A student reads a copy of La Divina Commedia at a desk in a university library, a bilingual dictionary and handwritten notes beside him, with an Italian flag and a Venice travel poster on the wall behind.

DEGREE GUIDE

Italian

What do Italian degrees involve?

Italian degrees teach you how to communicate fluently in Italian while exploring the history, literature, art, and culture of Italy. You will study key areas such as language acquisition, translation, linguistics, film, and contemporary Italian society. These courses help you develop strong analytical, communication, and intercultural skills while gaining a deeper understanding of Italy’s global influence in areas like fashion, design, and politics. You will also have the opportunity to study or work abroad, immersing yourself in the language and lifestyle of an Italian-speaking environment. With a combination of language training, cultural studies, and real-world experience, you’ll be well-prepared for careers in translation, diplomacy, international business, and education.

Example
Modules

Italian Language (Beginner to Advanced): Build your confidence in reading, writing, speaking and listening as you move from basic vocabulary and grammar to fluency in academic and everyday contexts.

Introduction to Italian Literature: Explore influential texts across different historical periods, learning how novels, plays and poetry reflect and shape Italian culture and identity.

Italian Culture and Society: Examine Italy’s politics, media, and regional identities, from football to fashion and food.

Common Degree Names

💼 Placement opportunities are sometimes available during the year abroad, such as teaching assistantships or internships.
🌍 A year abroad in an Italian-speaking country is a compulsory part of most Italian degrees.

BA (Hons) Italian
BA (Hons) Italian and Spanish
BA (Hons) Italian and French
BA (Hons) Italian and English
BA (Hons) Italian and History

A study desk part-way through an Italian session, with an open Italian-to-English dictionary, novels by Ferrante and Calvino, a notebook of handwritten notes and a pen, beside a small Italian flag and a map of Italy pinned on the wall.

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)

Italian degrees develop fluency in the language alongside deep knowledge of Italian culture, literature, history, and society. Most universities offer different entry routes depending on your current level.

For advanced-level courses (if you already study Italian):

Italian – required
Another Modern Language – valued if applying for combined programmes
English Literature, History, or Politics – develops essay writing and cultural analysis skills

For beginners'/ab initio courses (starting from scratch):

No Italian required – these courses are designed for complete beginners
Another Modern Language – shows aptitude for language learning and may be a requirement
English Language or Literature – useful for analytical and essay skills
History, Politics, or Sociology – helpful for understanding cultural context

✨ Don't worry if you haven't studied Italian before – many universities offer beginners' courses that will take you to degree level from scratch. Check whether your course offers an ab initio route.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside relevant A-Level subjects
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with a language subject at Higher Level among your IB subjects (minimum two, ideally three) alongside your Career-Related Study

A year abroad in Italy is usually compulsory. Advanced and beginner courses have different requirements, so always check specific course requirements.

Level 2 Qualifications (GCSE / MYP / National 5)

Most courses ask for:

GCSE English Language and Maths at grade 4/C or above, or equivalents such as National 5s or MYP
GCSE Italian (or equivalent) for advanced-level entry; not required for beginners’ Italian

📘 For beginners’ pathways, having another language at GCSE (or personal evidence of language learning) can strengthen your application.

💬 Interviews

Formal interviews aren't usually part of the application process. However, some universities may invite you for a short conversation, either online or in person, to learn more about your interest in the subject.

🔍 Work Experience

You don't need work experience to apply for Italian. If you have a school placement to fill, any setting where you can use or be exposed to Italian — such as a business with Italian clients, a tourism organisation, or a cultural exchange programme — could be useful. For this subject, engaging with Italian language and culture matters far more than any placement.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

What draws you to studying Italian at degree level - the language itself, Italian literature, cinema, art, history, or contemporary Italy? An Italian degree goes beyond language learning to explore one of Europe's richest cultural traditions. If you've engaged with Italian culture through films, music, opera, art, books, or reading literature in Italian or translation, reflect on what sparked your interest and what you'd want to study further. Many courses welcome beginners, so prior study isn't always required - but showing genuine curiosity about Italian culture and enthusiasm for engaging with the language will strengthen your application.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Languages or Humanities

Some universities offer a foundation year if you don't have the required language background or grades. Many Italian degrees also offer ab initio (beginner) routes, so a foundation year can be a way in even without prior Italian study.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (Humanities or Social Science)

Accepted by some universities. Choose a pathway with essay-based units and aim for Merits and Distinctions in your graded units. Check whether your chosen university requires prior Italian study alongside the Access qualification.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

Start Your Journey → £3 a month

Full access to all self-discovery tools and guides. Cancel anytime.

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

Context sentence

Heading 6

I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

Heading 6

I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

custom skills note goes here

Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with an Italian degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Different Cultures, Languages & Beliefs: The degree is built around learning Italian and engaging with Italian culture. You'll develop fluency through intensive language study, spend a year in Italy, and explore how Italian traditions, values, and ways of life shape one of Europe's most culturally rich societies.

Language, Stories & Writing: Italian literature is a major strand of the degree. You'll study writers from Dante and Machiavelli to Elena Ferrante, alongside Italian cinema from neorealism to the present, exploring how storytelling and language have shaped Italian identity across centuries.

Students who thrive in an Italian degree are often motivated by

Engaging with People and Cultures

You're energised by working closely with people to understand what's really going on for them: talking, listening, asking questions, spending time, picking up on what isn't being said directly. That might be interviewing someone for a piece of research, sitting with a client who's trying to work something out, exploring a community you've not been part of, or working alongside people from a different culture. The energy comes from the engagement itself, not just from reading or thinking about people.

Analysing and Investigating

You're energised by making sense of information, looking for evidence, spotting patterns, and piecing together how things connect. Whether it's pulling apart data, questioning assumptions, or tracing a problem back to its source, you find energy in the process of understanding what's really going on. You'd rather dig into the details than accept things at face value.

Curiosity and Learning

You're energised by the activity of learning itself: diving into a subject you've never explored, watching documentaries, taking apart how something works, or constantly asking "why?" The process of learning gives you energy, not just the outcome. You don't just want the answer; you want to understand how things connect, why they matter, and what's underneath the surface explanation.

Working Internationally

You're energised by work that crosses borders and connects you with people from different countries, backgrounds, and systems. That might be collaborating with international colleagues, working in a place that isn't your own, using another language professionally, or tackling problems that don't stop at a single country's borders. You come alive when the work you're doing reaches beyond your own patch of the world.

What makes Italian click for the students who love it?

Italy fascinates them as a place where art, design and music run through everyday life rather than being shut inside a gallery. The world behind the language is what they want, how Italians have written, painted and lived from the Renaissance to now. A year in Italy gives them that immersion, the culture met in the street as much as on the page. There is pleasure too in the close reading, catching how meaning rides on the rhythm and sound of the language.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

Skill Name

Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Are you fascinated by how a country's art, history, and language are all connected to each other?
Do you enjoy expressing your ideas about books, films, or culture — and hearing how others see things differently?
Do you like digging into a text or film to understand the deeper layers of meaning behind it?

Careers an Italian degree could lead you to

Italian

What do Italian degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

Heading 6

Heading 6

Is this a good fit for you?

Careers an Italian degree could lead you to

Example
Modules