Language degrees at Sheffield
We offer a number of pure language degrees at undergraduate level, as well as undergraduate degrees that combine the study of language with a non-language arts, social science or STEM subject. We also have a number of exciting master degrees and postgraduate research opportunities available.
Undergraduate language degrees
The University of Sheffield offers a wide variety of language-based degrees across 17 languages. These degrees are taught by the School of Languages and Cultures and the School of East Asian Studies.
School of Languages and Cultures
The School of Languages and Cultures is a leading centre for modern languages research. Our research spans identity, gender, linguistics, politics, migration and literary studies.
The languages covered by the department are: French, German, Spanish, Russian, Catalan, Czech, Dutch, Italian, Luxembourgish and Portuguese.
You can take a single honours degree in one, two or three languages, or a dual honours degree in one or two languages plus another Arts and Humanities or Social Science subject. Whether you choose a single or dual honours degree, you'll spend you third year studying or working abroad in one or two countries.
Please visit the School of Languages and Cultures website for more information on the degree programmes available.
School of East Asian Studies
The School of East Asian Studies (SEAS) has over 50 years’ experience of researching contemporary East Asia and pioneering new methods for teaching East Asian Languages. SEAS offer language studies across three languages - Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Students can take single and dual honours degrees with SEAS. The four year language-based degrees offer a year abroad component at a partner university in East Asia.
Please visit the SEAS website for more information on the degree programmes available
Year Abroad
A year abroad is a compulsory part of all single and dual honours language degrees at Sheffield. Spending your third year studying or working abroad offers you an unrivalled opportunity to improve your language skills; in particular, your spoken skills will improve dramatically. It will also give you valuable insights into the country and its people. When we ask our current and past students what they remember most about their degree studies, invariably they point to their year abroad.
You can also choose to do a semester or a year abroad if it is not already an optional component to your degree. Please visit the Global Opportunities website for more information on when you can spend your year abroad.
Undergraduate STEM degrees with a language
Many employers seek people with language skills. Learning a language provides you with the skills to adapt to different business environments and to operate with greater cultural agility and insight.
As a STEM student at Sheffield, you can combine your science, technology, engineering or mathematics degree with one of four languages - French, German, Italian or Spanish. These degrees give you the opportunity to study abroad as part of your third year, giving you a diverse student experience but also giving you an advantage when beginning your career.
The language component of STEM degrees with a language is provided by the Modern Languages Teaching Centre. Please visit the MLTC website for more information on our STEM degrees with a language.
Postgraduate taught language degrees
Both the School of Languages and Cultures and the School of East Asian Studies offer multiple masters programmes that allow you to pursue your love of language at a higher level.
School of Languages and Cultures masters degrees:
School of East Asian Studies masters degrees
Postgraduate research opportunities in languages
School of Languages and Cultures
We have a global reputation for our research. Join our rigorous research community as a PhD researcher and start making a difference.
The School of Languages and Cultures has a thriving research community of academic staff, postdoctoral research fellows and postgraduate students. While we conduct research in a wide range of languages, disciplines and geographical regions, we are united by a commitment to accessing sources in the language, and to the study of language-based cultures.
PhD programmes in Languages and Cultures
School of East Asian Studies
Tomorrow's leading academic or a practitioner with specialist expertise on East Asia?
Either way, Sheffield will help you to realise your ambition as a full-time, part-time, or remote location PhD student. We provide unrivalled social science and humanities-based research training, quality research opportunities, as well as high standards of physical infrastructure including online access to vernacular newspapers and databases.
Our high-quality teaching team and excellent research environment are what led the Higher Educational Funding Council for England to designate our taught programmes as 'excellent' - the highest accolade given and for our researchers to be nominated for awards on a regular basis.