Undergraduate study | French

Learn the French language and explore the exciting contribution of French speakers to world culture.

French is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. At Edinburgh, you'll learn about French and Francophone literature, cinema, art, political and philosophical ideas, as well as mastering the language itself.

The University of Edinburgh is 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 with another language, you will divide your time between two countries, broadening your skills and experience.

One of the most attractive characteristics of our degree is its flexibility. As well as lots of joint honours combinations, your first two (pre-honours) years will give you the option to study other subjects drawn from a broad list of disciplines. 

On campus and in the city

You will study in the heart of 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. 

There are lots of French-focused activities, societies and clubs in Edinburgh, including the Students' Association's Escogriffes theatre society. We are home to the Centre de Recherches Francophones Belge and have excellent links with the Institut Français d’Ecosse.

Join French and Francophone Studies, and you’ll be part of one of the largest subject areas in a School passionate about languages, literatures and cultures from around the globe. 

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.

  • You’ll complete a four-year MA (Honours) degree. You can take French as a single honours degree, or jointly with one of a range of other subjects. 

Years 1 & 2

  • The first two years will provide a solid foundation in the French language (written and spoken), so that by the end of Year 2, you are ready for your year abroad.
  • In your courses on French and Francophone culture, you will experience the extraordinary richness and variety of the Francophone world. Our courses cover material from the Middle Ages to the 21st century and include specialist options in key disciplines such as decolonial, gender, and film studies, all taught by leading experts.
  • Whether you’re doing single or joint honours, you’ll do the same amount of French in these pre-honours years. You’ll gain the rest of your credits from partner subject courses, if you are doing a joint degree, and outside courses, of which single honours students take more. This choice and flexibility may enable you to change the focus of your degree going into your final two (honours) years, which is when you start to specialise.

Years 3 & 4

  • Your third year will typically be spent abroad, either studying or working, turning classroom learning into living engagement with other cultures. Our graduates have told us how much the Year Abroad has benefitted their broader life experience and skills, as well as their understanding of French.
  • If French is the only language you are studying, your Year Abroad will be in a French-speaking country. If you’re doing a joint degree with another language, you’ll divide your time and travel plans between your two languages.
  • As well as developing advanced language skills in these years, you will learn how to undertake your own research to the level of completing a dissertation or long essay in your final year. This is your chance to focus on a topic, period or discipline that’s of particular interest to you. We have an extensive range of honours courses to choose from covering topics such as: French political thought; 17th- and 19th century theatre; autobiography; the modern city; French New Wave; and France's relations with former colonies.

My year abroad was amazing. I made lots of friends, earned invaluable work experience and had some experiences I will never forget.

Location

  • You’ll typically be based at the heart of the University of Edinburgh in the city’s historic centre.
  • Our School has its own Study Resource Centre, in-house screening room and computing labs. The Main University Library is just across the square from us, and the nearby National Library of Scotland hosts one of the best French collections in the UK.
  • Our world-leading festival city is also filled with cinemas, theatres, and galleries. Edinburgh’s French film scene is particularly strong, with an annual French Film Festival in November and plenty to see throughout the year.

Teaching and learning

  • French and Francophone Studies is a large and popular subject area taught by friendly staff who are passionate about language learning, and infectiously enthusiastic about culture.
  • Our approach to learning and teaching is active, inclusive and question driven to help you gain skills for life after university.
  • Across your courses, you’ll typically be taught in a combination of lectures, tutorials (including language classes) and seminars. On some courses, you will have seminars instead of lectures, especially in your honours years.
  • You will also be expected to study independently and in small groups, and to read widely.

Assessment and support

  • You’ll be assessed through a combination of coursework and exams.
  • Coursework may take a range of forms to give you the opportunity to practice different skills.
  • Exams will include oral exams to test your spoken language skills.
  • Depending on where you go and what you do on your Year Abroad, Year 3 may include being assessed, in part, by a host university.
  • As well as the teaching and other staff you will meet day-to-day, there are lots of ways to get help with your learning, including through the University’s Institute for Academic Development and Edinburgh University Students' Association.

In the 2025 to 2026 academic year, you can take French ​​​​as a single honours degree, or study any of the following joint honours degree combinations...

French and SpanishFrench and GermanFrench and Portuguese
French and ItalianFrench and Russian StudiesFrench and Scandinavian Studies
Arabic and FrenchChinese and FrenchCeltic and French
French and Linguistics French and English LanguageFrench and English Literature 
French and History  French and Politics French and Social Policy
French and Business International Business with French*Law and French*
French and PhilosophyFrench and ClassicsFrench and History of Art

* Please note that these degree combinations do not have the same structure as all the others, though they are still four-year degrees with a study abroad element.

If you’d like to study on any of our undergraduate programmes, you must apply through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.

The UCAS site will show you if any of our French degree programmes remain open for application for 2025 entry. 


If you have applied to start studying French with us in September 2025, check out our applicant website for 2025 entry. 

Keen to get a head start for 2026?

There’s lots of information about our undergraduate French programmes on the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder. For example, you can find out about:

  • the courses you will take each year
  • how you will be taught and assessed
  • the support we offer
  • entrance requirements
  • English language requirements
  • fees and funding opportunities
  • student societies and living in Edinburgh

Applications for 2026 entry open in September 2025. 

Skills and experience

Studying one or more languages to degree level demonstrates that you're a good communicator, a resilient problem solver, and someone open to other cultures and new ideas – what employers value as intercultural competence.

Beyond the language skills you will develop on our programmes, and the nuanced understanding you will gain of other cultures and societies, graduating with a four-year honours degree from the University of Edinburgh shows intellectual maturity, resilience, and flexibility.

The skills you will be able to demonstrate to employers when you graduate include the ability to:

  • understand, analyse and articulate complex issues and concepts
  • manage your time to meet deadlines on different types of projects
  • work independently and as part of a group

Opportunities across sectors

Our programmes are an excellent primer for a range of careers, especially those that place a premium on thinking that is both disciplined and imaginative.

Within the private, public, not-for-profit, and for-benefit sectors, previous graduates have gone on to work in:

  • business, finance, commerce, and tech
  • communications, marketing, advertising, and public relations
  • education, outreach, advocacy, and training
  • journalism, broadcasting, and media
  • leisure, tourism, and travel
  • politics, policy work, diplomacy, civil service, and law
  • publishing, culture, heritage, and the arts
  • research, development, consultancy, and venture acceleration
  • translating and interpreting

Local and global opportunities

With increasing migration in response to changing global dynamics, there is demand for our graduates in Scotland, the UK and abroad.

Wherever you are based in the world, the ability to communicate in another global language, and to understand the cultures to which it opens doors, will make you stand out.

If you are keen to work abroad, it is good to know that French is a major language of international communication, one of the most widely spoken in the world, particularly in Europe, Africa, and the Americas. 

As one of our graduates, you will be well-placed to seek opportunities in the 29 countries where French is an official language, and the many multinational companies and institutions for which it is a working language

Further study

The enhanced research skills you will develop on a four-year programme, particularly in your honours years, are a valuable asset if you wish to continue studying at postgraduate level. 

At the University of Edinburgh, we typically offer a Masters by Research degree in French and taught masters programmes in: 

  • Comparative Literature
  • Intermediality
  • Translation Studies

Any of our masters degrees, whether research-based or taught, is a good foundation for a PhD, but is equally of value as a stand-alone qualification.


Edinburgh seemed the perfect place to do my degree as it had good connections with international universities and its reputation is first class. I distinctly remember being told in High School that languages would open more doors later down the line. Little did the organiser know that this would be of particular relevance now! My languages have allowed me to work in Italy, France and Belgium, setting me up for my current role, as - had I not gained experience in my previous jobs - I would not have the position I currently hold.

QS World Rankings by Subject 2025

The University of Edinburgh is ranked 3rd in the UK for: 

  • Modern Languages
  • Arts & Humanities

Globally, we’re in the World Top 15: Arts & Humanities (10) and Modern Languages (13).

The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings are based on research citations and the results of major global surveys of employers and academics.

They are International Ranking Expert Group (IREG) approved.

Graphic of a person with a phone and the words #3 in the UK World Top 15

Get to know us better

Thinking of joining us this year or next? Explore what it's like to study and live in Edinburgh. 

Talk to a current student 

Other ways to learn French at Edinburgh

If you're not on one of our degree programmes, you can still learn French with us!

As an undergraduate student of most subjects at the University of Edinburgh, you can take French as an outside subject in one or both of Years 1 and 2 of your programme, depending on your timetable and prior knowledge (you'll need to know some French to begin with).

Discover a world of languages graphic

French is also available to all students (undergraduate and postgraduate) as an Open Language Course and - through the Centre for Open Learning - as a Short Course. There are options for complete beginners and more advanced learners.