Philosophy and Modern Languages

Last updated: 2 years, 11 months ago


An interdisciplinary course with an integrated year abroad and a wide selection of study options for final honours, ranging from logic and linguistics to European cinema!

Course Resources

Here are some general resources related to Philosophy and Modern Languages.

Overview

Course Overview 🔗 This is the official PML course overview on the University of Oxford website. It includes information on course structure, entry requirements, admissions tests, and lots more!

Philosophy Course Structure 🔗 This page gives some useful details about the wide range of options for study in 2nd and 3rd year, as well as a clear description of the 1st year course. Note that most, but not all, of the papers listed are available to PML students - the course descriptions on this page should offer some clarification.

Modern Languages Course Structure 🔗 While not every language offered as a single honours at Oxford is currently available as part of PML, this page provides more detail about the specifics of each language and literature course you might be interested in. There’s a comprehensive list of the languages you can study in combination with philosophy on the page linked under the Course Overview subheading.

Alternative Prospectus 🔗 🌟
This page includes first-person student accounts of the PML experience and links to other useful course-specific info! In general, this is a great website for getting a sense of student life at Oxford.

More things to explore

Which colleges offer the course 🔗 Visit the above page to find out which colleges offer PML and what they are like!

University of Oxford Podcasts 🔗 🌟 There are free, online university lectures and seminar discussions on a wide range of subjects. The ‘General Philosophy’ series is particularly varied and engaging. This is also relevant for modern languages, but a particularly good opportunity to learn about philosophy in a serious, academic context if you’ve never studied it at school before.

Application Resources

Reading Lists 🔗 🌟 These are the reading lists for the papers that first-years take. Don’t be intimidated by how long they are; they’re intended to be worked through over the course of a full academic year, and honestly no one reads everything anyway.

FAQ 🔗 Some useful answers to common questions about the application process.

Admissions Test (MLAT) 🔗 The MLAT is currently the one and only pre-interview admissions test for PML.

MLAT past papers 🔗 You can find MLAT past papers on this page. The structure of the papers (and the kind of things being asked) don’t change very drastically from year to year, so it’s helpful to have a look at these before you sit the test. Don’t worry if it seems impossible just now, it’s designed to be a challenge and everyone else will be feeling the same way!

Guidance on written work 🔗 You will be asked to submit written work as part of your application. This page contains information about what you should send and when.

Interview advice 🔗 This is a myth-busting guide to the reality of the Oxford interview. Click to find out when they take place, what you might be asked, and what tutors are looking for.

Interview process YouTube video 🔗 🌟 This is a very clear overview of the interview process from an Oxford college’s YouTube channel.

InsideUni Philosophy and Modern Languages interview experiences 🔗 🌟 Current students talk about their interview experience, as well as sharing some tips. We’re biased, but we think they’re useful!