The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge are the most famous universities in the UK; they are both extremely prestigious and notoriously difficult to gain admittance to, resulting in driven, competitive, and aspirational students and graduates.

To support students applying to these universities, we are publishing a series of articles on the admissions and applications process required, the courses available, and the universities themselves. In this article, we discuss courses for the humanities and how they are studied at the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge.

The Humanities at Oxford and Cambridge

Applying for an undergraduate degree to study one of the humanities at Oxford or Cambridge will require that you have achieved (or are predicted to achieve) excellent school grades in specific subjects related to your course. These will be detailed in the admission requirements on the relevant course page.

Each course in the humanities at Oxbridge will offer scope to customise your studies to your interests. The University of Oxford offers a greater range of courses, not included in the list below, through combining subjects with one another e.g. Classics and English. The University of Cambridge has a smaller selection of courses for the humanities but allows for greater depth in these subjects e.g. Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic.

The scope and depth possible in a humanity course at Oxford or Cambridge means you will be able to study exactly what appeals to you most. However, we strongly recommend researching the courses available at both; this will ensure that you fully understand why the topics of one degree are more appealing to you than the topics of another humanity degree.

Regarding studying languages at the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge, these courses are taught holistically, such that you learn the language and gain a cultural and historical appreciation of the language.

Oxford has the largest Classics Faculty with outstanding teaching, library and museum resources, including the Sackler and Bodleian Libraries, the Ashmolean Museum and a designated Classics Centre. The Faculty of Classics at Cambridge also has an exceptional reputation for teaching and research with a well-stocked library and the Cambridge Museum of Classical Archaeology.

However, regardless of which course you choose, both universities have an excellent set of resources and experienced lecturers, meaning students are never limited in their achievement by anything other than motivation and perseverance. Both Oxford and Cambridge offer an opportunity to study the humanity subjects listed below:

• Philosophy

• Philosophy and Theology

• Classics

• English Language and Literature

• Music

Oxford and Cambridge also offer different courses in the humanities which are available for study at one university but not the other. Understanding which courses are on offer for your field of interest at each university is essential when considering which university to apply to. Below you can find a summary of courses in the humanities which are exclusive to either Oxford or Cambridge.

Humanities at Oxford

• European and Middle Eastern Languages

• Fine Art

• Modern Languages

• Philosophy and Modern Languages

Humanities at Cambridge

• Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic

• Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

• Education

• Linguistics

• Modern and Medieval Languages

To prepare your application for a course at Oxford or Cambridge, it is highly recommended to develop academic projects and achievements in your chosen field; these will hone your research and scientific skills as well as document your pursuit of knowledge. A selection of projects we have supported students to complete in the humanities is listed below:

• Morality and the Law

• Representations of Venus through the Ages

• Overcoming Cultural Differences between East and West

For more advice or for a free personalised application plan, contact our team at info@libraeducation.co.uk.

We hope that this article will provide you with greater preparation for your application to study at the University of Cambridge or the University of Oxford. We wish you success in the next stage of your academic career.