German and Czech

German and Czech, with the option of Slovak, is one of the most demanding and rewarding language combinations available at undergraduate level, placing you at a crossroads of two major European literary and cultural traditions. German is spoken by around 100 million people as a first language and is central to European intellectual, philosophical, and artistic life. Czech and Slovak are West Slavic languages with their own rich literary traditions and a history deeply entangled with the great upheavals of the twentieth century, including the Habsburg empire, communism, and the post-1989 transformations of Central Europe.

Together, these languages give you access to a part of the world that is often underestimated in Anglophone culture but is central to understanding modern Europe.

At the University of Oxford, this four-year programme requires intensive language learning from the start, taking you to a high level of reading, writing, and oral competence in both German and Czech, with Slovak available as an additional option. You will read literature in the original languages, engage with film, philosophy, history, and cultural criticism, and develop the close reading and analytical skills that Oxford's tutorial system is designed to cultivate. The extended duration of the programme reflects the substantial linguistic and cultural work required to achieve genuine fluency and critical depth in two quite different language families.

Oxford's modern languages provision is among the strongest in the world, with access to exceptional library resources, a distinguished teaching faculty, and a tradition of scholarly rigour that will challenge you throughout the degree.

Graduates of modern languages programmes from Oxford go on to careers in diplomacy, international organisations, law, finance, journalism, publishing, translation, teaching, and academia. The combination of German and Czech expertise is particularly valued in the context of European institutions, international business with Central and Eastern European markets, and academic research in Germanic and Slavic studies.