Russian and Turkish

Russian and Turkish at Oxford belongs to the European and Middle Eastern Languages (EMEL) course, a programme designed to combine the study of a European language with one of the major languages of the Middle East. Russian is the most widely spoken Slavic language, the language of Russia and used across much of the former Soviet space, and it carries one of the great literary and intellectual traditions of the modern world. Turkish is a major Turkic language spoken by tens of millions of people across Turkey and Central Asia, the language of a society at the crossroads of European and Middle Eastern civilisation.

At the University of Oxford, this four-year full-time programme allows you to develop substantial competence in both languages alongside the cultural, historical, and literary study that gives those languages depth and meaning. The EMEL framework recognises that Russian and Turkish, like many pairings of European and Middle Eastern languages, share cultural and historical connections that make studying them together intellectually enriching: the history of the Ottoman and Russian empires, the interactions between the Turkic and Slavic worlds, and the contemporary geopolitics of Eurasia all gain from a perspective that bridges both traditions. You will study literature, history, film, and ideas in both languages, developing the analytical precision and cultural literacy that Oxford language education demands.

Graduates of this unusual combination are well placed for careers in diplomacy, intelligence, international organisations, journalism, academic research, translation, and any professional context concerned with Russia, Turkey, or the broader Eurasian sphere. The combination of Russian and Turkish is genuinely rare in the job market, and that rarity has significant professional value in government, security studies, and international business. Postgraduate study in Russian studies, Turkish studies, Central Asian studies, or international relations is a natural route for those who wish to develop their expertise further.