Philosophy and Modern Languages BA (Hons)

Explore life’s great questions while also learning a language you love. Through your study of a wide range of philosophical traditions, alongside your language studies, you’ll gain a greater appreciation of differing lives, cultures, societies and ways of thinking. In your third year, you’ll even get to immerse yourself completely by studying in a country where your chosen language is spoken.<br/><br/>You’ll expand your cultural and intellectual horizons and develop a variety of transferable skills in professional communication, problem solving and critical thinking, opening doors to a wide range of careers.<br/><br/>Philosophy trains you to argue persuasively and think deeply. Philosophy at Nottingham doesnt stop there. We also want you to live good lives and have good jobs. Our unique Communicating Philosophy module lets you work with professionals such as lawyers and journalists and see how you can apply your new philosophical skills to a range of careers. Theres also plenty of opportunities to get practical work experience.<br/><br/>For your language study, you can choose to study French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian/Croatian or Spanish at Beginner’s level. Or choose to take your current studies further if you already have an A-level in French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Russian or Spanish. Spanish A-level students also get to explore beginners’ Portuguese, and if you choose Russian at any level, you can add Serbian/Croatian as a second Slavonic language.<br/><br/><strong>Why choose this course</strong><br/>• Year abroad - spend a year abroad immersing yourself in your chosen languages and cultures <br/><br/><br/><br/>• Beginners welcome - Start learning a language from scratch on our beginners pathway<br/><br/><br/><br/>• Volunteering opportunities - Gain valuable experience and share your passion for philosophy by taking part in our Philosophy in School volunteering project<br/><br/><br/><br/>• Great teaching - 91% of students from the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures said the teaching staff were good at explaining things (National Student Survey 2024)<br/><br/><br/><br/>• Increase your employability - Open up job opportunities with foreign language skills  <br/><br/><br/><br/>• Spend a summer working in Hollywood Internships - Students on this course are eligible to apply to be one of our Hollywood interns, working for companies such as Disney, Warner, Paramount, Sony and Lionsgate<br/><br/><br/><br/>• Work with our dedicated Faculty of Arts Placements Team to assist with your employability skills development via a range of placements, internships and volunteering opportunities <br/><br/><br/><br/><strong>Engaged Arts</strong><br/>All students within the Faculty of Arts can select ‘Engaged Arts’ modules where you’ll approach real world challenges across contemporary themes such as sustainability or equity and justice. These modules have been newly designed to help you gain the skills and analytical abilities that employers are looking for.<br/><br/><strong>Have you seen our latest rankings?</strong><br/>• Top 100 in the world for Philosophy (QS World University Rankings 2024)<br/><br/><br/><br/>• Top ten for French Studies in the UK - Daily Mail University Guide 2025<br/><br/><br/><br/>• Top ten for Iberian Studies in the UK - Daily Mail University Guide 2025<br/><br/><br/><br/>• Top ten for German in the UK in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025<br/><br/><br/><br/>• Top ten for Russian and East European Languages in the UK - Complete University Guide 2025<br/><br/><br/><br/>You can also access this course through a Foundation Year. This may be suitable if you have faced educational barriers and do not expect to meet the entry requirements for direct entry to a degree course. Please see the UCAS page for the relevant Foundation Year course for further information.