The University
of Melbourne is
No. 1 in Australia for
Modern Languages*

• English as a Second Language (ESL)

  Established in 1992, our program was one of the first in Australia to offer a range of credit-bearing ESL subjects.

• European Studies

  European Studies is an interdisciplinary program exploring the cultures, societies and languages of Europe.

• French Studies

  One of the first subjects taught at the University of Melbourne, our French program offers world-class research and teaching in French language and literature studies.

• German Studies

  German Studies has a strong reputation in both teaching and research, and an impressive publishing record over a broad range of topics.

• Gender Studies

  Our program explores the significance of gender and sexuality on a range of discourses embedded within culture, identity and global history.

• Italian Studies

  Our Italian program is one of the longest-running and leading in the country.

• Linguistics and Applied Linguistics

  Our Linguistics and Applied Linguistics program is #2 in Australia and #23 in the world (QS rankings 2020).

• Russian Studies

  Part of Australia’s #1 University for Modern Languages (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020), we offer a full graduate (Masters and PhD) and undergraduate (Major) program in Russian Studies

• Spanish and Latin American Studies

  Our program offers opportunities to study and undertake independent research projects with innovative scholars working in areas such as Hispanic food studies, Spanish and Latin American cinema, Latin American popular culture studies, and research with Indigenous and Afro-Latin communities.

Research projects

Explore a selection of Australian Research Council-funded and other research projects undertaken by academics at the School of Languages and Linguistics.

• Who is Nature?

  Professor Adrian Hearn and Dr Steve Kelly have created a 360-degree interactive film invites you on a journey to five Latin American and Australian sites of ceremonial exchange with nature.

• Visual evidence: transforming modern sex research (1880s-1930s)

  This project explores how visual evidence became a central means of communicating scientific and medical knowledge about human sexuality in an era of rapid technological change in the German-speaking world.

• French Wine Culture

  Analysing wine as a product of regional, national and international geopolitics, Associate Professor Jacqueline Dutton shows that wine is so much more than fermented grape juice, especially for the French.

• Trust and Cultural Exchange

  The Trust and Cultural Exchange project brings together 15 academics from a variety of Schools and Faculties to explore theory and practices of trust across history and cultures.

• Aboriginal language use in Darwin

  Dr John Mansfield investigates how highly complex Aboriginal languages, traditionally spoken by small semi-nomadic clan groups, are used in an urban context.

• Language placement test review

  The study focuses on the multi-method evaluation of a suite of language placement tests for seven languages embedded in an institutional policy.

• 50 words project

  This project aims to provide fifty words in every Indigenous language of Australia. We hope this will be a useful resource for schools and educational organisations, and for the general public to discover the diversity of languages around Australia.

• Getting in Touch: Bird app development

  The Getting in Touch bird apps enable people to listen to recordings of language names for birds alongside photographs of birds and the sounds of their calls.

Explore more

• Research publications

  This section contains a selective list of recent major publications (books and book chapters) in all our programs within The School of Languages and Linguistics.

• Discussion groups

  Learn about our discussion groups on Conversation Analysis and Phonetics and Phonology.

• Research strengths

  We conducts research into a wide range of language practices, covering through its subjects a diversity of times, places and themes which reflect the latest developments in language and linguistic practice.

• Undergraduate

  Information for current undergraduate students including policies, assessment and contact information.

• Honours

  Honours provides scope to refine your analytical skills and research techniques while significantly enhancing your range of options after graduation.

• Graduate studies

  Information for current graduate coursework students.

• Graduate research

  Information for prospective students and those currently enrolled in a PhD or Masters by Research program.

• Outbound Exchange

  The Exchange program allows students to study at an overseas institution through the University's Exchange or Fee-paying programs.

• Language Exchange Club

  Any student studying a language is welcome to join the program and converse with a native speaker. Come here to make friends, international contacts and improve you language skills naturally!

• The Secret Life of Language

  The Secret Life of Language podcast from the School of Languages and Linguistics seeks to create compelling stories and conversations at the intersection of language and society.

• Language Placement Testing

  All students wishing to enrol in a language subject for the first time are required to complete a background questionnaire online.

• Horwood Recording Studio

  The aim of the Horwood recording studio is to make sure that you can record in a fun and relaxed atmosphere, using modern technology to capture some of the best sound quality available.

• Videos

  Videos released by the School of Languages and Linguistics including information about study areas and presentations.

• VCE kits

  VCE written exam preparation kits for students and teachers

• Excursions and fieldwork

  In this section students will find information on excursions and fieldwork and will be able to pay for them.