Spanish

Spanish is the official language in 20 countries and is widely spoken in four more territories, including the United States.

Studying Spanish at the University of Edinburgh, you will be immersed in an extraordinary range of literature, film, poetry and theatre from around the world. Our flexible programme invites you to explore the diverse and rich cultures of Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean in historical and linguistic contexts.

With courses for beginners and students with substantial prior experience, our programme is suitable for different levels of learner. Intensive language training gives you the opportunity to develop advanced spoken and written skills in Spanish while gaining the broad cultural education valued by graduate employers.

Throughout your studies, including a year abroad in Year 3, you will gain intercultural awareness and learn how to discern different varieties and registers of the language. By your final year, you will have developed expertise to the standard of completing a dissertation in Spanish.

Why Edinburgh

As a world-leading festival and capital city, Edinburgh is a fantastic place to study a global language in its cultural context.

Spanish at Edinburgh celebrated its centenary in 2019. Our wide-ranging courses are taught by leading experts in their field, and we are home to the first Cervantes Institute in Scotland, an international partnership that celebrates cultural links with Spanish-speaking countries.

We are unique in Scotland in offering students a full academic year abroad within the four-year honours programme, regardless of whether you spend the year studying or working.

Studying over four years also enables you to choose courses, including from other disciplines, that match your own interests, expertise and employability needs. You can, for example, opt to study Portuguese, Catalan or Basque as part of your programme.

How long it takes to complete this degree programme

This programme is studied over 4 years, including a year abroad. This enables us to build choice and flexibility into your studies, giving you time to explore options, find what you like and build your skills.

Your first two years will be your pre-honours years. They will give you a good grounding in Spanish language and literature, culture and history of the Spanish-speaking world.

In addition to studying core courses, you will broaden your education and skill set by choosing option courses from a range of subjects and disciplines. This may enable you to change the focus of your programme.

Your final two years will be your honours years. You will spend Year 3 abroad, immersing yourself in Spanish-speaking cultures. Year 4 will be tailored to your interests in specific topics within Spanish and Latin American Studies. You will also further develop your Spanish language and translation skills and write a dissertation.

Programme benefits

• Learn in an historic capital city where Spanish has been taught for over a century.

• Study over four years, including one abroad.

• Become fluent in one of the world's most widely spoken languages.

• Try out different subjects in your first two years.

• Delve into fantastic libraries and collections.

• Try your hand at creative writing and publishing.