Bachelor of Arts - Modern Languages and Linguistics (RQ91)

Explore both the theoretical aspects of language, and acquire the practical ability to speak another language. Any understanding of language enhances self-awareness, inspiring people to address fundamental questions about communication between human beings. Linguistics is an increasingly important subject, impacting on areas in psychology, philosophy, education and artificial intelligence. It has real-world applications in such diverse fields as human rights, computer-assisted language learning, and the study of institutional language in settings like doctor-patient interactions, interviewer-interviewee dialogues, and courtroom exchanges. Students will explore a wide range of core topics in linguistics, mastering key concepts in phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics.

Students also study up to two of the languages offered at Essex: French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, completing at least one language to Mastery level. Each of these languages is widely used in the business world, and can take students to a level of near-fluency, and so many of the graduates go on to develop successful global careers with international firms looking for language specialists.

Essex is a place where talented students become part of an academic community in which the majority of research is rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, placing Essex firmly within the top 10 departments in the UK and ranked among the top 150 departments on the planet according to the QS World [University] Rankings [2019] for linguistics.

Companies and organizations in the UK and abroad are struggling to find university graduates who are fluent in at least one other language, apart from English. Being an Essex modern languages graduate places students in a very advantageous position. They will be able to speak and write fluently, or to a very competent standard, in up to two languages. Language skills are in scarce supply and can be used in almost any job.

Graduates become teachers, translators, administrators and journalists. Their valued language skills have enabled them to work in diverse fields including banking, entertainment, media, education and tourism, as well as for a host of UK and international companies. In particular, a degree in modern languages lends itself to a career in education, translation, interpretation, trade, PR, communications, immigration or diplomacy.