• Educational objectives
• Employment and professional opportunities for graduates
• Admission requirements for study programs
• Educational pathway

 

1. Educational objectives

The Master's Degree Program in European and American Languages and Literatures offers students the possibility to choose from various curricula. Reflecting a broad educational offering in the field of European and American languages and literatures, five different pathways are available:

• Curriculum 1: Languages, Literatures and Translation, aimed at training graduates with specific skills in European and Euro-American literatures, languages, and cultures. This pathway, in addition to fulfilling requirements for access to teaching qualification classes, addresses the challenges of literary text translation. Graduates will gain in-depth knowledge of two languages, Euro-American literatures and cultures, as well as specific skills in translation—supported by a literary translation lab—and in the analysis of both literary texts and specialized language texts (economic, touristic, administrative-legal, media-related, etc.). They will also acquire skills in documentation, drafting, editing, and text revision, along with the ability to use the necessary IT tools for publishing work. They may access high-responsibility roles in international cultural and economic cooperation bodies; in Italian cultural institutions both in Italy and abroad. They will be employable not only in literary publishing but also in advertising and multimedia sectors, and as language professionals in industry and advanced services.

 

• Curriculum 2: Linguistic and Philological Studies, preparing students for metalinguistic reflection and critical-textual analysis of the studied language, through acquiring key descriptive and theoretical tools in linguistics in its various forms (theoretical-formal, diachronic-comparative, functional), methods for analyzing linguistic phenomena (morphosyntax, lexicon, phonetics and phonology, etc.), and related fields such as L1 and L2 learning, and mechanisms of communication, alongside textual analysis and scholarly editing principles. A digital culture lab offers further competencies in digital text editing and corpus management. Graduates may occupy high-responsibility roles in intellectual, scientific, and highly specialized professions, particularly in humanities, social and management sciences, as well as education and research. They may work in cultural services, public and private bodies, nationally and internationally, or collaborate in medical and research fields related to linguistic skills (speech therapy, audiology, language rehabilitation, neurolinguistics). They may also acquire the necessary requirements to access language teaching classes.

 

• Curriculum 3: Bilateral Italian-French Studies in Translation Theory and Practice
• Curriculum 4: Bilateral Italian-German Studies
• Curriculum 5: Bilateral Italian-Hungarian Studies

The bilateral curricula (Italian-German, Italian-Hungarian, and Italian-French in Translation Theory and Practice), enabled through collaboration with European universities and based on specific agreements, include cultural exchanges with partner universities (Bonn, Budapest, and Paris), student and faculty mobility, and the development of bilateral and international educational and research projects. The goal is to gain active and passive command of Italian and the chosen second language, literature, and culture, along with using digital, online, and multimedia tools to prepare for teaching, translating humanities and social texts, publishing, and organizing cultural events of bilateral interest. Graduates may take on roles of responsibility in the field of European cultural integration, contributing to balanced multilingual development in Europe. Internships and placements are available in public and private institutions in Italy and partner countries, particularly in state archives and libraries, university presses, and other entities involved in traditional, multimedia, and online publishing, as well as in Italian and European cultural agencies. Based on the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR) note from February 16, 2011, which implements DM 22 September 2010, no. 17, such agreements provide increased mobility and the opportunity to obtain a double degree (Italian and foreign), in accordance with type b) of the aforementioned note.

 

2. Employment and Professional opportunities

• Translators in the humanities;
• Translators and language experts in cultural institutions and diplomatic/consular posts;
• University and school teachers;
• Intercultural mediators in public bodies (courts, prisons, immigration centers, volunteer and assistance organizations);
• Language operators in cultural industries, publishing (traditional and electronic), broadcasting, literary/cultural agencies, arts and entertainment industries;
• Cultural consultants and professionals in publishing and journalism;
• Foreign language correspondents and related roles;
• Producers and programmers of intercultural events;
• Event organizers for fairs, conferences, festivals by public/private national and international entities (ISTAT Code 3.4.1.2).

 

3. Admission requirements for study programs

In order to be admitted to the Master's degree in European and American Languages and Literatures, students must have obtained a three-year (bachelor’s) degree in Class L-11 (ex 270 or ex 509), or another degree obtained in Italy or abroad as well as meet the specific requirements indicated below.

The Master’s Degree Board appoints delegates to verify the curriculum requirements for admission to the program. Cases of students in possession of the three-year (bachelor’s) qualification in degree classes not logically consistent with the learning path set out in this Master's Degree or holding a different degree obtained abroad will be carefully examined.

 

5. EDUCATIONAL PATHWAY

The Degree Programme in European and American Languages and Literatures has a standard duration of two years for full-time students. In order to be awarded the degree, students must obtain 120 ECTS credits, corresponding to 60 ECTS credits per academic year.

The programme includes a range of related and supplementary courses, grouped into disciplinary sectors, with the aim of diversifying and deepening the educational pathway and reflecting the variety of scientific research projects represented within the degree programme.

Through the disciplinary sectors of Group A14 (STAA-01/H; STAA-01/L; STAA-01/M; ASIA-01/F; ASIA-01/G) and Group A15 (FRAN-01/A; SPAN-01/A; SPAN-01/B; FLMR-01/C; ANGL-01/A; GERM-01/B; GERM-01/D; GLOT-01/D; SLAV-01/A), students may broaden their knowledge to include Asian languages and further develop their expertise in at least one of the two foreign literatures studied.

In order to meet the educational requirements of the international bilateral curricula, additional courses are provided and organised into the following groups:
Group A11 – Bilateral Curricula Only (ARTE-01/B; PEMM-01/B; LIFI-01/A; COMP-01/A);
Group A12 (PHIL-04/A; GEOG-01/A; HIST-02/A; HIST-03/A; HIST-04/C);
Group A13 (GLOT-01/A; GLOT-01/B; PAED-01/A; PAED-01/B; PAED-02/A);
Group A15 (FLMR-01/B; GERM-01/A; GLOT-01/D; SLAV-01/A).

The total number of ECTS credits allocated to related and supplementary courses is set at 12 + 12 ECTS credits.

For a comprehensive overview of the study pathways, please refer to Article 16 of the Teaching Regulations for Academic Year 2025–2026.

For the three bilateral curricula, equivalences between the academic disciplinary sectors specified in the University of Florence teaching regulations and their corresponding sectors at the partner universities are detailed in specific annexes to the respective agreements.

Where one or both of the languages chosen for the Master’s degree differ from those studied at Bachelor’s level, the delegates appointed by the Degree Programme will assess the submitted documentation and, if necessary, conduct an interview in order to determine eligibility for admission or the possible assignment of additional ECTS credits to be completed prior to enrolment.

Applicants holding a non-Italian academic qualification who wish to enrol in the Languages, Literatures and Translation or Linguistics and Philology curricula must demonstrate good written and oral communication skills in Italian, as well as a general knowledge of Italian culture and history.