French and Hebrew

French and Hebrew is a distinctive and intellectually rich language combination offered at the University of Oxford, bringing together one of the world's most widely studied European languages with a language of unique historical depth and contemporary significance. French opens access to the literature, philosophy, history, and culture of France and the francophone world, from medieval lyric poetry and the Enlightenment to the twentieth-century novel and contemporary critical theory. Hebrew gives you access both to the sacred texts of the Jewish tradition, including the Hebrew Bible and centuries of rabbinic literature, and to the living language of modern Israel, one of the remarkable achievements of linguistic revival in modern history.

At Oxford, this four-year full-time programme takes you to an advanced level in both languages while also immersing you in the literary, cultural, and historical traditions each language carries. In French, you will engage with the full sweep of French literary and intellectual history alongside modern language study. In Hebrew, you will develop competence in the modern language while also encountering the classical and biblical forms that give Hebrew its unique dual character as both an ancient and a living language.

The Oxford tutorial system provides sustained intellectual engagement with specialists in both fields, and the combination produces a uniquely breadth and depth of linguistic and cultural knowledge.

Graduates from French and Hebrew programmes at Oxford go on to careers in diplomacy and the foreign service, the European institutions, journalism, translation and interpreting, academia, publishing, cultural organisations, and international business. The combination is particularly valued in contexts involving French-Jewish history and culture, Israeli studies, or Middle Eastern international affairs. Many graduates continue to postgraduate research in French, Hebrew, or Jewish studies, and some pursue academic careers in these fields.