One of the oldest universities known to mankind is the University of Oxford because its history can be traced back to the year 1096. That being said, Oxford University is one of the most reputable academic institutions known all over the world.
Unlike any other university, the university is made up of 39 semi-autonomous colleges, which means that all the colleges are more or less independent/self-governing and capable of hosting their internal activities as well as meeting up to the international academic curriculum standards.
Furthermore, Oxford is very famous for operating its university museum, which happens to be one of the oldest and also has one of the world’s biggest press – the Oxford University Press.
The reason why students from across the globe aim and aspire to be a student of Oxford University is not just because of the prestigious position that it holds across the world, but also for its standard course curriculums which are rich enough to empower its students thereby qualifying them to be able to secure a leading position in their chosen fields and industry.
Below are the top 10 courses you can study at the prestigious Oxford University.
1. Philosophy
Aside from the long-term Philosophy program, they offer online, Oxford University also offers numerous philosophy short-term courses online. As for their short-term online courses, it holds in a completely virtual community that runs asynchronously, and most times, the course duration is 10 weeks while in the long term, Oxford offers a wide range of under-graduate and post-graduate courses such as seminars and high-quality tuitions in subjects that equip students with perfect graduate-level training to assist them comfortably pursue their studies at the doctorate level.
Moreover, most students of philosophy generally tend to opt for doctorate studies.
2. Modern Languages
Another course Oxford offers is Modern Languages. Interestingly, they do not just give an introduction to these languages, and probably their culture and literature, but they teach the languages extensively with practical training in the written and spoken aspects of it.
Also, Oxford allows the students these four-year interdisciplinary programs to aim to select from a wide range of subject options in its modern language learning course including philology, film and gender studies, linguistics, and finally, advanced translation.
3. Geography
The degree course Oxford offers in geography mainly focuses on the interrelationships between societies and the physical and human environment.
Geography students are introduced to a wide range of geographical topics at the early stages of the course and the students are permitted to proceed with their studies in details of a specific topic from this wide range of geographical topics given to them at the beginning.
Furthermore, the course presents its students with numerous opportunities to traverse the cross-fertilization between geography and other subjects like history, anthropology, sociology, and so on
4. English Language & Literature
Across the globe, Oxford is probably the only university to offer one of the widest curriculums in English language and literature and it’s famous in the world for its excellent English language courses and literature.
Another important fact is that it avails its students of an opportunity to study English writings from their origin in Anglo-Saxon England to date. It also offers its students along with a wide range of Britain English literature curriculums, an opportunity to study English literature emancipating from other parts and cultures of the world.
What this means is that studying literature at the University of Oxford will help you to develop extremely sophisticated reading skills, in addition to the ability to place literary texts in a broader historical context.
5. Mathematics
Aside from research degrees, Oxford’s mathematical institute offers a broad range of Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses as well. Their teaching curriculum cuts across a wide spectrum of applied and pure mathematics as well as research work in the following mathematical fields like physics, topology, logic, number theory, combinatorics, biology, algebra, analysis, modeling, geometry, networking, and numerical analysis.
6. Linguistics
Globally, Oxford is known to have one of the best course structures in linguistics. At the initial stage, students are introduced to the analysis of structure and nature of human language as well as subjects such as ‘how words and sentences are established, ‘how we hear and make sounds’, ‘how languages differ’ and lastly, ‘how languages are arranged
in our brains’.
The study of linguistics is furthered based on these topics, depending on the chosen language.
7. History
At Oxford, the History course is a bit of a lot of topics such as the examinations of large regions for a long time duration with more focused work on smaller social groups, shorter periods, and specific themes.
Students are provided with a distinct education by assisting them in developing awareness over numerous political, social, cultural, and economic structures within the previous societies and how they are connected to each other.
8. Medicine
It is very rare to find the experience you get in studying Medicine practice at Oxford elsewhere. For you to be a doctor, you should understand that it entails dealing with patients with different needs each time.
Little wonder why the course structure at Oxford gets its students ready for day-to-day life as a doctor by assisting them to understand every patient’s needs per time. Recall that doctors work round the clock to make sure that patients are safe and sound, therefore a career in medicine is quite meaningful and prestigious but it is not meant for everyone.
9. Biomedical Sciences
The Biomedical sciences courses in Oxford concentrate on how the organs, cells, and systems in our bodies function. This course cannot be underestimated when it comes to understanding and treatment of human diseases, this is why it is quite an exciting and constantly ever-changing subject of study.
The good news is that you have the opportunity to be taught by the leading experts in the industry working with other several prestigious organizations. Aside from the aforementioned advantages of studying the course in Oxford, the course also offers its students an education that is intellectually stimulating in the areas of molecular and cellular systems in biology and neuroscience.
10. Natural Sciences
There are ten departments in Oxford that cover the full spectrum of natural sciences; mathematical, physical, and life sciences inclusive. The coursework takes care of a basic research approach with jaw-dropping applied research.
The aim of these four-year interdisciplinary programs is to ensure that their students are highly skilled and train them into becoming professionals in the field.
How can you get admitted into Oxford for Undergraduate Courses?
As we stated earlier, there are 39 semi-autonomous colleges in Oxford, which offer various course curriculums and focus on their unique fields.
You must start by applying for these colleges if you want to get yourself enrolled in an Oxford University course. Another way to go about it is to go for direct in-house courses at Oxford.
After you must have made up your mind on the course and the college(s) that you wish to apply for, there are a few things that you have to ensure that they are in order:
- Your statement concerning the subject that you want to study
- You have to obtain a reference letter from your recommenders such as teachers, etc.
- You must present Standardized Test Scores like English fluency and other subject-based entrance tests
- You should have high grades/GPA in high school with special course grade requirements as regards the department you are interested
- You have to pay your application fee
Apart from the aforementioned, having good grades is a prerequisite for getting into Oxford because the school demands almost perfect grades from the applicants.
Finally, you are now aware of the 10 best courses offered by Oxford and the requirements to get into the school. With this information, you are a step away from studying your dream course at the prestigious Oxford University.