We are a small department that maintains a variety of very distinctive areas of strength in research. We offer programmes tailored to the individual and underpinned by a close student-supervisor contact. All of that unfolds in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

We maintain a high degree of interdisciplinary activity, with students and staff from all disciplines interacting through institutional research centres, research groups and seminars.

Applications are welcome for both full-time and part-time study. Postgraduate students form an integral part of our research culture, and are encouraged to become involved in conferences, workshops and seminar series. In addition, we have reading groups and a regular programme of seminars involving leading scholars visiting the institution. We have an active and vibrant research community, with staff engaging in research covering a wide range of language areas such as Basque, Catalan, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Research interests range from medieval manuscripts to contemporary cyber literature, and cover a wide geographical remit, with staff working on American, Latin American, Caribbean, African and Indian contexts as well as European ones.

We are home to a number of scholarly journals including: Bulletin of Hispanic Studies, Bulletin of Latin American Research, and Migrations and Identities. We have close connections with the online open access journal Modern Languages Open, as well as a number of prominent book series. 

Former postgraduates in French, German and Hispanic Studies have reached senior positions at the universities of: Aberdeen, Sussex, Leeds, Sheffield, Kings College London, Loughborough, Salford and Liverpool, as well as in a variety of careers.

Former postgraduates in Modern Languages and Cultures have also gone on to careers in a wide variety of areas including journalism, law, tourism, charity work, librarianship, translation and teaching.