Syriac 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 MSt in Syriac Studies is a taught course offering training in reading Syriac texts across genres and scripts, focusing on literature, history, and using research tools to prepare students for doctoral work or as a stand-alone qualification.

The course is designed to give students experience in reading and interpreting a wide range of Syriac texts, from a choice of genres and in all the major scripts, as well as a broad knowledge of Syriac literature and history, and an ability to use key research tools.

Course structure
You will choose texts to study in three subject areas.

Teaching takes the form of:

• text-classes (usually six hours per week), for which you are expected to prepare;

• seminars (usually one and a half hours per week), for which you are expected to prepare oral or written presentations on specified topics; and

• lectures on the general background of Syriac literature (normally one hour per week).

You are also encouraged to attend seminars in relevant areas. There are regular series in:

• Patristic studies;

• Late Antique and Byzantine studies;

• Armenian Studies;

• Jewish Studies in the Greco-Roman Period;

• Old Testament and New Testament;

• Ancient Near Eastern studies.