Information for Prospective Postgraduates

Bristol’s thriving departments of modern languages were formally amalgamated to create a single School of Modern Languages in August 2006. 

The new School has more than forty members of research-active academic staff, with expertise across nine European languages and cultures (Catalan, Czech, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak and Spanish). 

Postgraduate teaching and research is mainly concentrated in the fields of literature, cultural studies (including film), history and the history of ideas, and linguistics. There are special strengths in Latin America, Francophone and Lusophone Africa, as well as in the countries of Eastern and Western Europe.

The School is committed to helping its postgraduates to achieve excellence in their chosen areas of study and to develop skills for their future careers. It provides a lively environment for research, and prides itself on close personal attention to each of its postgraduate students. Postgraduates benefit from the interchange of ideas across the traditional boundaries of languages and disciplines within the School, and are encouraged to take part in an intensive programme of research seminars in their own subject and beyond.

All postgraduate students enrol in the first instance at Master’s level, for which the usual requirement is a good 2.1 degree in a relevant area.  Three modes of study are on offer:

• one-year taught programmes leading to a Master of Arts (MA) qualification;
• one-year programmes of tailor-made study and research leading to a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil);
• research programmes leading via initial enrolment for the Master of Literature (M.Litt) to degree of PhD (minimum total duration 3 years)

All postgraduate programmes are available on a part-time basis. The M.Phil may also be upgraded to an M.Litt, leading to PhD.