Italian at St Andrews - language, literature, and culture

Study Italian at Scotland's oldest university. Develop high-level Italian language and communications skills and explore Italian literature, culture, history, politics, and film.

Top in Scotland for Italian 2026

St Andrews is 1st in Scotland for Italian in the Complete University Guide 2026

Why study Italian at St Andrews?

Reputation and student satisfaction

The School of Modern Languages is consistently rated among the best in the UK by major national rankings.

St Andrews is 1st in Scotland and 2nd in the UK for languages and linguistics in the Guardian University Guide 2026.
St Andrews is 1st in Scotland and 2nd in the UK for Italian in the Complete University Guide 2026.
In the National Student Survey 2025, 83% of final year MA (Honours) Italian students said they were satisfied overall with their course.

Welcoming community

The School of Modern Languages prides itself on being a vibrant and engaging academic community. The School is committed to creating an environment that supports equality, diversity, and inclusion.

The Department of Italian each year welcomes students from around the world.
Undergraduate study in Italian is open to beginners as well those who have studied Italian as a main subject at school - with language streams in years one and two tailored to your language proficiency.
Core language modules build on each other to expand and develop your Italian language competence and confidence.
Optional cultural studies modules reflect the Department's contemporary, interdisciplinary, and research-based approach to Italian studies.

Modern, research-led teaching

Research expertise in the Department of Italian covers themes including second language acquisition, Italian literature from the 13th to the 21st centuries, environmental humanities, colonial and post-colonial Italy, and contemporary transnational and diaspora Italian identities and culture.

The Department's pedagogical approach prioritises meaningful communication, integrates all linguistic competencies, and encourages students to take an active role in exploring Italian themes through guided research. Innovative module design further supports creative and culturally informed forms of assessment.
Acquisition of high-level Italian language skills goes hand-in-hand with studying transnational Italian-language literature and culture.
Choose from a range of optional modules that reflect Italy’s rich cultural heritage, connect to key social, political, and historical issues, and allow you to follow your own interests - recent optional modules include:
- 14th-Century Literature: Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio
- The Southern Question
- Italian Geographies
- Italian Detective Fiction
- Language and Literature of Renaissance Italy
- Contemporary Cultures of Migration
- Fascist Italy
- Italian Ecologies
- Female Literary Representations in the Italian Renaissance

Study Italian with other languages or subjects

Study Italian as a single-subject degree or combine Italian with another subject that best reflects your academic interests and professional goals.

Study Italian with one or two other languages or Comparative Literature as part of a double- or triple-languages honours degree.
Alternatively, combine Italian with another subject such as Art History, History, International Relations, or Management as part of a joint honours degree.

Integrated year abroad option and study abroad placements

Combine your Italian studies with time abroad and develop your linguistic skills, intercultural competence, and self-confidence.

Study Italian with an integrated year abroad - spending a year working in Italy and making your degree a five-year programme.
Alternatively, the study abroad and St Andrews abroad schemes provide study abroad placements that count towards your degree - you can study in Italy, Australia, Canada, and the USA.

Linguistic, transferable, and social skills for employability

Languages can be used in almost any career and so are a uniquely valuable subject whatever your professional goals. Languages are particularly sought after in sectors where communication, intercultural competence, and self-confidence are essential attributes.

Italian studies graduates leave St Andrews with an impressive mix of linguistic, transferable, and social skills equipping them for careers in:

journalism and communications
government and civil service
non-governmental organisations
intelligence and security services
marketing and business development
international aid and development
teaching and education

Postgraduate study in languages, literatures, and cultures

Take your Italian studies further with a postgraduate degree.

Masters degrees

Masters degrees with the School of Modern Languages provide advanced study in global cultures - giving you the intercultural and professional competencies needed to understand, and thrive in, a globalised world.

Research degrees

As a PhD, MPhil, or MSt (Res) student in the School of Modern Languages you will be part of a vibrant interdisciplinary research community.

You will work with academic supervisors who will provide you with subject expertise and guidance to help you plan and manage your research while the University's researcher development programmes give you the skills you need as an independent researcher.

Research degrees in languages and comparative literature

Start your journey

Register your details to receive more information about programmes at the School of Modern Languages and the University of St Andrews.