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The Taylor Institution Library
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MPhil in Modern Languages

About the course

The MPhil in Modern Languages is designed to allow those who have a high level of attainment in a foreign language, and have studied literature to a degree level, to undertake more advanced work. The course is suitable either if you wish to proceed to a research degree or if you wish to spend only two years at Oxford.

The MPhil in Modern Languages allows you to undertake advanced work in one or more languages and literatures, and as part of the faculty's dedicated comparative pathway. The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages is one of the largest centres of its kind in the world and is consistently ranked highly in the QS rankings of Modern Languages departments. You will join a research community spanning medieval studies, early modern literature and culture, through to modern and contemporary literature, film, and cultural history.

Areas of particular interest that span the faculty's different languages and period specialisms include:

  • Cognitive Literary Studies
  • Comparative Literature and Translation Studies
  • Gender and Diversity
  • Ecology and Environmental Humanities
  • Medical Humanities and Life Writing
  • Performance and Voice
  • Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies

If you wish to proceed to a research degree, the MPhil will allow you to work towards the identification of a precise thesis subject and to gather research materials. This degree is also suitable if you do not wish to proceed to a research degree, as it will enable you to build upon your undergraduate studies and to reflect on the methods of literary and cultural analysis.

Course structure

The emphasis in the MPhil course is on self-directed learning. You may choose to pursue a single language or study two literatures (including English) comparatively. You may also follow programmes in European Enlightenment, cultural studies, or medieval literatures. The course provides a general framework within which you will be encouraged, in conversation with the faculty, to develop your own programme of study. The degree comprises three components:

Special subject options

You will take three special subject options

Courses are offered across different language strands and specialisms, subject to the availability of the relevant supervisors in any particular year. Each special subject runs across one of either Michaelmas or Hilary terms, and normally involves four meetings, which, depending on student numbers, may take the form of classes or tutorials. These meetings are normally fortnightly.

Popular language-specific options include:

  • Conscience and Consciousness in French and Francophone Literature.
  • Contemporary Brazilian Fiction
  • Francophone Literature
  • Late Soviet and Post-Soviet Russian Literature
  • Latin American Cinema
  • Literature and Culture of the Berlin Republic
  • Lusophone Women Writers
  • Modern Greek Literature in Comparative Frames
  • Problems in Dante Interpretation
  • Realism and Its Alternatives in Spanish American Narrative
  • Women’s Writing in Medieval Germany

You may also study cross-linguistic comparative options including European Enlightenment, Cultural Studies, Contesting Colonialisms, and Rethinking Subjectivity: Technology, Ecology, Critique, and Fictions. Full listings and further details of courses can be found on the faculty's website.

Theoretical or methodological component

The theoretical/methodological course runs across during Michaelmas and Hilary terms, and involves a series of hour-long lectures and, depending on student numbers, either seminars or tutorials, lasting up to two hours, in which you will give presentations to your tutor/s and peers. At the end of Hilary term, you will be required to submit an essay for assessment. Students can undertake one of the following courses:

  • History of Ideas in Germany from the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Centuries
  • Key Questions in Critical Thought
  • Palaeography, History of the Book and Digital Humanities
  • Spaces of Comparison

Dissertation

You will complete a dissertation project during your second year of study.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages. The frequency of your meetings with your supervisor will vary across the year, but you will see them on average at least once a fortnight.

Assessment

For your three special subjects options, with your supervisor(s), you will select your best essay(s) to be submitted for examination. Special subject submissions may comprise of one essay, or a portfolio of two essays.

The portfolio will be jointly marked by an examiner and your special subject tutor. Should there be any substantial disagreement between the two markers, an external examiner will adjudicate. The assessor(s) will take account of the fact that the essays were written in the first two terms of your course.

You will choose one of the faculty's Methods of Criticism or Scholarship seminars, and submit an essay at the end of the second term.

Lastly, you will submit a dissertation in the final term of study.

Graduate destinations

Many MPhil students proceed to doctoral degrees at Oxford or at other universities. Other graduate destinations include teaching, journalism, law, publishing and the civil service.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made in circumstances of a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2024-25

Proven and potential academic excellence

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.

Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying. 

Degree-level qualifications

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

  • a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in the relevant modern language for your proposed study, or a similar course of academic study with substantial course components in the area of modern language to be studied.

Degree-level competence in at least one modern language is a requirement for admission.

Entrance is very competitive and most successful applicants have a high first-class degree or the equivalent.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.75 out of 4.0.

If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.

GRE General Test scores

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience

Details of any publications would be of interest to the assessors and should be included in the application.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's higher level. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.

Minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level requirement
TestMinimum overall scoreMinimum score per component
IELTS Academic (Institution code: 0713) 7.57.0

TOEFL iBT, including the 'Home Edition'

(Institution code: 0490)

110Listening: 22
Reading: 24
Speaking: 25
Writing: 24
C1 Advanced*191185
C2 Proficiency191185

*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)
Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides further information about the English language test requirement.

Declaring extenuating circumstances

If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.

References

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Supporting documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Performance at interview

Interviews are not normally held as part of the admissions process. However, MPhil candidates may be interviewed in order to clarify aspects of their application. Any interviews will be held as soon as possible after the closing date, either in person, by telephone, or via video call.

How your application is assessed

Your application will be assessed purely on your proven and potential academic excellence and other entry requirements described under that heading.

References and supporting documents submitted as part of your application, and your performance at interview (if interviews are held) will be considered as part of the assessment process. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed.

An overview of the shortlisting and selection process is provided below. Our 'After you apply' pages provide more information about how applications are assessed

Shortlisting and selection

Students are considered for shortlisting and selected for admission without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, sexual orientation, as well as other relevant circumstances including parental or caring responsibilities or social background. However, please note the following:

  • socio-economic information may be taken into account in the selection of applicants and award of scholarships for courses that are part of the University’s pilot selection procedure and for scholarships aimed at under-represented groups;
  • country of ordinary residence may be taken into account in the awarding of certain scholarships; and
  • protected characteristics may be taken into account during shortlisting for interview or the award of scholarships where the University has approved a positive action case under the Equality Act 2010.

Processing your data for shortlisting and selection

Information about processing special category data for the purposes of positive action and using your data to assess your eligibility for funding, can be found in our Postgraduate Applicant Privacy Policy.

Admissions panels and assessors

All recommendations to admit a student involve the judgement of at least two members of the academic staff with relevant experience and expertise, and must also be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or Admissions Committee (or equivalent within the department).

Admissions panels or committees will always include at least one member of academic staff who has undertaken appropriate training.

Other factors governing whether places can be offered

The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:

  • the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the About section of this page;
  • the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
  • minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.

Offer conditions for successful applications

If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our 'After you apply' pages provide more information about offers and conditions

In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:

Financial Declaration

If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a Financial Declaration in order to meet your financial condition of admission.

Disclosure of criminal convictions

In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any relevant, unspent criminal convictions before you can take up a place at Oxford.

Resources

The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at Oxford is one of the world’s leading centres for the study of European languages, literatures, and cultures and their relations with other communities and cultures around the globe. It is consistently ranked highly in the QS World University Rankings in Modern Languages. Academic staff working in the sub-faculties of French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Russian, and Slavonic offer expertise in areas ranging from the medieval period to the present day, including postcolonial and transnational contexts. In the Taylor Institution Library you will have an internationally renowned research collection at your disposal, which comprises well over 650,000 volumes, including 1,000 current periodical titles and approximately 58,000 pre-1801 titles, including 56 incunabula.

Academic activities include widespread links with universities in Europe, Africa, and the Americas, and graduate exchange links and host exchanges with lecturers from other universities take place. The faculty has an active research culture and is committed to integrating graduate students into our regular research seminars. Workshops and conferences with Oxford-based and visiting academics are regularly hosted by the faculty, which bring together students and faculty members in – and between – individual languages and disciplines. The Modern Languages Graduate Network offers academic and social opportunities for graduate students, including graduate-led seminars, and a mentoring scheme is in place to help new graduates integrate into the Oxford academic community.

The faculty engages with the Oxford University Careers Services and programmes such as the Royal Literary Fund to provide professional development and training initiatives, including teaching qualifications, a mentored Graduate Lecture Scheme for doctoral students, writing workshops, and assistance in planning for academic and non-academic careers following graduation. Our graduate students also often engage actively with other institutes such as TORCH (The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities) to gain experience in public engagement and media training.

Medieval and Modern Languages

The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at Oxford is one of the world’s leading centres for the study of multiple literatures and cultures in one of the biggest and most vibrant languages faculties in the world.

These literatures embrace over a thousand years of human experience and invention, encompass both the formation of traditions and the wildest of innovation, and offer spaces for imaginative experiments in making, shaping, and representing worlds, identities, pasts, and futures.

Our graduate students work on projects that engage with these literatures and cultures from medieval and early modern literature and culture through to modern and contemporary literature, film and cultural history, investigating literature’s ability to address the formation and, in some cases, breakdown of political, aesthetic, and racial relations. Areas of particular interest that span our different languages and period specialisms include History of the Book, Performance and Voice, Translation and Adaptation, Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies, Gender and Diversity, Ecology and Environmental Humanities, Cognitive Literary Studies, Medical Humanities and Life Writing, and Comparative Literature. As a student on one of the faculty’s one- and two-year master’s courses, you may develop a more general study programme in your chosen language or choose to focus your study on Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies, Enlightenment Studies, Medieval Literature, Slavonic Studies, or Yiddish Studies.

With academic staff working across Czech, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Slavonic, and Spanish, an internationally renowned research collection in the Taylor Institution Library, and widespread links with universities in Europe, Africa, and the Americas, our graduate programmes offer a vibrant and unique environment with supervision in medieval, early modern and contemporary literature in each language.

Funding

The University expects to be able to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across the collegiate University in 2024-25. You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships, if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the relevant December or January deadline. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential. 

For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit our dedicated Funding pages, which contain information about how to apply for Oxford scholarships requiring an additional application, details of external funding, loan schemes and other funding sources.

Please ensure that you visit individual college websites for details of any college-specific funding opportunities using the links provided on our college pages or below:

Please note that not all the colleges listed above may accept students on this course. For details of those which do, please refer to the College preference section of this page.

Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the faculty's website.

Costs

Annual fees for entry in 2024-25

Fee status

Annual Course fees

Home£14,340
Overseas£32,640

Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.

Information about course fees

Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges.

Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.

Where can I find further information about fees?

The Fees and Funding section of this website provides further information about course fees, including information about fee status and eligibility and your length of fee liability.

Additional information

There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees and living costs. However, as part of your course requirements, you may need to choose a dissertation, a project or a thesis topic. Please note that, depending on your choice of topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Living costs

In addition to your course fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the range of likely living costs for full-time study is between c. £1,345 and £1,955 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our living costs page. The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. When planning your finances for any future years of study in Oxford beyond 2024-25, it is suggested that you allow for potential increases in living expenses of around 5% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. UK inflationary increases will be kept under review and this page updated.

College preference

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs). 

If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief introduction to the college system at Oxford and our advice about expressing a college preference. For some courses, the department may have provided some additional advice below to help you decide.

The following colleges accept students on the MPhil in Modern Languages:

Before you apply

Our guide to getting started provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.

If it's important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under a December or January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance. Check the deadlines on this page and the information about deadlines in our Application Guide.

Application fee waivers

An application fee of £75 is payable per course application. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:

  • applicants from low-income countries;
  • refugees and displaced persons; 
  • UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and 
  • applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.

You are encouraged to check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver before you apply.

Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?

You are encouraged to communicate with the faculty in order to refine your application, especially where studentships are involved, using the contact details provided on this page. However, it is not a pre-requisite to an application.

Completing your application

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents.

For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document. If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application.

If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.

Referees
Three overall, of which at least two must be academic

Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.

At least two of your references should be academic; the third may be professional but it should nevertheless speak to your ability to study European language/literature.

Your references will support intellectual ability, academic achievement and motivation.

Official transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.

Statement of purpose/personal statement:
A maximum of 700 words

Your statement should be written in English and explain your motivation for applying for the course at Oxford, your relevant experience and education, and the specific areas that interest you and/or you intend to specialise in. The statement should be written with reference to the course structure of the MPhil.

If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

The statement will be assessed with reference to:

  • your reasons for applying
  • the coherence of the statement
  • evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study
  • the ability to present a reasoned case in English
  • commitment to the subject, beyond the requirements of the degree course
  • preliminary knowledge of research techniques
  • capacity for sustained and intense work
  • reasoning ability
  • the ability to absorb new ideas, often presented abstractly, at a rapid pace.

Your statement should focus on your academic qualifications to the extent that they are relevant to your academic plans, rather than on personal achievements, interests and aspirations.

Written work:
Two essays of a maximum of 2,000 words each

Academic essays or other writing samples from your most recent qualification are required. Clearly-highlighted extracts of the requisite length from longer work are also permissible. Where necessary, a cover note may be attached placing an extract in a larger context.

Work should be submitted in English or the language relevant to the proposed course of study. Submissions in other languages may be permissible after consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies, but at least one piece of written work should be in English or, if necessary, translated into English by you.

At least one piece of work should relate closely to the proposed area of study. The word count does not need to include any bibliography or brief footnotes.

If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

This will be assessed for comprehensive understanding of the subject area; understanding of problems in the area; ability to construct and defend an argument; powers of analysis; and powers of expression.

Start or continue your application

You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please refer to the requirements above and consult our Application Guide for advice. You'll find the answers to most common queries in our FAQs.

Application Guide Apply

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