Why study Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies at Edinburgh
Learn about our history, reputation and rankings, and find out what our students think of us.
History, reputation and rankings
The University of Edinburgh offers one of the widest range of languages of any UK university.
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.
Spanish has been studied at the University since 1919. The first lectureship in Portuguese was in 1988.
Today, Spanish and Portuguese are among nine European languages we teach to degree level, and we have a sizeable team in the subject, including staff who combine teaching and research, language tutors and PhD students.
To mark our centenary in 2019, we hosted Conectando, a series of events including an exhibition at the Main University Library, Wikipedia Editathon, and concert.
We are the proud home of the Centre for Contemporary Latin American Studies which brings together staff and students from:
- languages and cultures
- geography
- politics
- history
- architecture, landscape architecture and urbanism
- social anthropology
We are ranked:
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third in the UK for Modern Languages in the QS World Rankings by Subject 2023
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seventh in the world for Modern Languages in the QS World Rankings by Subject 2023
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tenth in the world for Arts & Humanities in the QS World Rankings by Subject 2023
Browse the QS World Rankings by Subject 2023 on Top Universities
What our students say
Studying Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Edinburgh has been an incredible and unforgettable experience. Supported by the University’s dedicated and passionate staff and extensive resources, I’ve been able to develop my linguistic and cultural knowledge, which will only be furthered on my year abroad in Year 3, travelling to Mexico and Brazil as facilitated by the University.