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Subject area: French and Francophone Studies

Why choose French and Francophone Studies at the University of Edinburgh?

  • Edinburgh is a world-leading festival city filled with cinemas, theatres, galleries, libraries and collections. It has one of the best French collections in the UK in the National Library of Scotland.

  • We are ranked 3rd in the UK and 10th in the world for modern languages in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024.

  • We are unique in Scotland in offering students a full academic year abroad within the four-year honours programme, regardless of whether you spend the year studying or working. If you are studying French and another language, you will divide your time between two countries, broadening your skills and experience.

  • From making friends in language cafes to campaigning on global issues, the Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA) supports more than 300 student-led activities. The French theatre society - Les Escogriffes - typically stages a play in French each year. We also have a creative writing magazine especially for European languages.

Study abroad

Through studying French, I feel I have a deeper understanding of not just France but the francophone world. First year gave me the opportunity to delve into many current and important issues in French-speaking countries like the legacy of French colonialism. I have also developed my French skills, allowing me to use my language skills in contexts that I had never used them in before, such as in creative writing magazine Babble and the University's French theatre society Les Escogriffes.

Andrew Year 2, French and English Literature MA (Hons)
Andrew Year 2, French and English Literature MA (Hons)

Introducing French and Francophone Studies

French is a major world language, spoken in many parts of Europe, Africa and the Americas.

At Edinburgh, you will study the French language in the context of the diverse countries, cultures and societies in which it is spoken.

You can take French as a single honours degree programme or as a joint honours with one of a wide range of partner subjects, including other European languages.

Over the course of your four-year programme, you will have the opportunity to acquire near-native fluency in French while gaining the broad cultural education valued by graduate employers.

We will introduce you to the extraordinary richness and variety of the francophone world through the study of:

  • literature and cinema
  • political history and social movements
  • philosophical ideas

Our courses cover material from the Middle Ages to the 21st century and include specialist options taught by leading experts in key disciplines, including post-colonial studies and gender studies.

Teaching takes place in the University of Edinburgh's Central Area, which is located on the edge of Edinburgh's historic Old Town, surrounded by lots of green space.