“A year away being on the other side of the classroom was truly a gripping experience. I wanted to develop new professional skills and was lucky to be placed in a middle school in Verona. Throw yourself in and say yes to new opportunities as it will really build your confidence.”
- Bridgend, Wales
Entry requirements
The University offers different entry requirements, depending on your background. Find out more about Standard, Minimum and Gateway entry requirements using academic entry explained and see which entry requirements you need to look at using the entry requirements indicator.
For degrees combining more than one subject, the subject with the higher entry requirements determines the grades you need. You will also need to meet any further subject-specific entry requirements as outlined on their pages.
General entry requirements
All applicants must have attained the following qualifications, or equivalent, in addition to the specific entry requirements for individual programmes.
Other qualifications
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry on to our programmes. Please see our entry requirements for more information.
More information on how to apply via other entry routes or accreditation of prior learning and experience can be found on the University’s entry requirements web page.
Do I need to have studied this subject before?
No prior knowledge of Italian is necessary to enter at Elementary level. Students with an advanced knowledge of Italian (Higher, A Level or some other experience of the language) will follow the Year 1 Intermediate module.
Alternative study options
Integrated year abroad
Students may choose to spend an additional year working or studying in Italy. Find out more about the integrated year abroad for this course.
Study abroad
Students studying Italian can apply to participate in the University-wide St Andrews Abroad programme. You may also have the opportunity to participate in the School Abroad exchange programme. For information about study abroad options, please see the study abroad site.
Working abroad
Completing a work placement abroad is a good opportunity to gain work experience in another culture or language and to enhance valuable skill sets. As part of specific degree programmes in modern languages, you may apply to undertake a work placement abroad for credit.
International applicants
If English is not your first language, you will need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. Find out more about approved English language tests and scores for this course.
Course details
The MA (Hons) in Italian is a four-year course run by the School of Modern Languages. The course is available to students who are complete beginners in Italian and to students who have studied Italian to A-Level or SQA Higher or with equivalent knowledge and experience.
In the first two years, you will learn and refine your understanding of Italian language through reading, writing, listening and speaking. Those with prior knowledge in Italian will further develop their language and writing skills, and both groups will be introduced to different aspects of Italian literature, culture and history.
Alongside Italian, in the first year of your studies you will be required to study an additional two subjects. In the second year, you will usually carry on at least one of these subjects, sometimes two. Find out more about how academic years are organised.
During your third year, you have the opportunity to study at one of the University’s partner institutions in Italy (Padua, Turin, Venice or Verona). In this case, study undertaken in Italy replaces equivalent study in St Andrews. Study abroad is optional.
If you choose to stay at St Andrews for both your third and fourth years, you will take language modules focused on communication skills, and can choose from a range of specialist cultural modules from the medieval period right up to the present day. Areas of study include:
- Transnational Italian studies
- Italian cultural studies
- Italian literature from the Middle Ages to the present day
- Italy and the environmental humanities
Graduates in modern languages from St Andrews can expect to have not only an advanced level of competence in language skills, but a highly developed appreciation for other cultures and peoples. Other transferable skills, including analysis, synthesis and communication skills, will prepare you for a career in almost any area.
The University of St Andrews operates on a flexible modular degree system by which degrees are obtained through the accumulation of credits. More information on the structure of the modules system can be found on the flexible degree structure web page.
Modules
In the first two years of your degree, you will take the required modules in Italian along with modules in at least one additional subject.
Typically, you will take one to two Italian modules per semester during your first two years, and at least two modules per semester during your third and fourth years (known as Honours).
Two different types of modules are offered in first year: introductory Italian modules for beginners in Italian, and more advanced language and culture courses for those with more experience in Italian.
Students who are beginners in Italian are required to take the following compulsory modules in their first year:
- Introduction to Italian Language: concentrates on grammar and usage through reading, writing, listening and speaking and introduces elements of Italian culture and history.
- Italian Language (Elementary): builds on the 'Introduction to Italian Language' module by increasing the student’s knowledge of, and ability to use, Italian, and includes some study of Italian literature.
Students who have an SQA Higher or a GCE A-level in Italian are required to take the following compulsory modules in first year:
- Italian Language Intermediate 1 and Italian Language Intermediate 2: the core language module each semester provides a thorough and structured revision of grammar and a consolidation of speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills through formal grammar classes and practical oral language classes.
- Italian Geographies: aims to give students some sense of the complexity of modern Italy through the study of particular cultural phenomena which have played an important role in national identity formation.
- Italian Histories: gives students a sense of the complexity of Italy's past through the study of cultural texts and artefacts from a range of historical periods considered in their different contexts.
Second year modules are the same for all students regardless of any prior knowledge of Italian. Students are required to take the following compulsory modules in their second year:
- Second Level Italian: develops the language skills acquired in first-year Italian modules and enables students to achieve an intermediate level in reading, writing, listening and speaking in Italian. Students are introduced to a selection of Italian texts from a range of time periods.
- Second Level Italian (Advanced): offers an intermediate language course for students who have passed the first semester module. It is designed to further consolidate students’ knowledge of Italian grammar and vocabulary, refine language skills and develop communication skills. Students will study a selection of central Italian texts from different periods.
If you take Italian in your third and fourth years, in addition to the compulsory language modules you will choose from a variety of advanced options which incorporate literary, historical and cultural studies into language learning. Modules at Honours level include topics such as:
- Authority and Subversion in the Renaissance Italy
- Black Italians
- Contemporary Cultures of Migration
- Dante Alighieri
- Italian Detective Fiction
- Italian Ecologies
In fourth year, you have the option of undertaking a dissertation of up to either 5,000 words or 10,000 words in length, written in English, on a topic of your choice. This independent project enables you to develop key research skills which are desired by both prospective employers and by graduate schools offering postgraduate degrees.
The modules above are examples of what has been taught in previous academic years and may be subject to change before you start your course. Please see the module catalogue for more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment.
Teaching
Italian is taught through a mixture of seminars and practical language classes. Seminars guide learning, stimulate thought and debate, and suggest directions for further reading and personal study. Small language tutorials allow you to actively work together with your tutors to practice language skills, present papers, and discuss texts and issues relevant to the course.
First and second-year Italian modules are delivered through seminars and language classes, typically in groups of 12 to 15 students.
At Honours level, you will attend language classes, and seminars in groups of 8 to 10 students.
When not attending seminars practical language classes, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve:
- developing language skills
- working on individual and group projects
- undertaking research in the library
- preparing coursework assignments and presentations
- preparing for examinations
A variety of methods of assessment to test language skills and cultural analysis are used by the Department. These methods include:
- limited use of formal examinations
- oral presentations
- writing projects
- assessed coursework
Examinations are held at the end of the second semester during a dedicated exam diet with revision time provided beforehand. Examinations are either entirely in written format or comprise both written and oral components.
Tutors advise you closely on the preparation of written work and give individual assessments of your performance. The Department aims to provide feedback on assessments and coursework within three weeks.
Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews must achieve at least 7.0 on the St Andrews 20-point grade scale to pass a module. To gain access to Honours-level modules, students must achieve the relevant requisites as specified in the policy on entry to Honours and in the relevant programme requirements. To find out the classification equivalent of points, please see the common reporting scale.
You will be taught by a team of internationally recognised, skilled and research-active academics, with specialised language teachers. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of classes under the supervision of the module coordinator.
You can find contact information for all staff in the Department of Italian on the School of Modern Languages website.
The University’s Student Services team can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long-term medical conditions or learning disabilities. More information can be found on the students with disabilities web page.
Fees
Scotland
£1,820
England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man
£9,535
EU and overseas
£31,670
More information on tuition fees can be found on the undergraduate fees and funding page.
Accommodation fees
Find out about accommodation fees for University accommodation.
Funding and scholarships
The University of St Andrews offers a number of scholarships and support packages to undergraduate students each year.
Joint Honours degrees
You can also take Italian as part of a joint Honours degree in which you will take core modules of your chosen subjects.
Triple subject degree options
You can take Italian as part of a Modern Languages joint Honours degree. You would take French with two other modern languages or with one other modern language and one additional subject. All Italian triple degrees are also available With Integrated Year Abroad. In taking a 'triple' modern languages degree, you are required to take core modules in all of your subjects.
Careers
Modern languages graduates have an extremely good record of employment after graduating, not only in all sectors that require advanced language skills but also in professional environments that demand good communication and analytical skills.
Employers value language graduates because they demonstrate excellent communication, interpersonal and intercultural skills.
Many graduates go on to:
- specialise in translation and interpreting services, in language teaching or other sector-specific careers
- join international institutions and enterprises, working in international development departments, human resources, administration, media and communication jobs
- start a career in the banking and financial sector
- join the civil service, particularly in positions within the Foreign Office
- continue to study at postgraduate level
Recent Italian graduates have gone to work for companies in the UK and Italy. Some are working as teachers of modern languages in the UK, or are teaching English abroad. Others have taken further specialist training or conversion courses to prepare for careers in law or in translating and interpreting.
The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.
What to do next
Online information events
Join us for one of our information events where you can find out about different levels of study and specific courses we run. There are also sessions available for parents and college counsellors.
Undergraduate visiting days
We encourage all students who are thinking of applying to the University to attend one of our online or in-person visiting days.
Contact us
- Phone
- +44 (0)1334 46 3662
- italianhod@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Address
- Department of Italian
Buchanan Building
Union Street
St Andrews
KY16 9PH
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