What subject did J.K. Rowling study at the University of Exeter?

J.K. Rowling studied French and Classics at the University of Exeter.

She graduated in 1987 after completing a course that combined French with the study of the classical world. The course included a period in Paris, giving her direct experience of French language and culture before she began her professional writing career.

Classics helped provide knowledge of Latin, Greek, mythology, and ancient history. Readers often connect that background with the invented spells, names, creatures, and institutions in the Harry Potter books, although the novels also draw on many other cultural and literary traditions.

Rowling’s university subject is sometimes reported simply as French, which leaves out the Classics component. It is also sometimes confused with English literature because she became a novelist. However, her university degree was not in English or creative writing. After graduation she worked in London, including at Amnesty International, before writing Harry Potter professionally.