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Modern Languages and Comparative Literature and Culture

Course details
  • BA (Hons)
  • 4 Years
  • Full-time including placement abroad
  • 21 September 2026
  • Undergraduate
Course location
Main Site

Course summary

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.

Subject options

This course offers the following subject options:

  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Spanish

Modules

Please refer to our website for information:
https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/languages-literatures-and-cultures/modern-languages-and-comparative-literature-and-culture/

Assessment method

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

How to apply

Apply by
14 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
RQ92
Institution code:
R72
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

UCAS Tariff
Not accepted

A level
BBB - BBC

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. Applicants require one essay based subject at A 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.

Access to HE Diploma
D: 24 credits M: 21 credits

Access course must be in a relevant subject area. 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.

Scottish Higher
BBBBB

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

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

Distinction, Distinction in a relevant subject plus one A-level grade B. If the advanced level pathway is required A-level grade B in the appropriate language is necessary. There is no language requirement for beginner level.

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

Distinction plus two A-levels grades BB. If the advanced level pathway is required A-level grade B in the appropriate language is necessary. There is no language requirement for beginner 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.

Scottish Advanced Higher
BBB - BBC

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

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
30 points

5,5,5 at Higher Level OR with a minimum of 32 points overall, including the appropriate language if taken at a Higher Level

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (last awarded Summer 2024)

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

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
H3, H3, H3, H3, H3

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

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

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 English and Mathematics at grade 4/C.

Combinations of qualifications will be considered on an individual basis, please contact us on admissions.enquiries@rhul.ac.uk to discuss your situation

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

At Royal Holloway, we know every student approaches university with different experiences and backgrounds. We look at each application individually, and different factors can affect the exact offer a student receives. For instance, our contextual offer scheme means students from disadvantaged socio-economic background can receive a different offer. For full details please see our website.

Learn more on the Royal Holloway, University of London website

Historical entry grades data

This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).

It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.

Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Per year tuition fees

LocationFeeYear

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

*The tuition fee for Home (UK) undergraduates is controlled by Government regulations. This figure is the fee for the academic year 2026/27 and is shown as a guide.

**This figure is the fee for EU and international students starting a degree in the academic year 2026/27 and is shown as a guide.

Royal Holloway reserves the right to increase tuition fees annually for all students. For further information see fees and funding (https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/fees-and-funding).

*** These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2026/27 academic year and are included as a guide. Refers to specific individual items of £50 or more, and excludes accommodation, commuting, food, books/other learning materials and printing costs.

Sponsorship information

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

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