English and Russian

English and Russian is a pairing of two of the richest literary traditions in any world language. English literature spans from Anglo-Saxon verse through the medieval, Renaissance, Romantic, Victorian, and modernist periods to the extraordinary diversity of contemporary writing in English produced across the globe today. Russian literature, from Pushkin, Gogol, and Turgenev through Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov to Bulgakov, Akhmatova, and beyond, is widely regarded as one of the greatest bodies of imaginative writing ever produced in any language, and it remains a living tradition of real contemporary vitality.

At the University of Oxford, this four-year, full-time programme combines a comprehensive span of English literature, from its origins in Anglo-Saxon through to the present day, with rigorous practical training in Russian alongside its literature, history, and thought. You will develop spoken and written proficiency in Russian to an advanced level while engaging with the full scope of its literary and intellectual traditions. The English side of the programme develops your close reading skills, critical vocabulary, and capacity for sustained literary argument across the full chronological and generic range of the discipline.

Oxford's tutorial system provides intensive, personalised intellectual engagement with both subjects. A typical entry tariff of 184 points reflects the very competitive admissions process for one of Oxford's most demanding joint degree programmes.

Graduates with English and Russian from Oxford are exceptionally well placed for careers in publishing, journalism, literary criticism, translation, academia, the foreign office, broadcasting, and any field that values the combination of linguistic breadth and analytical depth. Many graduates continue to doctoral research in English literature, Russian studies, or comparative literature, building on the dual expertise the degree provides.