Study French at a UK Top 10 University*
*Complete University Guide 2025
French at the University of Exeter thrives within the dynamic Department of Languages, Cultures, and Visual Studies, offering a vibrant and diverse community within which to learn French. A dynamic teaching team supports students through their studies, during which you will work with Francophone and Anglophone educators. Our highly flexible programmes allow you to structure your studies around your interests, explore our sector-leading research, or follow a specific career-orientated pathway.
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Top 10 for French in the UK
10th in the Complete University Guide 2025
Top 150 worldwide for Modern Languages
QS World University Subject Rankings 2024
Spend a year abroad on an International Placement
1st in the UK for research impact
Joint 1st for world-leading or internationally excellent research, REF 2021
Discover world-class French degrees at the University of Exeter
At the University of Exeter, we provide a lively and friendly learning community in which to learn French, offering an inspiring teaching programme driven by internationally renowned researchers.
We offer an impressive variety of modules in most areas of French Studies: cultural studies from the Middle Ages to the present; literature and the visual arts; film; linguistics; gender studies and philosophy.
Students on one of our undergraduate courses have the option of spending their third year in a Francophone country either studying at one of our renowned partner universities such as Paris Sorbonne, Libre Bruxelles and Geneva, teaching English as part of a British Council placement (subject to availability), or gaining valuable employment experience and practical applied learning by working abroad.
At the heart of our Department is our pioneering Language Centre. Providing excellent teaching by qualified and experienced professionals, the French section of the Centre boasts an Accredited Examination Centre for the internationally recognised DELF/DALF diplomas, credit-bearing modules for those studying outside of the Department, and community-driven learning opportunities such as the Languages Café.
Four pathways to study French at Exeter
Undergraduate French degrees
Through our BA Modern Languages programme, you can choose to focus on French and graduate with a BA in French, or study French alongside one or two other languages (eg, Chinese, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian or Spanish).
Alternatively, you may choose to broaden your study with ancient and contemporary study of literature, film, and art from France, Francophone countries, and beyond through our BA Comparative Literatures and Modern Languages programme, with the opportunity to focus on French and graduate with a BA in Comparative Literatures and French.
You can begin French study from Beginners or Advanced level. You will also be able to study modules from other disciplines outside of Modern Languages such as Politics and History.
Undergraduate combined honours degrees
Study a language alongside Arabic, Art History & Visual Culture, Classical Studies, English, Film Studies, History, International Relations, Latin, Politics, Philosophy or Sociology as part of one of our Combined Honours programmes. You may choose to focus on French and graduate with French in your degree title in place of Modern Languages.
You can also study French with a bespoke and tailored selection of subjects and modules as part of our Flexible Combined Honours programme.
Postgraduate French degrees
Postgraduate French degrees
You can study French through our Language Centre as part of your course on our MA Global Literatures and Cultures programme, while also exploring modules driven by our internationally recognised research such as French Language and Culture in Medieval Britain.
Students on our MA Translation Studies programme can focus on French, taking advantage of our expertise in the language to guide their studies. You can also enjoy and take part in research seminars and events through the University's Centre for Translating Cultures.
French PhDs and research degrees
We offer sector-leading research degrees in French, including MPhil or PhD French Studies and MA by Research Modern Languages.
Researchers in the Department of Languages, Cultures, and Visual Studies are actively engaged in cutting-edge projects across a broad range of research interests, including French cinema, literature and cultures from the Middle Ages to the present day, and French linguistics. The department boasts specialists in in the use of machine translation and computer-assisted translation tools; you will be supervised by published translators and internationally-recognised practitioners.
Why choose the University of Exeter?
We offer world-class education and research with outstanding student satisfaction, committed to working with our students to make the world greener, healthier, and fairer. With beautiful, green campuses in Devon and Cornwall, we offer a unique opportunity to study in one of the most stunning parts of the UK.
As a member of the Russell Group, we are committed to maintaining the very best internationally recognised research, and translating our research into an outstanding teaching and learning experience. Our excellence is recognised by organisations worldwide, with Exeter graduates in the UK's top 10 for most targeted by leading employers*.
* The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research
