Yiddish Studies (Taught)

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2025). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.

The Master of Studies in Yiddish Studies is a taught course exploring Yiddish language, literature, and culture, including modern literature, language history, and special topics, with a dissertation component.

Course structure
The MSt in Yiddish Studies offers a variety of subjects central to the linguistic, literary and socio-cultural history of pre-modern and modern Ashkenazic (Yiddish-speaking) society. The degree comprises a paper in modern Yiddish literature, a paper in the history of the Yiddish language, an option paper and a dissertation.

The MSt in Yiddish Studies provides an appropriate introduction for you if you are contemplating higher research in a DPhil or PhD programme in this area. Personalised and small-group teaching will equip you with a range of transferable skills and give you an opportunity to develop your particular interests. Both compulsory papers are taught in six tutorials, while the teaching for the option paper will be in tutorials or seminars (depending on the option). You will be expected to undertake a significant amount of self-directed learning in your own time, building on the information provided in the teaching sessions and preparing your formative and summative assessments.

The faculty has many links with universities in Europe, Africa, and the Americas, There is an active research culture and we are committed to integrating graduate students into research seminars. The faculty hosts workshops and conferences with Oxford-based and visiting academics, which bring together students and faculty members in – and between – individual languages and disciplines. The Modern Languages Graduate Network offers academic and social opportunities for graduate students, including graduate-led seminars and an annual graduate conference.