Which university subject did J.K. Rowling study before becoming an author?

J.K. Rowling studied French and Classics at the University of Exeter. She graduated in 1987 after completing a degree that included French and the study of classical languages and civilizations.

Rowling had initially wanted to study English at Oxford, but she attended Exeter instead. Her university education later became part of the background to her work as a writer, although Harry Potter is not a direct retelling of classical mythology or French literature. After university, she worked in several roles, including as a researcher and bilingual secretary.

Her knowledge of languages also connects to the naming of many wizarding terms. Rowling has drawn on Latin and other linguistic sources when creating spells and names, but not every invented word has a strict classical translation. The subject she studied is therefore best stated as French and Classics, rather than English Literature, the course many readers might assume an author would have taken.