Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies at The University of Manchester

Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies (SPLAS) is a truly global unit, with specialisms covering regions in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa, as well as the Iberian Peninsula.

You can choose from a broad range of undergraduate courses on cultural, social, linguistic and literary topics, taught by leading scholars such as Professor Chris Perriam, Professor Hilary Owen and Professor Lúcia Sá. We also offer intensive training in two of the world’s most spoken languages as well as the opportunity to learn Catalan.

SPLAS established its reputation as one of the UK's leading centres for research in the UK Research Assessment Exercise, 2008. In the Times Higher Education rankings based on quality profiles, our research was ahead of all other UK university departments in our field.

This research strength is reflected in our teaching: our courses cover a wide range of topics such as cinema, medieval culture, postcolonial writing, gender studies and linguistics. Not only do these courses prepare students for further study at postgraduate level, they are designed to equip you with transferable skills or broad range of professions. Throughout your degree, you will acquire: enhanced oral and written presentation skills; enhanced skills in critical analysis; advanced research skills developed through regular use of a wide variety of information sources.

We work closely with the Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and we maintain strong links with the brilliant Instituto Cervantes, located in Manchester city centre.

Why study Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American with us?

Spanish is a growing language of global significance: in North America, for example, Hispanic consumers are the fastest-growing market segment. Having Portuguese on your CV is a huge advantage, particularly as Brazil is one of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) ‘powerhouse’ economies.

Our teaching ranges from the Early Modern period in Spain through 19th century Latin America to the present day. We also have a wealth of expertise on Brazil, Portugal and Africa and you will be able to study the language and culture of regions such as Catalonia.

Our language courses are both intensive and innovative, using a broad selection of media sources and e-learning support. As part of your degree you will spend up to a year studying or working abroad — we offer places at world-leading universities throughout the Hispanic and Lusophone world such as the University of Barcelona and the University of São Paulo.

Our graduates with degrees in Spanish, Portuguese and/or Latin American Studies have gone on to employment in many fields such as international business, law and teaching, whilst others have gone on to receive funding for PhDs both here and abroad.