Language is how we make sense of the world around us. It makes so much possible: communication, employment, relationships, even society itself. We’ll look at language and how it shapes us, giving you the chance to get a deeper understanding of what language is and how it works.

Why study English Language at Huddersfield?

• State-of-the-art facilities including a forensic linguistics lab, a research and resource centre and conference labs.
• Opportunity to take a five-week placement as part of the ‘Language in the Workplace’ module – a chance to see how the language skills you’ve learnt on the course can be applied to communication in a working environment.
• Get involved in the writing, editing and production of the popular department linguistics magazine, Babel.
• Opportunities to study a modern foreign language alongside your course through our Modern Languages Programme.
• Our team of academic staff are ranked in the top 5 in the UK for the quality of their research publications (REF 2014).
• 95% of graduates from this subject are in work and/or further study fifteen months after graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes 17/18, UK domiciled graduates).

In your first year, we aim to develop your analytic and descriptive skills to assess English language as it is written and spoken. By giving you a thorough grounding in the basics, you’ll then have the opportunity to move on to more advanced linguistic study. The aim is not just to help you become proficient in linguistic analysis, but also to give you transferable skills that will be useful in the professional environment too.

Placements

As part of the compulsory second year ‘Language in the Workplace' module you will have the chance to gain valuable experience spending 5 weeks in a work placement or work related activity. The module shows you how the language skills you aim to develop through your course can be applied to communication in the workplace.

If you’re studying full-time, this course also offers an optional one-year (48 weeks) work placement after the second year, in the UK or abroad. This will give you the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience, insight into your chosen career and open up your graduate employment prospects. Our Placement Unit and academic staff have excellent industry links and can support you in applying for and finding your placement(s), as well as during your placement year.

Some of our students have gained real-world experience in various teaching environments, in publishing houses and in marketing roles. Previous placement providers have included Maiden Voyage.Com, Kirklees Library Services, M-Four Translations, Quest Media and a range of primary and secondary schools.

Your Career

As an English Language graduate, you are valued for the advanced skills you have developed in communication, self-motivation, teamwork, analysis, creative problem solving and persuasiveness. Depending on your specialism, your career choices are as varied and exciting as your degree course.

Our graduates have gone on to a variety of careers within teaching, marketing and PR, journalism and event management. A selection of companies that have employed Huddersfield graduates in recent years include Emerald Group Publishing, Roma Publications and Crown House Publishing. Others have opted for PGCE study and have become teachers, or continued their studies at postgraduate level.**