German and Beginners' Portuguese

German and Portuguese at Oxford offers a striking combination: the language of one of Europe's most powerful economies and intellectual traditions, and the global language of Brazil and Portugal, spoken by more than 250 million people across four continents. German opens access to the philosophy, literature, music, and science of a culture that has shaped Western civilisation profoundly, and to a country at the centre of European political and economic affairs. Portuguese opens access to Brazil's extraordinary cultural and economic dynamism, to Portugal's Atlantic heritage, and to the Lusophone world of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

This four-year full-time programme at Oxford is designed for students who have no prior knowledge of Portuguese: the language is taught from scratch, and the programme takes you to a high level of proficiency through intensive study and time abroad. The German strand draws on Oxford's distinguished tradition in German studies, where literature, history, philosophy, and cultural studies are treated with equal seriousness alongside language development. Oxford's tutorial system means you will receive intensive, personalised academic attention throughout, and the breadth of materials you will study in both languages is exceptional.

Graduates from this programme pursue careers in international business and trade, diplomacy and international organisations, journalism, translation, the law, and academia. Germany and Brazil are both major economic powers, and graduates with genuine linguistic competence in both German and Portuguese are genuinely rare and valued in roles that connect European and Latin American markets or organisations. Postgraduate options include German studies, Luso-Brazilian studies, European studies, international relations, translation studies, and law, and the research skills and linguistic depth developed at Oxford provide an excellent foundation for doctoral study in any of these fields.