European and Middle Eastern Languages
This course in European and Middle Eastern Languages (EMEL) enables students to combine papers in one of the languages taught in the Faculty of Modern Languages with papers in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian or Turkish, thus providing opportunities to take advantage of the cultural linkages which exist between a number of European and Middle Eastern languages. For example, appropriate combinations might well be French and Arabic, German and Turkish, or Hebrew and Russian, but even some of the less obvious pairings would provide similar cultural and historical linkage. Thus Spanish and Turkish would be an interesting combination for the history of Sephardi Judaism, while Persian and Portuguese are important for the study of early imperialism.
EMEL at Oxford
Through its long-standing traditions and more recent gifts, Oxford has unique resources for the study of Middle Eastern and modern European languages. The Bodleian Library and Taylor Institution Library (for languages) have a magnificent collection of books and manuscripts. The Taylor Institution Library is one of the biggest research and lending libraries devoted to modern European languages in the world. Associated with the University is the Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, which houses the Leopold Muller Library with more than 35,000 volumes in Hebrew and more than 7,000 volumes in Western languages.
Careers
Oxford graduates in these subjects regularly go into highly competitive areas such as law, finance, commerce, management consultancy, accountancy, the media, advertising, the Foreign Office and the arts.
Recent European and Middle Eastern Languages graduates include a foreign office diplomat, a translator at the UN and a journalist at a foreign news channel.
Related courses
Students interested in this course might also like to consider other language courses or Oriental Studies courses.
International opportunities
You will normally spend your second academic year at an approved course of study in the Middle East. You are strongly advised to spend the adjacent summers where the European language of your choice is spoken. There are arrangements in place with partner universities to help you make the most of your time abroad.
A typical weekly timetable
Your work is divided between language classes, lectures and tutorials (one or two a week). In the first year, the emphasis is on intensive learning of a Middle Eastern language. Throughout your course, you will prepare essays for your weekly tutorials and classes.
| 1st year | |
Courses Study both languages | Assessment First University examinations:Three written papers (European language); two papers (Middle Eastern language) plus, in Arabic only, an oral exam |
| 2nd year | |
| Year abroad | Qualifying examination at the end of the course |
| 3rd and 4th year | |
Courses Four papers in each language | Assessment Final University examinations: Nine written papers are taken including a bridging extended essay; |
- A-levels: AAA
- Advanced Highers: AA/AAB
- IB: 38 (including core points) with 666 at HL
- Or any other equivalent (see details of international qualifications)
You would usually be expected to have the European language to A-level, or another academic equivalent. We would not normally expect you to have any knowledge of the Middle Eastern language before starting the course.
For the Middle Eastern Language
Candidates are not required to have any experience of studying the Middle Eastern Language (Arabic, Hebrew, Persian or Turkish) and may study it from scratch.
For Celtic
We generally expect all students applying for Celtic to be beginners, though those with experience are also very welcome to apply.
For French, German, Russian and Spanish
Candidates would usually be expected to have the language or languages to A-level, Advanced Higher, Higher Level in the IB or another academic equivalent.
For Czech, Italian, Modern Greek and Portuguese
Please note the different course codes for Czech, Beginners’ Czech, Italian, Beginners’ Italian, Modern Greek, Beginners’ Modern Greek, Portuguese and Beginners’ Portuguese. For courses listed as the language only, candidates would usually be required to have that language to A-level, Advanced Higher, Higher Level in the IB or another academic equivalent.
In Czech, Italian, Modern Greek, and Portuguese, beginners will receive additional language support, but study together with those who already have A-level (or equivalent) and take the same first year exam.
All candidates must also take the Modern Languages Admissions Tests (MLAT) and the Oriental Languages Aptitude Test (OLAT) as part of their application. Please see how to apply for further details.
Oxford University is committed to recruiting the best and brightest students from all backgrounds. We offer a generous package of financial support to Home/EU students from lower-income households. (UK nationals living in the UK are usually Home students.)
Fees
These annual fees are for full-time students who begin this undergraduate course here in 2015.
Fee status | Tuition fee | College fee | Total annual fees |
| Home/EU | £9,000 | £0 | £9,000 |
| Islands (Channel Islands & Isle of Man) | £9,000 | £6,925 | £15,925 |
| Overseas | £14,845 | £6,925 | £21,770 |
For more information please refer to our tuition fees page.
Living costs
Despite what you may have heard, it's no more expensive to study at Oxford than at any other university. In fact, our world-class resources and college provision can help you to lower your living costs.
Living costs for 2015/16 are estimated to be between £950 and £1,450 for each month you are in Oxford. Our academic year is made up of three eight-week terms, so you would not usually need to be in Oxford for much more than six months of the year but may wish to budget over a nine-month period to ensure you also have sufficient funds during the holidays to meet essential costs. For further details please visit our living costs webpage.
Financial support
Home/EU | A full loan is available from the UK government to cover tuition fees for students undertaking their first undergraduate degree*, so you don’t need to pay your tuition fees up front. In 2015 Oxford is offering one of the most generous bursary packages of any UK university to those on a family income of £42,620 or less, with additional opportunities available to those from households with incomes of £16,000 or less. This support is available in addition to the government grants and loans. See further details. |
Islands | Islands students are entitled to different support to that of students from the rest of the UK. Please refer the links below for information on the support to you available from your funding agency: |
Overseas | Please refer to the "Other Scholarships" section of our Oxford support page. |
*If you have studied at undergraduate level before and completed your course, you will be classed as an Equivalent or Lower Qualification student (ELQ) and won’t be eligible to receive government or Oxford funding
Additional information for European and Middle Eastern Languages
During the year abroad, students pay significantly reduced fees. For students who started an undergraduate course in 2012, going on their year abroad in 2014, the tuition fees are:
- Home/EU/Islands students, studying their first degree: £1,350 for the year.
- International students: £7,425 for the year.
These fees are subject to annual increases, so the tuition fees for students going abroad in later years may be higher. Please note that Islands and International students should check with their college whether they need to pay a college fee during their year abroad. Home/EU students do not need to pay the college fee in any year of their course. Living costs will vary according to the destination.
We recommend that students begin to research their year abroad options – including the financial implications – as early as possible in the second year of the course. There is plenty of support, information and advice to help you. You may choose to work or study during your year abroad, or you may do both. Your living costs and any salary will vary depending on your location and the activities you undertake.
You will need to pay for living costs during the year abroad, including accommodation and travel expenses. Students taking part in Erasmus study exchanges will not need to pay tuition fees to other institutions. However, if you decide to study outside Erasmus you will be liable to pay tuition fees to the relevant institution.
You may receive salary payments or grants to offset some or all of these costs. Also, if you receive government funding for the rest of your course, you will still be entitled to government support during your year abroad. Hardship funds are available from the Faculty of Medieval & Modern Languages for students who can demonstrate particular difficulties related to their year abroad. These are awarded through a termly application process.
All candidates must follow the application procedure as shown in how to apply. The information below gives specific details for students applying for this course.
Written work
For the European language, candidates must submit the same written work as for Modern Languages by 10 November 2015. Please see the Modern Languages pages for further details. No written work is required for the Middle Eastern language.
Written test
All candidates must take the Modern Languages Admissions Tests (MLAT) and the Oriental Languages Aptitude Test (OLAT), normally at their own school or college, on 4 November 2015. Separate registration is required for both tests and the deadline for entries is 15 October 2015. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure that they are registered for these tests. Further details are available our tests page.
What are tutors looking for?
Tutors will be looking for a good command of the grammar of any language you have already studied at school or college and want to continue studying at Oxford, in addition to an interest in literature and culture.
Selection criteria
Candidates may wish to refer to the selection criteria for Modern Languages and for Oriental Studies.
Suggested reading
Please see the guidance on the FAQs section of the Modern Languages faculty website under the heading 'How best to prepare for the entrance procedure'. This advice can be applied to both the European and the Middle Eastern elements of the course.
Shaahin
'One day you might be studying literature, the next day you might be studying philosophy. You can also look at history - languages are a vehicle for the exploration of many different fields.'
| Courses with Arabic | UCAS codes |
| Czech and Arabic | RT7Q |
| French and Arabic | RT16 |
| German and Arabic | RT26 |
| Italian and Arabic | RT36 |
| Modern Greek and Arabic | QT76 |
| Portuguese and Arabic | RT56 |
| Russian and Arabic | RT76 |
| Spanish and Arabic | RT46 |
| Courses with Hebrew | UCAS codes |
| Czech and Hebrew | RQ7K |
| French and Hebrew | RQ14 |
| German and Hebrew | RQ24 |
| Italian and Hebrew | RQ34 |
| Modern Greek and Hebrew | QQ74 |
| Portuguese and Hebrew | RQ54 |
| Russian and Hebrew | RQ74 |
| Spanish and Hebrew | RQK4 |
| Courses with Persian | UCAS codes |
| Czech and Persian | RTT6 |
| French and Persian | RTC6 |
| German and Persian | RT2P |
| Italian and Persian | RTH6 |
| Modern Greek and Persian | QT7P |
| Portuguese and Persian | RTM6 |
| Russian and Persian | RT7P |
| Spanish and Persian | RT4P |
| Courses with Turkish | UCAS codes |
| Czech and Turkish | RTRP |
| French and Turkish | RT1P |
| German and Turkish | RT2Q |
| Italian and Turkish | RT3P |
| Modern Greek and Turkish | QT7Q |
| Portuguese and Turkish | RT5P |
| Russian and Turkish | RTR6 |
| Spanish and Turkish | RTK6 |
Contextual information
The Key Information Sets provide a lot of numbers about the Oxford experience – but there is so much about what you get here that numbers can’t convey. It’s not just the quantity of the Oxford education that you need to consider, there is also the quality – let us tell you more.
Oxford’s tutorial system
Regular tutorials, which are the responsibility of the colleges, are the focal point of teaching and learning at Oxford. The tutorial system is one of the most distinctive features of an Oxford education: it ensures that students work closely with tutors throughout their undergraduate careers, and offers a learning experience which is second to none.
A typical tutorial is a one-hour meeting between a tutor and one, two, or three students to discuss reading and written work that the students have prepared in advance. It gives students the chance to interact directly with tutors, to engage with them in debate, to exchange ideas and argue, to ask questions, and of course to learn through the discussion of the prepared work. Many tutors are world-leaders in their fields of research, and Oxford undergraduates frequently learn of new discoveries before they are published.
Each student also receives teaching in a variety of other ways, depending on the course. This will include lectures and classes, and may include laboratory work and fieldwork. But the tutorial is the place where all the elements of the course come together and make sense. Meeting regularly with the same tutor – often weekly throughout the term – ensures a high level of individual attention and enables the process of learning and teaching to take place in the context of a student’s individual needs.
The tutorial system also offers the sustained commitment of one or more senior academics – as college tutors – to each student’s progress. It helps students to grow in confidence, to develop their skills in analysis and persuasive argument, and to flourish as independent learners and thinkers.
More information about tutorials
The benefits of the college system
- Every Oxford student is a member of a college. The college system is at the heart of the Oxford experience, giving students the benefits of belonging to both a large and internationally renowned university and a much smaller, interdisciplinary, college community.
- Each college brings together academics, undergraduate and postgraduate students, and college staff. The college gives its members the chance to be part of a close and friendly community made up of both leading academics and students from different subjects, year groups, cultures and countries. The relatively small size of each college means that it is easy to make friends and contribute to college life. There is a sense of belonging, which can be harder to achieve in a larger setting, and a supportive environment for study and all sorts of other activities.
- Colleges organise tutorial teaching for their undergraduates, and one or more college tutors will oversee and guide each student’s progress throughout his or her career at Oxford. The college system fosters a sense of community between tutors and students, and among students themselves, allowing for close and supportive personal attention to each student’s academic development.
It is the norm that undergraduates live in college accommodation in their first year, and in many cases they will continue to be accommodated by their college for the majority or the entire duration of their course. Colleges invest heavily in providing an extensive range of services for their students, and as well as accommodation colleges provide food, library and IT resources, sports facilities and clubs, drama and music, social spaces and societies, access to travel or project grants, and extensive welfare support. For students the college often becomes the hub of their social, sporting and cultural life.
More about Oxford’s unique college system and how to choose a college