Modern Languages and Cultures (MA) (2025 Entry)

Course code

P-R904

Start date

29 September 2025

Duration

1 year full-time

Qualification

Led by

Modern Languages and Cultures

Location

University of Warwick

Course code

P-R904

Start date

29 September 2025

Duration

1 year full-time

Qualification

Led by

Modern Languages and Cultures

Location

University of Warwick

Meet us

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Find out more about our Modern Languages and Cultures taught Master's degree at Warwick

The MA Modern Languages and Cultures has been expertly designed to develop your research skills and interests, while also enhancing your professional skills. Study at the University of Warwick's School of Modern Languages and Cultures and deepen your understanding of core debates and concerns in Hispanic Studies, French and Francophone studies, German studies or Italian studies.

Course overview

Are you keen to specialise in the academic study of your chosen language and culture, and do you want to develop your professional development and communication skills? Do you have the motivation to develop an individual research path, leading potentially to PhD study?

This course combines taught professionally-oriented modules with research-orientated modules in the culture of your chosen Modern Language, offering an advanced preparation for doctoral research. You will work with the support of internationally leading researchers, drawing on expertise in critical debates in the study of Modern languages and their corresponding cultures, research skills, professional and communication skills, public engagement and key research themes.

You will benefit from an introduction to critical theories and perspectives across a variety of intellectual traditions, as well as develop your own research specialism in your chosen language and culture.

Skills from this degree

Advanced research and information synthesis skills
Advanced report-writing and written communication skills
Oral communication skills
IT skills
Public engagement skills

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

Minimum requirements

2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a related subject.

Language competence

You will need to indicate your level of competence in your chosen language and culture (UG degree level or equivalent to C1 in the CEFR); if formal evidence cannot be provided, you will be assessed individually by the School.

If your first language is not English, or if you have not been taught entirely in English (equivalent to a UK qualification), you will need to provide formal evidence of the following English language requirements.

English language requirements

You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:

Band B
IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.

International qualifications

We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.

For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.

Academic References

We typically ask for one academic reference for taught courses, and two academic references for research courses.

You will be asked to include an email address for your referee(s) when submitting your application and we will contact them for you.

View our guide to academic references.Link opens in a new window

Additional requirements

In all cases, we require one academic reference confirming your Undergraduate performance and your suitability for this course.

Deadline

The deadline for applications for our taught postgraduate courses is the 15 July immediately preceding the commencement of study; however, we advise you to make contact much earlier in the year preceding your year of study, ideally by January, in particular if you wish to access any scholarship opportunities.

Modules

Core modules

Critical Debates in the Study of Modern Languages and Cultures

This module will introduce you to crucial and often complex questions in the study of Modern Languages and the cultures to which they relate. You will gain a broad theoretical understanding and methodological framework for the detailed study of further texts and/or visual media, so that you can approach critical issues of cultural production, interpretation and the construction of meaning in texts, films and other media. You will also become familiar with relevant vocabulary and methodologies for advanced cultural analysis.

Professional Development and Communication Skills

In this module, you will build on your pre-existing skills in Modern Languages to enhance your professional development as well as your written communication skills in one of the following four languages: French, German, Italian or Spanish. Structured around seminars for the whole cohort and small-group tutorials with a specialist language tutor, you will be encouraged to reflect on cultural and stylistic differences in different professional genres.

Research Skills in Modern Languages

This module helps you develop key research skills that will assist you in your work on your other MA modules, including the use of electronic resources, writing a literature review, creating a bibliography, choosing and writing a dissertation and giving an oral presentation.

These research techniques and the ability to apply a chosen stylesheet consistently and accurately in order to present a piece of work to high standards are also transferable professionalising skills that are valued in a variety of jobs. These skills will also stand you in good stead if you wish to continue to doctoral research after your MA.

Guided Research Project

The Guided Research Project will enable you to pursue individual research pathways with the guidance of a tutor or tutors before undertaking your dissertation. Tailor your own bespoke programme of study in consultation with one of our expert tutors.

Dissertation in Modern Languages and Cultures

Through a combination of independent research and targeted supervisory support and feedback sessions, the final dissertation (15,000 words) will help you produce a coherent and logically argued piece of writing that demonstrates knowledge of and critical ability in a chosen area, commensurate with the accomplishment of an MA degree.

Optional modules

Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:

Public Engagement
You can also choose other 15-CAT PGT modules offered in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (find out more about the modulesLink opens in a new window).
You can also choose any other 15-CAT PGT module from the Faculty of Arts or wider University, subject to approval by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Tuition fees

Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.

Find your taught course fees

Fee Status Guidance

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.

Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?

If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.

Find out more about how universities assess fee status

Additional course costs

As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.

For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).

Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2024/25 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:

Core text books
Printer credits
Dissertation binding
Robe hire for your degree ceremony

Scholarships and funding

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships and financial support

Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.

Living costs

Find out more about the cost of living as a postgraduate student at the University of Warwick.

Teaching

This is a taught MA with a significant research component in the form of a compulsory Dissertation.

Researchers across the four languages (French, German, Italian, and Spanish) collaborate to teach the core modules.

We encourage interdisciplinary teaching or supervision within and outside Modern Languages through optional taught modules, guided research project, and your dissertation.

Class sizes

Seminar teaching is typically in groups of between 1 and 10 students, though groups may be larger in Research Skills, a module shared with other MA programmes within the School.

Individual supervision is provided for the dissertation.

Typical contact hours

The course will involve 35 hours of work per week, typically comprising 3 hours of seminar teaching, 1-2 hour of lectures, 1 hour of tutoring and 30 hours of independent study over Terms One and Two.

In Term Three, which is focused on the Dissertation, you will work closely with your supervisor through one-to-one supervision meetings.

All our PG students can do an additional language for free at the Language CentreLink opens in a new window, subject to availability.

Assessment

Modules are assessed by written and oral assignments, consisting of essays and a presentation for the Critical Debates in the Study of Modern Languages and Cultures module; a portfolio of tasks (comprising book reviews, academic or professional CVs, abstracts for conference papers, among others) for the for Professional Development and Communication Skills module; a literature review and an annotated bibliography for Research Skills; an essay for the Guided Research Project. Students will also submit an approximately 15,000-word final Dissertation.

Reading Lists

If you would like to view reading lists for current or previous cohorts of students, most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library on the Talis Aspire platform.

You can search for reading lists by module title, code or convenor. Please see the modules tab of this page or the module catalogue.

Please note that some reading lists may have restricted access or be unavailable at certain times of year due to not yet being published. If you cannot access the reading list for a particular module, please check again later or contact the module’s host department.

Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us.

Careers

Your career

Graduates from these courses are well-equipped to pursue roles such as: PhD students, translators (both freelance and in-house), intercultural communicators, professionals in the publishing industry, marketing associates, language teachers, officials in international businesses or organisations, and civil servant, among others.

Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant offering impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:

Careers in the Public Sector
Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
Completing effective CVs and Application Forms for students from the School of Modern Languages
Languages Alumni Evening

Department

Modern Languages and Cultures at Warwick

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures is a close-knit community with an excellent reputation for innovative teaching and world-leading research. The School comprises five major sections – French, German, Italian, Hispanic Studies (all broadly conceived) and Translation and Transcultural Studies – and a Language Centre offering linguistic training in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

Get to know us a bit better by exploring our department websiteLink opens in a new window

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Application deadlines

The application process for courses that start in September and October 2026 opens on 2 October 2025.

Applications close on 2 August 2026 for students who require a visa to study in the UK, to allow time to receive a CAS and complete the visa application process.

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2024 entry

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Why Warwick

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Why Warwick

Discover why Warwick is one of the best universities in the UK and renowned globally.

8th in the UK

in the Guardian University Guide 2025

6th Most Targeted University

by the UK's top 100 graduate employers (The Graduate Market in 2024, High Fliers Research Ltd)

69th in the World

out of 1,500 institutions across 104 locations (QS World University Rankings 2025)

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About the information on this page

This information is applicable for 2026 entry. Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply. Please read our terms and conditions to find out more.

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Modern Languages and Cultures (MA) (2025 Entry)

Find out more about our Modern Languages and Cultures taught Master's degree at Warwick

Scholarships and financial support

Living costs

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Why Warwick

Why Warwick

Why Warwick

Why Warwick

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6th Most Targeted University

69th in the World

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