Does the MA Portuguese Language and Culture cover Brazilian and European Portuguese?

Yes — both, alongside Lusophone Africa and East Timor. The MA Portuguese Language and Culture treats the Portuguese-speaking world as a single linguistic conversation with substantive regional varieties.

What Portuguese level do I need to start the MA Portuguese Language and Culture?

We expect upper-intermediate (CEFR B2) as the working entry point. Applicants confirm their level at interview. The MA Portuguese Language and Culture takes you toward C1-to-C2 over the course of the year.

Can I take the MA Portuguese Language and Culture part-time?

Yes. The MA can be taken over 24 months part-time. Online and distance routes are available. Most working students complete the MA Portuguese Language and Culture in two years while maintaining a professional Portuguese-language role.

Does the MA Portuguese Language and Culture include literary translation?

Yes. The translation laboratory includes a dedicated literary-translation strand covering the canonical and contemporary Lusophone literary tradition. Many students continue into professional literary translation after the MA.

What sort of dissertation will I write on the MA Portuguese Language and Culture?

A 12,000-to-15,000-word piece that uses Portuguese-language primary sources. Past examples include translation studies of Saramago, comparative work on Brazilian and Portuguese press, and policy-analytic studies of Lusophone-African development discourse.

MA Portuguese Language and Culture | LSJHML London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MA Portuguese Language and Culture at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a one-year UK postgraduate degree for graduates and working professionals who want advanced study of the Portuguese language and the Lusophone cultural world — Portugal, Brazil, Lusophone Africa, the Dutch Caribbean diaspora and East Timor.

The course is aligned with Instituto Camões and Chartered Institute of Linguists standards. You will produce a 12,000-to-15,000-word dissertation using Portuguese-language primary sources, and graduate with the language depth and cultural literacy to work seriously in Lusophone-facing professional, research or translation contexts.

Key Features

Instituto Camões-aligned curriculum covering advanced Portuguese language and Lusophone culture.
European and Brazilian Portuguese taught together with Lusophone-African and East Timorese contexts.
Translation laboratory covering news, literary, policy and short legal texts in both directions.
Lusophone literature seminars across the Portuguese-speaking world.
Industry-led masterclasses from working translators, Lusophone-facing diplomats and area researchers.
12,000–15,000 word dissertation using Portuguese-language primary sources.

What You Will Learn

The MA Portuguese Language and Culture is structured around the working life of an advanced professional user of Portuguese with deep cultural literacy. You graduate able to translate substantive texts in both directions, read Lusophone literature and press with discipline, and contribute meaningfully to Lusophone-facing professional and research work.

Advanced Portuguese language analysis at MA level.
Reading the Lusophone press — Folha de São Paulo, O Globo, Público, Expresso, Jornal de Angola.
Translation theory and practice — register, equivalence, literary translation.
Lusophone literature — Pessoa, Saramago, Machado de Assis, Mia Couto, contemporary writers.
Lusophone cultural studies — music, cinema, contemporary culture across the Lusophone world.
Business and policy Portuguese at MA level.
Lusophone area politics — Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, the Amazon question.
Dissertation research methods — qualitative, archival, comparative.

Who This MA Is For

BA Portuguese, Lusophone Studies or related graduates moving into MA-level study.
Working translators and interpreters formalising their Portuguese credentials with a UK Master's.
Diplomatic, NGO and business professionals operating in Lusophone contexts.
Heritage and bilingual Portuguese speakers seeking a senior UK academic credential.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the MA Portuguese Language and Culture move into senior translation, Lusophone-facing professional and area-analyst roles, or progress to doctoral study. Typical post-MA destinations include:

Portuguese Translator (senior, in-house or agency)
Lusophone Markets Specialist (consultancy, trade body, NGO)
Portuguese Teacher (with appropriate teaching qualification)
Brazil-EU Liaison Officer (firm with Brazil operations)
Foreign Service Officer (Lusophone desk, government or NGO)
Senior Researcher (think tank, Lusophone cultural institute)

The MA also serves as a launchpad for doctoral research in Portuguese studies, translation studies or Lusophone area studies.

Entry Requirements

A UK 2:2 honours degree (or international equivalent) in a related subject, OR a 2:2 in any subject with two years of relevant professional experience.
Demonstrable upper-intermediate Portuguese (CEFR B2 equivalent) confirmed at interview.
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement (max 1 page) outlining your motivation, relevant experience and intended specialism.
Two academic or professional references.
Applicants without a related undergraduate degree may be considered with significant industry experience and a written sample.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.