English and Beginners' Modern Greek

English literature and Modern Greek is a combination offered by the University of Oxford that brings together one of the most prestigious English degree programmes in the world with the opportunity to study Modern Greek from the beginning. English at Oxford involves close reading of literary texts from the medieval period to the contemporary, rigorous critical thinking, and sustained engagement with the intellectual traditions that have shaped literary study. Modern Greek opens access to the language, culture, and literature of contemporary Greece, a country whose modern identity is deeply shaped by its ancient past while also engaging with all the complexities of modern European life.

At Oxford, this four-year full-time programme allows you to pursue English at the full depth that the Oxford course demands, engaging with Old English, Middle English, and the full range of modern literature in both its historical dimensions and its critical interpretation, while simultaneously developing your Modern Greek from an ab initio level to a point of real competence. The tutorial system that characterises Oxford teaching means you will engage in sustained one-to-one or small-group discussion with specialist tutors in both subjects, developing your intellectual confidence, your capacity for independent argument, and your ability to work across different kinds of textual and cultural material.

Graduates from this combination go on to careers across a very wide range of professions, including publishing, journalism, law, education, the civil service, the arts, and international organisations. Greek language knowledge opens additional doors in diplomatic and cultural contexts involving Greece and Cyprus, as well as in classical scholarship for those who wish to move from Modern to Ancient Greek. Many Oxford English graduates go on to postgraduate study in English, comparative literature, or creative writing, and some pursue academic careers in these fields.