Admissions

Turkish

Turkish belongs to the Turkic language family and is closely related to Azerbaijani, Gagauz and Turkmen. It is the official language of the Republic of Turkey and is also spoken in Cyprus, in various Balkan countries and in immigrant communities throughout the Western world. With more than seventy million speakers, Turkish is by far the largest Turkic language. Its rich literary culture stretches over centuries and continents.

Studying Turkish at Oxford

The BA in Oriental Studies (Turkish) is a four-year degree. In the first year students focus on Turkish language and Islamic history and culture. The second year of the course is spent on an approved course of study in the Middle East. You may choose to focus entirely on Turkish, or you may combine Turkish with:

an additional language;
Islamic Art and Archaeology.

Turkish may also be studied as an additional language as part of other degrees within the Faculty and wider University.

Turkish on its own

Students wishing to focus on the study of Turkish will study Turkish language and Islamic history and culture in their first year and spend their second year on an approved course of study in Turkey. In the third and fourth year students can choose to focus only on further Turkish language and literature studies, or may also choose options relating to Turkish/Ottoman history.

Turkish with an additional Middle Eastern language

Students wishing to combine their study of Turkish with another language may choose from Arabic, Armenian and Persian.

Turkish with Islamic Art and Archaeology

Students who choose to combine Turkish with Islamic Art and Archaeology will supplement their language studies with the study of the art and architecture of the Islamic world. In addition to the study of Turkish language and literature, further subjects may include Early Islamic Art and Archaeology (600-1250), Later Islamic Art and Architecture (1250-1700), and Turkish history.

BA in European and Middle Eastern Languages - Turkish with an additional European language

This is a four-year joint degree combining Turkish with one of the following European languages: French, German, Modern Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Czech (with Slovak) and Celtic. You will spend around half your time studying Turkish language and literature, and around half studying the other language and related literature. In the first year, there is less literature in the European language to allow for intensive focus on the Middle Eastern language. 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.

BA in Classics and Oriental Studies

Turkish can also be studied as a main or second subject in the joint degree of Classics and Oriental Studies. This course allows you to combine the study of an Oriental language and culture with Latin and/or Greek and the study of the ancient world.

Turkish as an additional language

Turkish may also be studied as an additional language (i.e. as a second subject) alongside Arabic or Persian, leading to a BA in Oriental Studies (Arabic) or a BA in Oriental Studies (Persian).

Further information

For further information, including entrance requirements and how to apply, please see: