Language is how we make sense of the world. It makes us who we are, and is fundamental to society and the communities we all live in. We’ll look at linguistics in depth and give you the chance to learn descriptive terms so you can analyse language and assess how it works. You’ll be introduced to the basic concepts and the theory of different branches of linguistics, like phonetics and morphology.

Why English Language and Linguistics?

• 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 course are in work and/or further study fifteen months after graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes 17/18, UK domiciled graduates).
• 100% of students on this course agreed that 'staff are good at explaining things' (NSS 2020).

We’ll also encourage you to study the role of language in society and how it helps humans understand things. How we acquire it, the way it changes, and the way it forms an array of ways to communicate. We’ll carry out conversation analysis, sociolinguistics and stylistics to get under the surface of the spoken or written word and understand more about what’s really going on.

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 and Linguistics 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.**