Classical Hebrew Studies MSt

L0063612 Hebrew manuscript A.36 Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images

The MSt in Classical Hebrew Studies lasts for one teaching year, namely from October to June. While it is a master’s degree in its own right, and may be taken by those with no future study plans beyond that point, it is designed especially for those with a basic knowledge of Biblical Hebrew (perhaps learned as part of a Theological or Biblical Studies degree) who wish to extend and deepen their linguistic and textual competence as a preparation for research.

You will take two compulsory papers, one on biblical texts and the other on history and literature. You will also choose two others on such subjects as Hebrew language, textual criticism, epigraphy, Aramaic, and Dead Sea Scrolls.

Within these constraints, the course offers considerable flexibility to suit your individual interests and needs. For instance, the texts selected for study can be varied from year to year, while the optional papers may, with permission, be on any relevant subject. A substantial part of the course may therefore be directed towards a possible future research topic.

The teaching takes two main forms. Firstly, there are classes on the specified texts and on advanced Hebrew language throughout the year, which you are strongly recommended to attend as a matter of priority. There may also be classes on your optional subjects, depending on what they are (Aramaic, for instance, is taught in this way). Secondly, you will receive individual supervision, usually for an hour each week, for which you are expected to prepare written work on the basis of recommended reading. Teaching for such subjects as history and literature is wholly conducted in this way, while you will also be given practice in the proper way in which to answer questions on specified texts.

During the course there are two vacations of six weeks each, during which you will be expected to keep working full time, with modest breaks for Christmas and Easter. You will be given guidance about specific projects to be tackled, but will be advised to go back over the texts and other topics studied in the previous term in order to consolidate with wider reading, filling in gaps, and so on. It is also helpful, if you are in a position to do so, to undertake preparatory work during the summer before you begin. If you have the opportunity to discuss with your potential teachers at least some of the texts that you hope to study, you will find that you derive far more benefit from the classes if you have been able to prepare them as far as you are able in advance.

Numbers of students on the course are very small (1–2 per year) and so teaching is tailored according to the needs and interests of individual students. Classes are sometimes shared with those on other similar courses, and there are also seminars covering wider subject areas that students on this course are encouraged to attend.

Asian and Middle Eastern studies graduates have found employment in many diverse fields including business, finance law, civil service, journalism, government and industry.

Many graduates have also undertaken further research into subjects linked with Asian and Middle Eastern studies and have pursued successful careers in the academic world, education and in museums.

Assessment

You will sit two compulsory examinations (one on prepared and unprepared Biblical texts and the other on history and literature) and two further examinations for the two optional papers. 

Further information on the course, and the examination process, can be found in the course handbook here (information is current for the academic year of publication).

Resources

Oxford is an important centre for Hebrew and Jewish studies and has been since the sixteenth century. Students come from all over the world for both undergraduate and graduate studies, and there are unrivalled collections of Hebrew and Yiddish manuscripts and printed books in the Bodleian Library. You will also be able to use the Nizami Ganjavi Library at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and the Leopold Muller Memorial Library. Adjacent to the Faculty is the Ashmolean Museum, which houses superb collections.

In addition to this, there are a number of other specialist library collections in Oxford that focus on Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, such as:

The Art, Archaeology and Ancient World Library includes the principal library for Egyptology and ancient Near Eastern Studies. The Khalili Research Centre is the University of Oxford's centre for research and teaching in the art and material culture of the Islamic societies of the Middle East and of non-Muslim members and neighbours

You will have access to the University's centrally provided electronic resources, the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies' IT Officer, and other bibliographic, archive or material sources as appropriate to the topic. There is a computing room for the use of graduate students in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, as well as a common room where tea and coffee are available and staff and students can meet.

Sources of funding

Applications received for this course by the January deadline will also be considered for funding if applications meet the eligibility criteria. Please use the University's fees, funding and scholarship search tool to find what funding you may be eligible for.

The Faculty has a number of scholarships and funding opportunities across a wide range of subjects. Please see here for a list of these opportunities.