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Modern Languages and Comparative Literatures

MA, MRes

Application options include:

Full-time Part-time
On campus

Course Overview

MA Modern Languages and Comparative Literatures

Birkbeck’s MA Modern Languages and Comparative Literatures is a highly flexible course offering you the chance to explore the languages and cultures of the French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Spanish and Latin American worlds. It also gives you a thorough grounding in theoretical approaches to comparative literary and cultural studies, so you can develop intellectually and hone your critical and analytical skills.

Why choose this course?

  • It is designed to be responsive and adaptive to your needs. We will help you tailor a pathway through the course that reflects your interests, career ambitions and language knowledge.
  • You will be taught by a team of renowned academic experts who bring their research experience and insights in a variety of different specialisms: cultural studies, comparative literature, visual culture, history and thought, from the Enlightenment to the twenty-first century.
  • The flexible nature of this course means that you can take a broadly comparative pathway through the degree or instead focus on one or more specific cultures by choosing particular strands within modules. You can choose to study texts in the original language or in English translation.

What you will learn

The core module provides you with frameworks for engaging with comparative literature and cultural theory, embracing the work of thinkers like Mikhail Bakhtin, Roland Barthes, Antonio Gramsci, Raymond Williams, Edward Said, Audre Lorde and Judith Butler. 

You will then choose option modules that explore the study of culture and the modern world across different cultures and texts, and specialise via one or more language strands focusing on specific cultural contexts. In place of an option module, you may opt for an industry placement, available each year. 

For the languages element, you can choose one module at advanced level in French, German, Italian, Spanish or Japanese. This will incorporate academic writing workshops and allow you to enhance and perfect your language skills in conjunction with multiple forms of cultural analysis.  

You will develop your research and writing skills through a series of workshops, culminating in a dissertation on a chosen topic. If you opt for a European language module, you will usually take research project instead of the dissertation.

How you will learn

This course is available to study full- or part-time with classes taking place in the evening, so you can balance your studies with other commitments. Our language-learning modules are offered on campus, but other modules may also be offered online, so you can choose depending on your circumstances.

Our teaching on this course is mainly interactive and seminar-based, with small groups led by our expert teachers, fostering in-depth discussion and dialogue. Our research-skills workshops culminate in a mini-conference where you present your dissertation/research project to other students and staff.

MRes Modern Languages and Comparative Literatures

The MRes is ideal if you wish to pursue a more research-oriented pathway through this course, as it offers you specialist training in research skills. You can opt to write your dissertation on a specific language-speaking area or areas and, if you also work with cultural artefacts in the original language/s, the title of your award will reflect this, for example, MRes French Studies, or MRes German and Japanese Studies.

Discover the career opportunities available by taking Modern Languages and Comparative Literatures (MA, MRes).

Key information and modules

Find another course:

Highlights

  • You will be taught by specialists from our School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication, a multidisciplinary centre of teaching and research excellence.
  • You will join a vibrant community of scholars with shared interests in interdisciplinary topics and cross-cultural research. Our affiliated research centres, the Centre for French, Francophone and Comparative Studies and the Centre for Iberian and Latin American Visual Studies, and Birkbeck’s Eighteenth-Century Research Group, provide a dynamic and exciting platform for intellectual exchange, hosting multiple workshops, lectures and conferences you can attend each year.
  • All teaching takes place in our central London location in Bloomsbury, a stone’s throw from research libraries and all the cultural richness that London has to offer by way of theatre, museums and galleries.
  • We are at the heart of London’s research library complex: a short distance from the British Library, Senate House Library, SOAS and the Warburg Institute. We are surrounded by cultural institutes and centres relevant to the study of languages and comparative literature, such as the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies within the School of Advanced Studies (at Senate House), the Goethe Institute, Institut Français, Instituto Cervantes, and Japan House London, to name just a few.
  • The School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication offers a number of bursaries for postgraduate students.
Come and meet us Request a prospectus Contact us

Birkbeck makes all reasonable efforts to deliver educational services, modules and programmes of study as described on our website. In the event that there are material changes to our offering (for example, due to matters beyond our control), we will update applicant and student facing information as quickly as possible and offer alternatives to applicants, offer-holders and current students.

Most of our courses are taught in the evenings, however some of our courses offer a daytime timetable. Where there is an option to attend daytime teaching sessions, this is stated in the Key Information section under Attendance.

  • Entry Requirements Entry Requirements

    Entry Requirements

    A second-class honours degree (2:2 or above) in an arts or humanities subject from a UK university, or an equivalent international qualification.

    Please find details of entry requirements and equivalencies for over 120 countries worldwide.

    Applications are reviewed on their individual merits and your professional qualifications and/or relevant work experience will be taken into consideration positively. We actively support and encourage applications from mature learners.

    On your application form, please list all your relevant qualifications and experience, including those you expect to achieve.

    Apply now to secure your place and allow enough time for the application and enrolment process. You do not need to have completed your current qualification to start your application.

    English language requirements

    If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

    If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses and foundation programmes to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.

    Visa and funding requirements

    If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

    The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

    • Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
    • Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

    International students who require a Student visa should apply for our full-time courses as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol as a student on Birkbeck's part-time courses (with the exception of some modules).

    For full information, read our visa information for international students page.

    Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant visa and funding requirements by country.

    Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

    Credits and accredited prior learning (APL)

    If you have studied at university, you may have accumulated credits through the modules you studied. It may be possible to transfer these credits from your previous study to Birkbeck or another institution.

  • Fees Fees

    Fees

    Modern Languages and Comparative Literatures MA: 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time, on campus, starting in academic year 2025-26

    Academic year 2025–26, starting October 2025

    Part-time home students: £5,535 per year
    Full-time home students: £11,070 per year
    Part-time international students: £10,170 per year
    Full-time international students: £20,340 per year

    Modern Languages and Comparative Literatures MRes: 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time, on campus, starting in academic year 2025-26

    Academic year 2025–26, starting October 2025

    Part-time home students: £5,535 per year
    Full-time home students: £11,070 per year
    Part-time international students: £10,170 per year
    Full-time international students: £20,340 per year

    Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see the College Fees Policy.

    If you’ve studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a discount on the tuition fee of this course.

    Discover the financial support available to you to help with your studies at Birkbeck.

    International scholarships

    We provide a range of scholarships for eligible international students, including our Global Future Scholarship. Discover if you are eligible for a scholarship.

  • Teaching and Assessment Teaching and Assessment

    Teaching

    At Birkbeck, most of our courses are taught in the evening and all of our teaching is designed to support students who are juggling evening study with work and other commitments. We actively encourage innovative and engaging ways of teaching, to ensure our students have the best learning experience.

    Teaching may include formal lectures, seminars, and practical classes and tutorials. Formal lectures are used in most degree programmes to give an overview of a particular field of study. They aim to provide the stimulus and the starting point for deeper exploration of the subject during your own personal reading. Seminars give you the chance to explore a specific aspect of your subject in depth and to discuss and exchange ideas with fellow students. They typically require preparatory study.

    In addition, you will have access to pastoral support via a named Personal Tutor.

    Methods of teaching on this course

    Teaching is seminar-based in small groups, allowing for a high level of teacher-led student participation. 

    Modules focused on language learning (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese) are taught entirely in the language, in seminar groups. Classes are centred on group discussion and the analysis of a wide variety of authentic texts, documents and audio-visual materials. You will also make use of television recordings and the internet in class work and a large range of materials that are available for independent study via our interactive online learning platform, Moodle.

    Key teaching staff on this course

    Teaching hours

    Our evening hours are normally between 6pm and 9pm (6-7.30pm and 7.30-9pm). Some programmes also offer teaching during the day and this will be clearly signposted to you where it is available.

    On our taught courses, you will have scheduled teaching and study sessions each year. Scheduled teaching sessions may include lectures, seminars, workshops or laboratory work. Depending on the modules you take, you may also have additional scheduled academic activities, such as tutorials, dissertation supervision, practical classes, visits and field trips. On our taught courses, the actual amount of time you spend in the classroom and in contact with your lecturers will depend on your course, the option modules you select and when you undertake your final-year project (if applicable).

    Alongside your contact hours, you will also undertake assessment activities and independent learning outside of class. The amount of time you need to allocate to study both for taught sessions (this might include online sessions and/or in-person sessions) and personal study will depend on how much you are studying during the year and whether you are studying full time or part time.

    Birkbeck’s courses are made up of modules and allocated ‘credit’. One credit is equivalent to ten hours of learning time. Modules are usually in 15, 30 or 60 credit units. A 15-credit module will mean around 150 hours of learning, including taught sessions and independent study or group work. This is spread out over the whole period of that module and includes the time you spend on any assessments, including in examinations, preparing and writing assessments or engaged in practical work as well as any study support sessions to help you in your learning.

    On our distance-learning and blended-learning courses, discussion, collaboration and interaction with your lecturers and fellow students is encouraged and enabled through various learning technologies.

    Timetables

    Timetables are usually available from September onwards and you can access your personalised timetable via your My Birkbeck Profile online (if you have been invited to enrol).

    Indicative class size

    Class sizes vary, depending on your course, the module you are undertaking, and the method of teaching. For example, lectures are presented to larger groups, whereas seminars usually consist of small, interactive groups led by a tutor.

    Independent learning

    On our taught courses, much of your time outside of class will be spent on self-directed, independent learning, including preparing for classes and following up afterwards. This will usually include, but is not limited to, reading books and journal articles, undertaking research, working on coursework and assignments, and preparing for presentations and assessments.

    Independent learning is absolutely vital to your success as a student. Everyone is different, and the study time required varies topic by topic, but, as a guide, expect to schedule up to five hours of self-study for each hour of teaching.

    Study skills and additional support

    Birkbeck offers study and learning support to undergraduate and postgraduate students to help them succeed. Our Learning Development Service can help you in the following areas:

    • academic skills (including planning your workload, research, writing, exam preparation and writing a dissertation)
    • written English (including structure, punctuation and grammar)
    • numerical skills (basic mathematics and statistics).

    Our Disability and Dyslexia Service can support you if you have additional learning needs resulting from a disability or from dyslexia.

    Our Counselling Service can support you if you are struggling with emotional or psychological difficulties during your studies.

    Our Mental Health Advisory Service can support you if you are experiencing short- or long-term mental health difficulties during your studies.

    Assessment

    Assessment is an integral part of your university studies and usually consists of a combination of coursework and examinations, although this will vary from course to course - on some of our courses, assessment is entirely by coursework. The methods of assessment on this course are specified below under 'Methods of assessment on this course'. You will need to allow time to complete coursework and prepare for exams.

    Where a course has unseen written examinations, these may be held termly, but, on the majority of our courses, exams are usually taken in the Summer term, during May to June. Exams may be held at other times of the year as well. In most cases, exams are held during the day on a weekday - if you have daytime commitments, you will need to make arrangements for daytime attendance - but some exams are held in the evening. Exam timetables are published online.

    Find out more about assessment at Birkbeck, including guidance on assessment, feedback and our assessment offences policy.

    Methods of assessment on this course

    MA: modules on this course are mostly assessed via essays (2500-5000 words). You will also undertake a research project (8500 words) or dissertation (15,000 words).

    Modules focusing on language learning (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese) are also assessed via short written exercises, quizzes, multiple-choice questionnaires, in-class tests (written, aural, listening) and a piece of advanced academic writing (3500 words) that connects to your research project.

    MRes: essays, a blog and a dissertation (30,000 words).

  • Careers and employability Careers and employability

    Careers and employability

    On successfully graduating from this course, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:

    • a sophisticated use of written and spoken English
    • an advanced critical ability in the use of theoretical perspectives
    • enhanced intercultural awareness with the ability to engage with a variety of different cultures and to work within comparative frameworks
    • facility and precision in the use of analytical tools
    • strong skills and initiative in collecting and organising complex materials and writing up clear, well-presented reports or fluent critical arguments.

    You will find MA Modern Languages and Comparative Literatures graduates following career paths in international organisations or businesses, translating, teaching, research, journalism, publishing, law and the civil service. Possible professions include:

    • teacher
    • researcher
    • journalist
    • translator
    • academic librarian
    • writer
    • arts administrator
    • advertising copywriter.

    We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.

  • How to apply How to apply

    How to apply

    You apply directly to Birkbeck for this course, using the online application link.

    You will need to prove your identity when you apply - read more about suitable forms of identification.

    When to apply

    You are strongly advised to apply now, to ensure there are still places on your chosen course and to give you enough time to complete the admissions process, to arrange funding and to enrol.

    You don't need to complete your current programme of study before you apply - Birkbeck can offer you a place that is conditional on your results.

    You will also receive information about subject-specific induction sessions over the summer.

    Help and advice with your application

    Get all the information you need about the application, admission and enrolment process at Birkbeck.

    Our online personal statement tool will guide you through every step of writing the personal statement part of your application.

    Apply for your course

    Apply for your course using the apply now button in the key information section.

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Related courses

Course structure

Course structure listing

Course structure and modules for Modern Languages and Comparative Literatures MA: 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time, on campus, starting October 2025

You must complete modules worth a total of 180 credits, consisting of:

  • one core module (30 credits)
  • two compulsory research skills modules (0 credits)
  • three option modules (30 credits each)
  • a 15,000-word dissertation (60 credits), or an 8500-word research project (30 credits) and language module (30 credits).

Please note, if you choose the Japanese language option you must also take two other options and the dissertation module.

Core module
Compulsory modules
Indicative option modules
Language modules
Dissertation/research project