German and Modern Greek

German and Modern Greek is an unusual but intellectually rich combination that connects two European languages with very different profiles but equally significant cultural traditions. German is the most widely spoken native language in the European Union, the language of Goethe, Schiller, Kafka, and Brecht, and of one of Europe's most important economies and political forces. It is a language of science, philosophy, and culture with a literary and intellectual tradition of extraordinary depth.

Modern Greek, by contrast, is spoken by around thirteen million people primarily in Greece and Cyprus, but it carries the weight of one of the oldest and most influential civilisations in human history, and its modern literature, from Cavafy and Seferis to Elytis, is of the highest quality.

At the University of Oxford, this four-year programme is taught with the depth and tutorial intensity that Oxford's model makes possible. You will develop advanced proficiency in both German and Modern Greek, reading literature in the original languages and engaging with the histories, cultures, and social contexts of the German-speaking and Greek-speaking worlds at a level of genuine scholarship. Oxford's modern languages faculty has exceptional resources for both languages, and the programme draws on active research in Germanic and Hellenic studies.

The combination invites comparative reflection on two very different national and cultural experiences within the European tradition.

Graduates with German and Modern Greek are highly unusual and valued in contexts where both languages matter, whether in business, diplomacy, journalism, cultural organisations, or academic research. Translation and interpreting, roles in European institutions, and work with Greek or German cultural bodies in Britain and internationally are all possibilities. Teaching modern languages at secondary level is another path, and many graduates pursue postgraduate study in German studies, modern Greek, comparative literature, or linguistics.

The breadth of cultural knowledge and the analytical training developed through Oxford's programme are assets in almost any profession.