The interest of new generations of students in traditionally-structured language and culture degree programmes has been declining for some time. However, research has shown that many students are interested in language when it is better combined with socially relevant themes and impact, as well as clear career prospects. There still remains an unabated need in society – especially with the emergence of AI – for specialists in language and intercultural communication, including within the fields of international politics, economics and policy. That’s why the UvA is currently working on a new language and culture degree programme.

The innovative premise of the new degree programme is to connect language and cultural expertise with more social issues. The new programme therefore also focuses on themes such as international relations, diplomacy, technology, creativity, communication, culture and region, where expertise in one or more languages serves as the backbone. Students will learn to understand the linguistic and cultural diversity of the world and will also learn ways in which they themselves can contribute to bridging differences – for example, by using stories and technology creatively, by participating in policy-making in a culturally sensitive manner or by learning a new language.

The programme will offer scope for the same amount of language proficiency as in existing degree programmes and includes language-specific teaching. The student's linguistic expertise will be clearly recognisable in their graduation profile. After completing this study programme, with their unique linguistic perspective on the world, students can progress to an educational Master's degree, a Master's degree in literature or linguistics, or other various Master's degrees such as Communication and Information, Language and Society, Media Studies, International Relations or European Studies.

What’s next

For the next couple of years, a project group with teachers from the various language teams will continue to develop the new programme. The existing language programmes will eventually be incorporated into the new degree programme. With this new approach, the UvA is investing in future-proof teaching and research for new generations of students and researchers in the field of language and culture.

Students who started a language and culture degree programme at the University of Amsterdam prior to the introduction of the new programme will be able to complete their degree programme as normal. They may also choose to switch to the new degree programme.