MPhil in Celtic Studies

University of Oxford

The MPhil in Celtic Studies is designed to give you the opportunity to concentrate on the study of aspects of the history and culture of Celtic-speaking peoples from antiquity to the present day.

Options in language, literature and linguistics form the core of the degree, while a range of optional subjects in these areas and beyond is also available. The MPhil in Celtic Studies is suitable if you wish to proceed to a research degree or if you would like to spend only two years at Oxford on a free-standing degree.

This two-year course is normally restricted to those who have taken a first degree in a relevant subject area however, it is also suitable for students with no previous background in Celtic, but with sufficient linguistic ability to acquire grounding in Welsh and/or Irish quickly.

Course structure

You will take a core course which introduces the medieval Celtic languages through the close study of texts in class, while other areas are taught through tutorials which may be supplemented by lecture series. A weekly Celtic research seminar brings all students together with talks by invited, mainly external speakers, run jointly in collaboration with the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, Aberystwyth.

You will take one or two core options, from a choice of:

• Celtic linguistics
• Welsh literature or
• medieval Irish literature.

You will also take one or two special options, which may develop one of these areas in more depth or may be another ancient or modern Celtic language and its associated culture or may be on a historical or other relevant topic.

You will write a dissertation that typically arises out of one of the options studied and will also be required to develop a reading knowledge of a modern Celtic language which you have not previously studied at degree level.