BA (Hons) English Language and Linguistics
University of Hertfordshire
Key Information
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Campus location
Hatfield, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 6 years
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
GBP 13,450 *
Application deadline
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Earliest start date
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* international students full time, part time £1680 per 15 credits / UK students full time £9250, part time £1155 per 15 credits / EU students full time £13450, part time £1680 per 15 credits
Scholarships
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Introduction
"Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, examinations may be replaced by an alternative form of assessment during the academic year 2021/2022. Please refer to the Programme Specification on these pages for further details."
Why choose this course?
Have you ever wondered why humans talk but animals can’t? Or where language comes from? You’ll find out in our English Language and Linguistics course. If you want to learn more about how languages are learnt, how people use the language both face to face as well as in social media, and why the way we speak says so much about us – this might just be the course for you. You’ll explore why some words are considered ‘bad’ and others ‘polite’. You can also opt to study how our brain processes language and how children learn to talk. The course combines the scientific study of language with theories about communication, gender and language in context.
At Herts, you’ll follow a flexible programme, which allows you to choose some of your modules. These range from forensic and clinical linguistics to child language and language and gender. We have our own eye-tracking suite, which you can use for experiments. You’ll look at language databases, real-life transcripts and recordings, as well as developing research skills. You’ll take part in workshops, discussions, and interactive sessions. We are proud of our TEF Gold rating, which recognises a high standard of teaching and support.
Some of our graduates have pursued careers in education, business and marketing. Others have gone on to teach overseas or study speech-language therapy and psychology. After your second year, you have the option to study abroad or work for a year. This prepares you for the workplace when you finish your studies. If you prefer to go straight to your third year, but still want work experience, we can help you with this as well. There are plenty of ways to get involved in our clubs, societies and student media teams. This means you will leave us with academic and research skills, as well as valuable experience to impress employers.
What's the course about?
In your first year, you will learn about the building blocks of language. Think about grammar, speech sounds and dialects. You’ll study communication and interaction, language in the media and you’ll investigate how to analyse language data.
In your second year, you will build on the first-year modules. You’ll look in more depth at how we produce speech sounds, how a sentence is built and how languages differ. You will choose from a range of optional modules, giving you the chance to specialise in your field of interest. You can take forensic and psycholinguistic modules, look at research methods and even learn about English language teaching. You can also take a subject-specific careers module and get some relevant work experience. We offer a career development module in your second year that will equip you to take up an English Language teaching work placement, whether teaching phonics to primary school pupils or at a special needs school or volunteering at the Stroke Association. You may also shadow speech and language therapists or help with specialist language teaching in a sixth form college.
Work placement/study abroad option: Between your second and final year, you’ll have the option to study abroad or do a work placement for up to a year. Not only will this give you an amazing experience to talk about but will also give your CV a boost. If you’d rather go straight to your final year, that’s absolutely fine too.
In your final year, all modules are optional. This means you can choose whichever you like, leaving you free to focus on what interests you. For example, can do clinical linguistics, design your own research project and look at the social aspects of language, as well as explore collections of spoken or written language data.
Your main campus is de Havilland
You’ll share this campus with students from business, law, sport, education, and humanities subjects. The student housing is close to our Sports Village which includes a gym, swimming pool and climbing wall. You can get breakfast, lunch, or dinner in our on-campus restaurant or bar (in the newly built Enterprise Hub) on days you don’t feel like cooking. You can also use the common room to play pool, video games or just to hang out with friends. Our Learning Resources Centres are open 24/7, which means you can study whenever suits you best. Want to pop over to the other campus? You can take the free shuttle bus or walk there in just 15 minutes.
This course includes the options of:
- Work placement
- Study abroad
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Curriculum
What will I study?
Degree programmes are structured into levels, 4, 5, and 6. These correspond to your first, second, and third/final year of study. Below you can see what modules you’ll be studying in each.
Level 4
- Language and Mind II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Communication, Interaction, Context II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- English Language in Use II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Language in the Media II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Investigating Language II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- History of the English Language II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Introduction to English Linguistics 1 II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Introduction to English Linguistics 2 II 15 Credits II Compulsory
Level 5
- English Grammar II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Sounds of English II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Graduate Skills II 0 Credits II Compulsory
- Learning and Teaching Language 2 II 15 Credits II Optional
- Language and Species II 15 Credits II Optional
- Language in Society II 15 Credits II Optional
- Forensic Linguistics II 15 Credits II Optional
- Language Competencies in Career Development II 15 Credits II Optional
- History of the English Language II 15 Credits II Optional
- Research Methods in English Language & Communication II 15 Credits II Optional
- Learning and Teaching Language 1 II 15 Credits II Optional
Level 6
- Child Language & Communication II 15 Credits II Optional
- Clinical Linguistics II 15 Credits II Optional
- Language & Communication Project II 30 Credits II Optional
- Language Processing II 15 Credits II Optional
- Communication and Cultures II 15 Credits II Optional
- Meaning and Context II 15 Credits II Optional
- Chunky Language: Investigating Formulaic Sequences II 15 Credits II Optional
- Gender in Language and Communication II 15 Credits II Optional
- Global Englishes II 15 Credits II Optional
- Corpus-based Studies in English Language II 15 Credits II Optional
Study abroad
An opportunity for an amazing experience, which will help make you stand out from the crowd. With more and more companies working internationally, the experience of living in another country can make a great impression on future employers.
This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a sandwich year abroad. The University has partnerships with over 150 universities around the world, including the USA, Canada, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and closer to home in Europe.
If you study abroad between your second and third year of study, you’ll pay no tuition fee to the partner university and no tuition fee to us either. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.
Work placement
Graduate with invaluable work experience alongside your degree and stand out from the crowd.
This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a work placement sandwich year. It’s a chance to explore career possibilities, make valuable contacts and gain sought-after professional skills.
Our dedicated Careers and Employment team are here to help guide you through the process.
If you take up a work placement between your second and third year of study, at the University of Hertfordshire you’ll pay no tuition fee for this year. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.
What if I need support?
You might also want or need extra support during your time with us. Rest assured, no matter what you study, we’ve got you covered. For help with study skills, including referencing, essay writing, and presentations, you’ll have access to our academic support services. You can attend workshops, 1-to-1 sessions, and online tutorials. Both our Learning Resources Centres run drop-in study skills sessions. And the best thing is, it’s all free.
Program Tuition Fee
English Language Requirements
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