plus valuable critical, analytical and communication skills.

We are actively engaged in introducing new methods of learning and teaching, including the increasing use of interactive computer-based approaches to learning. Through our virtual learning environment, you can access detailed information about modules, and interact through activities such as discussion forums.

You will also have access to online subscription databases and websites, such as Early English Books Online (EEBO), Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO), MLA FirstSearch and JSTOR

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed by coursework, which will take a variety of forms, from traditional essays to reflective portfolios, videos and research projects. The range of assessments is designed to develop skills including communication, critical thinking and creativity. Some assessment will involve group work to strengthen your ability to work in a team.

The assessments in the second year, year abroad (if applicable) and final year will contribute to your final degree classification.

Other/extra-curricular opportunities

We provide an exciting range of special lectures and seminars by visiting academics and cultural practitioners. In addition to your academic work, student-run cultural societies (e.g. Literary Society, French Society) organise book and poetry readings, film screenings and social events, providing an opportunity to meet students who share a love of literature, culture and the arts.

Students from the Languages, Cultures and Visual Studies department are active in the University student newspapers, radio and TV station. The department also has strong links with Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, the Phoenix arts centre, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and other local cultural organisations.

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Your future

This programme will equip you with a comprehensive understanding and skillset for a range of careers across a multitude of industries. In particular: intercultural understanding and communication skills, which are at the heart of this programme, are increasingly required by employers in a globalized world.

The course includes a compulsory element of either an employability module (e.g. Humanities in the Workplace; Making a Career in Publishing) or a module preparing students for further study. Digital literacy and translation literacy are embedded throughout the course.

Career paths

Example destinations for our students include:

  • Publishing
  • Journalism
  • Translation
  • Teaching and roles in other educational organisations
  • Accountancy and financial services
  • Public sector roles

Further study

This course is also excellent preparation for postgraduate study in areas such as:

  • MA Comparative Literature and Cultures
  • MA Translation Studies
  • MA Intercultural Communications
  • MA Publishing
  • MA English Literary Studies
  • MA Classics
  • MA Creativity

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