Strategic Plan 2020-25

The School of Modern Languages is one of the largest and most diverse schools of Modern Languages in the UK and has been consistently ranked in the top 5 Schools of its kind across a range of national league tables.

We are committed to research-led teaching and an approach to language study in which the acquisition of linguistic competence and the study of culture go hand in hand.

Colleagues in the School of Modern Languages are actively engaged in research and teaching activities spanning all six of the University’s strategic priority areas; and we regard our twin goals of language acquisition and cultural understanding as intimately bound up with the University’s strategic vision for both Global St Andrews and Diverse St Andrews.

The School of Modern Languages boasts a wide range of approaches to the study of language and culture; but underpinning everything we do is a commitment to the study of multilingual humanities that embraces cultural and linguistic diversity, and does so in a way that is designed to promote the intellectual curiosity and endeavour of all our students, regardless of educational background.

While a key aspect of our mission is to shape graduates who will go on to enjoy successful careers in post-university employment, it is inherent in our approach that cultural understanding and the ability to communicate in other languages are key skills that are not only empowering in their own right, but essential in promoting a society in which equality and diversity are taken seriously as key drivers of progress.

Dr Colette Lawson, Department of German, and tutorial group

Professor Will Fowler, Department of Spanish, and tutorial group