English and Hebrew

English and Hebrew is an unusual but intellectually rewarding combination, linking one of the most studied literary traditions in the English-speaking world with a language that carries one of the oldest continuous literary and cultural traditions in human history. English literature trains you to read texts across a wide range of genres and historical periods with critical care, attending to language, form and the ideas and human values that literature embodies and contests. Hebrew opens a world that ranges from biblical scripture and medieval philosophy through Enlightenment thought and the development of modern spoken Hebrew to the literature and culture of contemporary Israel and the Jewish diaspora.

At the University of St Andrews this four-year MA (Hons) programme builds your proficiency in Hebrew alongside deep engagement with the English literary tradition, including a year abroad that gives you the opportunity to develop your language skills in an immersive context. You will learn to read Hebrew texts in the original, spanning ancient and modern periods, and to analyse them critically in their cultural and historical settings. The English strand develops your ability to read closely and carefully across a long sweep of literary history, building the analytical and argumentative skills that literary study demands.

The combination trains you in comparative thinking, in moving between very different textual and cultural traditions, and in the kind of intellectual flexibility that a genuinely bilingual and bicultural education produces.

Graduates of English and Hebrew are well placed for careers in academic research, teaching, translation, publishing, cultural diplomacy, journalism, heritage and cultural institutions and international organisations. The depth of cross-cultural understanding the combination develops is valued in roles that bridge different communities and traditions. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in English literature, Jewish studies, Hebrew, linguistics or a related field, and the year abroad experience is often a decisive advantage in competitive applications for graduate academic programmes.