Linguistics and Modern Languages University of Cambridge

Overview

The first 2 years of the Linguistics and Modern Languages course at University of Cambridge are spent in Cambridge. You’ll spend your third year abroad, immersing yourself in the language you are studying, before returning to Cambridge for the fourth year.

On this course, you will learn about the language, culture and history of most European, and many non-European, countries. You'll study one modern language in depth. Alongside this, you will also explore how the scientific study of language can help us understand the human mind and creativity.  

The range of topics available to study across linguistics and modern languages means you can develop your own curiosity about how these areas intersect.

Year abroad

In the third year, you’ll spend at least 8 months abroad in one or 2 countries where you’ll usually do one of 3 things:  

• attend courses at a university abroad 
• become an English-speaking assistant at a school  
• complete an internship with a firm

Your future career

Fluency in a foreign language and an understanding of foreign cultures is in great demand on the job market. Employers also value the experience, independence and cross-cultural awareness gained during time spent studying abroad, even if you don’t work directly with languages in your job.  

As a graduate you’ll have a range of jobs open to you. Recent destinations of graduates from our related courses include:  

• BBC World Service  
• international law firms  
• UNICEF  
• KPMG  

Potential future career paths for LML graduates could include:

• Diplomatic relations
• the language technology industry
• the EdTech industry  
• the advertising industry
• forensic investigation
• speech therapy
• voice and accent coaching for actors
• data science
• language teaching
• translation and interpreting