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Studies & Degrees in Romance Language and Literature

The Romance languages are the languages that developed from the spoken Latin of the Roman Empire: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian and Romanian, together with Catalan, Galician, Occitan, Sardinian and others. A degree in Romance languages and literatures studies several of them side by side instead of one alone. Students reach a working command of two or three languages, read their literatures in the original, and learn how the languages are related: how sounds, grammar and vocabulary changed from Latin and why Portuguese, Spanish and Italian remain so close.

The subject combines language classes with linguistics, literary history, and the culture of the regions where the languages are spoken, in Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. Latin is often part of the programme. In Spain and Germany the field is traditionally called Romance philology (filología románica, Romanistik).

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degree. In Spain an official bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits. The Grado en Lenguas, Literaturas y Culturas Románicas of the Universidad de Salamanca lasts four academic years and offers 25 new places for 2026-27. It is a joint and comparative study of three Romance languages of the European Union (French, Italian and Portuguese) together with Spanish and two courses of Latin, and students reach independent-user level (B2) in those languages.
  • Majors in the United States. US universities usually offer a major in one language and, at some, a combined major. The University of Chicago offers BA programmes in French, Italian or Spanish literature and culture, or in a combination that may include Catalan, Portuguese, Basque or Haitian Creole. Its major in Romance Languages, Literatures, and Cultures consists of ten courses beyond the second-year language sequences and assumes competence in at least two languages. Hofstra University's Department of Romance Languages and Literatures awards a BA in French and Francophone Studies, a BA in Italian and a BA in Spanish, and the University of Maryland lists a B.A. in Romance Languages.
  • Germany. Romance studies is usually split by language and often combined with teacher training. The Institut für Romanistik of the Universität Kassel offers French or Spanish as bachelor's subjects and as subjects for the teaching degree (Lehramt).
  • Master's degree and doctorate. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. A doctorate is the usual route to university teaching: according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), postsecondary teachers typically must have a PhD or other doctoral degree in their field.
  • Language courses. Private language schools teach a single Romance language at any level without awarding a degree.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 23 active schools for Romance languages and literature. Twelve are in the United States, three in Spain and three in Germany; Canada, Finland, India, Portugal and the United Kingdom have one each.

In the United States the list includes the University of Chicago, Harvard University, the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, Washington University in St. Louis, Bryn Mawr College, Hofstra University, the University of Maryland and the University of Washington, where French and Italian have their own department. In Spain it includes the Universidad de Salamanca and the Universitat de Barcelona; in Germany the Universität Kassel, the University of Bremen and the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, the University of Jyväskylä in Finland, the University of Delhi and the University of London are also listed, as are two providers without degree programmes: Educatrip, an educational travel company in Granada, and Falamos Português, which teaches European Portuguese online.

The language of instruction depends on the country and the course. Advanced literature courses are normally taught in the language studied, and at Chicago the bibliography of the final BA paper is written in the language of specialisation. The Salamanca degree is taught in Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese.

Careers

Graduates work in teaching, translation, language planning and advice, linguistic and intercultural mediation, publishing, the media, public administration, and cultural and tourism management, according to the career profile of the Salamanca degree. Hofstra names education, translation, international relations and the arts.

For translation and interpreting, the BLS states that a bachelor's degree is the typical entry requirement and projects employment of interpreters and translators in the United States to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035. Professional, scientific and technical services employ 30 percent of them and 28 percent are self-employed.

Frequently asked questions

Which languages will I study in a Romance languages degree?

Usually two or three of French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, sometimes with Catalan, Romanian or Latin. At the Universidad de Salamanca the degree covers French, Italian and Portuguese together with Spanish and Latin.

Do I need to speak the languages before I start?

It depends on the university. Some programmes teach the languages from beginner level, while others assume prior knowledge: the multi-language major at the University of Chicago assumes competence in at least two languages. Check the entry level for each language.

How long does the degree take?

In Spain a bachelor's degree has 240 ECTS credits over four academic years. An official master's degree adds 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits.

What is the difference between Romance languages and a degree in Spanish or French?

A single-language degree goes deeper into one language and its literature. A Romance languages degree compares several related languages and their literatures, so graduates have a broader but less specialised profile.