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Modern Languages Schools and Programs in Spain

Modern Languages and Intercultural Communication

Saint Louis University’s modern languages and intercultural communication minor concentrates on foreign languages in the situation of communication among people from diverse cultures. After completing this minor, graduates can communicate at a higher or upper-intermediate level in one language and at a fundamental level in a second. The required coursework includes CMM 3300: Intercultural Communication, six credits in foreign language at a 2000-level or above, six credits in foreign language at a 1000-level or above and one of the following courses: PSY 4270: Cross-Cultural Psychology, ENGL 4110: Introduction to Linguistics and SPAN 4110: Language and Linguistics. Once students have completed the course prerequisites for the minor, they will be allowed a maximum of two semesters to complete the capstone project or to achieve two language certificates. These certificates are beneficial when applying for jobs as they are recognised internationally.
Level: Undergraduate Associate  
Language of instruction: English  
Location: Madrid

Study Modern Languages in Spain

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Modern Languages Studies in Spain

Modern languages degrees train students to a high level in two or more living languages, together with their literature, culture and linguistics, and often translation and intercultural communication. In Spain the subject covers two quite different things: four-year university degrees in modern languages, and practical language courses at language schools and university language centres. This page explains both.

University degrees in modern languages

Spanish bachelor's degrees (grados) have 240 ECTS credits, and master's degrees 60, 90 or 120 credits, under Royal Decree 822/2021. Modern languages degrees replaced the older philology degrees (licenciaturas) in individual languages. At the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, where modern philology was set up in 1954, the Grado en Lenguas Modernas y sus Literaturas replaced the former degrees in German, French, Italian, Romance and Slavic philology. It uses a major-minor model: about two thirds of the credits go to a first language and its literature, and about one third to a second language.

A search for "Lenguas Modernas" in the official register of degrees (RUCT) returns 17 records. The degree names show the different profiles:

  • Languages and literature: Lenguas Modernas y sus Literaturas at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad de Granada, Universidad de Oviedo and Universidad de Valladolid
  • Languages and translation: Lenguas Modernas y Traducción at the Universidad de Alcalá, a four-year, 240-credit degree with 50 places, built on two languages (English with German or French)
  • Languages, culture and communication: Lenguas Modernas, Cultura y Comunicación at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
  • Applied and business profiles: Lenguas Modernas Aplicadas at the Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, registered with the English name Bachelor in Applied Modern Languages, and Lenguas Modernas y Gestión at the Universidad de Deusto
  • General degrees: Lenguas Modernas at the Universidad de Zaragoza, Universidad de Deusto and Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Teaching is in Spanish and in the languages studied. At the Universidad de Alcalá, for example, the degree lists Spanish, English, German and French as languages of instruction.

Language courses and official language schools

Outside universities, Spain has official language education that sits outside the regular school stages. According to the Ministry of Education, it covers 23 languages from basic level (A1-A2) to proficient user (C1-C2) of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), and it is taught mainly in the escuelas oficiales de idiomas (EOI), a network of 471 public schools run by the regional governments.

Private language schools and university language centres offer general, intensive and exam preparation courses. Idiomes UAB, the language service of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, teaches languages including German, English, Catalan, Spanish, French and Italian in Barcelona and on campus, and offers DELE exams. International House Madrid, in Spain since 1953, prepares students for Cambridge and IELTS exams.

Where to study modern languages in Spain

Madrid has the most schools for this subject in our directory, followed by Barcelona, with further options in Valladolid, Granada, Bilbao, Santiago de Compostela and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, among others. Universities in the Madrid area alone include the Complutense, the Autónoma, Alcalá and Nebrija.

Admission and recognition

Students who finished secondary school outside Spain usually apply first through UNEDasiss, the UNED service that assesses the academic records of international students, and then apply to each university. Degrees listed in the RUCT are official Spanish qualifications. For a foreign degree, Spain distinguishes homologación, which gives access to a regulated profession, from a declaration of equivalence, which certifies the academic level (bachelor's or master's).

Careers

The Universidad de Alcalá lists career paths that include translation and interpreting, language teaching, linguistic and cultural mediation, content management, communication and publishing, as well as work in companies, institutions and international organisations. Its list of profiles also mentions lexicographers and terminologists, language project managers and international relations staff.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between modern languages and philology?

The current modern languages degrees replaced the older philology degrees in single languages. At the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, for example, the Grado en Lenguas Modernas y sus Literaturas combines a main language (about two thirds of the credits) with a second language (about one third).

How long is a modern languages degree in Spain?

Four years and 240 ECTS credits, as at the Universidad de Alcalá.

What are the escuelas oficiales de idiomas?

They are public language schools run by the regional governments. According to the Ministry of Education there are 471 of them, teaching 23 languages from level A1 to C2 of the CEFR.