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The University of Edinburgh

UCAS Code: R500 | Master of Arts (with Honours) - MA (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

A,A,A

AAA. Required subjects: A levels: a language other than English at B. GCSEs: English at C or 4.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

37-34

37 points with 666 at HL - 34 points with 655 at HL. Required subjects: HL: a language other than English at 5. SL: English at 5.

Scottish Higher

A,A,A,A

AAAA (achievement by end of S5 preferred). BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6. Required subjects: Highers: a language other than English at B. National 5s: English at C.

UCAS Tariff

132-144

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course

Course option

4years

Full-time | 2025

Subject

Portuguese studies

One of the world's ten most widely spoken languages, Portuguese is estimated to have around 260 million speakers. From Brazil to Mozambique, the many countries where it is spoken have fascinatingly rich and varied cultures.

Study at Edinburgh and you will have the opportunity to develop advanced spoken and written skills in Portuguese while gaining the broad cultural education valued by graduate employers.

In addition to intensive language training, you will be immersed in an extraordinary range of literature, film, music and arts from Portugal, Brazil and Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) Africa, explored in its historical context.

By the end of the programme, you will be able to demonstrate a range of linguistic skills and crucial intercultural competencies.

**Beginners welcome**

Our programme offers a solid foundation for learners with varying amounts of experience of Portuguese, including those who are just starting out; many of our graduates started as complete beginners in the language.

**Why Edinburgh**

As a world-leading festival and capital city, Edinburgh is a fantastic place to study a global language in its cultural context. Portuguese has been taught here for over 30 years.

You will spend Year 3 in a country where Portuguese is spoken. 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.

Studying over four years enables you to choose courses that match your own interests, expertise and employability needs. In Years 1 and 2, you can opt to take electives in other subjects, or broaden your linguistic portfolio with another language.

You will then specialise as you progress through your honours years, graduating with the blend of skills needed for a range of careers around the globe.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£28,000
per year
International
£28,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni

Course location:

Central area campus

Department:

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

47%
Portuguese studies

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Iberian studies

Teaching and learning

76%
Staff make the subject interesting
76%
Staff are good at explaining things
74%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
61%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

73%
Library resources
92%
IT resources
87%
Course specific equipment and facilities
38%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

92%
UK students
8%
International students
25%
Male students
75%
Female students
100%
2:1 or above
9%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A*
A

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Iberian studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£23,000
med
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education
73%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

19%
Business, research and administrative professionals
16%
Teaching and educational professionals
16%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

Very few graduates take this subject and so we can't say anything definitively about what graduates go on to do with these degrees - teaching, marketing and the arts and media were the most common jobs for graduates in Portuguese from 2015. That said, modern language grads usually have a range of opportunities available to them, both home and abroad. If you are interested in studying this subject, then it might be a good idea to go on open days and talk to tutors about what you might expect from the course and what previous graduates did.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Iberian studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£21k

£21k

£29k

£29k

£33k

£33k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here