Spanish
Learn the language of more than 500 million people and explore the great continuities and shifts within Spanish and Spanish-American culture, from its early beginnings to today.
At St Andrews, you can study Spanish in many contexts, including:
- journalism
- history
- commerce
- translation
- linguistics
- literature
- cinema

Undergraduate
Postgraduate taught
Postgraduate research
The School of Modern Languages offers PhD, MPhil, and MSt (Res) research programmes. Research interests in the School cover many aspects of language studies, including:
- literature
- linguistics
- cinema
- history
- gender
- identity studies.
To apply, you should first identify and contact a potential supervisor you would like to work with in your intended research area. Find out how to contact a research supervisor.
“Becoming fluent in Spanish has always been a dream of mine – my family speaks Spanish, and I am now able to hold a conversation! St Andrews offered a pathway not only towards speaking the language, but also an introduction to a whole world of literature previously inaccessible to me. It has been challenging but my lectures and tutors are wonderfully supportive and make it well worth it!”
- Texas, USA
Awards
First in Scotland and second in the UK for languages and linguistics
Guardian University Guide 2023
First in Scotland and fourth in the UK for Iberian languages
The Complete University Guide 2023
83% of research activity rated 3* or 4*
Most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021)
School of Modern Languages
The School offers a truly global approach with specialists across eight languages – Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Persian, Russian and Spanish – as well as Comparative Literature.
Expertise spans from the Middle Ages to the present day and includes prose, poetry, theatre, film, history, translation, and material culture.
The Department of Spanish within the School has interests in socio-linguistics, Golden Age literature, modern and contemporary Spanish, and Spanish-American literature, film and history.

Visit St Andrews
If you’re interested in studying at St Andrews, join us at a visiting day or talk and tour to explore the town, find out about our courses and meet current students. You can also join us for one of our upcoming online events.
