History and Modern Languages

About the course

A degree course in History and Modern Languages with us is an exciting way to explore language, culture and history from across the globe, and to develop skills that will open a wide range of career opportunities.

The course is an excellent way to combine the study of a single European language with a broader humanities education. In studying History and Modern Languages, you can call on the forensic literary skills of a linguist in interrogating historical documents. You can also draw on your understanding of political, social and economic developments to enrich your engagement with literature, film and other culture.

Our course is celebrated for its wide scope and the enormous amount of choice offered. In History you can study options on any part of British and European history from the declining years of the Roman Empire to the present day. You can also take options on North American, Latin American, Asian and African history.

In modern languages, as well as developing a high level of fluency and confidence in your language, you can study its thought and literature from medieval times right up to the present day, as well as twentieth- and twenty-first-century cinema.

Your studies can take you wherever your language is spoken, including post-colonial nations from Algeria to Argentina, perhaps inspiring you to explore some of them in person during the course’s year abroad.

Throughout the course you are encouraged to follow your interests, drawing connections between the history and modern languages sides of the course wherever and whenever is most fascinating to you. That includes the final-year dissertation project, which brings history and modern languages together in a combined study of a topic of your choice.

Oxford has a rich environment for the study of history and modern languages with teaching often led by world-leading experts, vast library resources, language training and overseas contacts. Undergraduate students have access to the Taylor Institution Library, the biggest research library in Britain devoted to modern languages. Our undergraduate students also have access to the History Faculty Library housed in the Radcliffe Camera.

The University’s well-equipped Language Centre has resources specifically tailored to the needs of History and Modern Languages students. Our students use the skills they have developed with us to build successful careers in such diverse fields as business, journalism, international relations and the creative industries.

International opportunities

History and Modern Languages students spend a compulsory year abroad, usually in the third year. 

Opportunities for the year abroad include (but aren’t restricted to):

• working as a paid language assistant in a school;
• undertaking an internship;
• and/or studying at a University.

These all provide valuable experiences for improving language competence.

The University is working with European partners to maintain the opportunities available to its students post-Brexit. University exchanges, language assistantships and work placements continue to be available as opportunities for your year abroad.

Funding during the year abroad

Some year abroad activities provide a salary, and other year-abroad funding is available from a variety of sources. Actual costs (such as course fees) and living costs will vary depending on the destination and the activity undertaken.

Some of the costs relating to year abroad activity may be subject to variation in the post-Brexit era. Visit the dedicated Study Abroad webpage for the latest information. You will need to pay for living costs during the year abroad, including accommodation and travel expenses, and there may be costs relating to visa requirements for travel.

UK students from lower-income households with means-tested assessments will remain eligible for Oxford’s generous bursary provision. Travel grants may be available through your college and/or the Modern Languages Faculty. For students who experience particular difficulties related to their year abroad, some hardship funds are also available from the Faculty. For UK students with a shortfall in their finances, the University’s Student Support Fund may also provide additional assistance.

Academic requirements

Wherever possible, your grades are considered in the context in which they have been achieved.

Read further information on how we use contextual data.

Subject requirements

Applying

All candidates must follow the application procedure as shown on our Applying to Oxford pages.

The following information gives specific details for students applying for this course.

Admissions test

Most candidates must take the Modern Languages Admissions Test (MLAT) as part of their application. Candidates for History and Modern Languages with a Beginners’ Language do not need to sit the MLAT.

All the information you need to arrange to take your test as well as how best to prepare can be found on your test page.

There is no admissions test for History in 2025.

Written work

Visit our written work page for general guidance and to download the cover sheet. 

What are tutors looking for?

Tutors are looking for intellectual curiosity, your capacity for independent thought and ability to relate and conceptualise ideas, as well as a flexible approach to engaging with unfamiliar concepts or arguments and your oral competence in the language.

If you are shortlisted, you may be asked to discuss your submitted written work and personal statement during your interview(s). Candidates may also be asked to read and talk about a short text in English and/or the modern language as part of the interview.

View the selection criteria for History and the selection criteria for Modern Languages for more details.

Fees

Additional Fees and Charges Information for History and Modern Languages