English Language and Linguistics BA (Hons)

**This is a Connected Degree**<br/><br/>Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after youve started your course.<br/><br/>**Overview**<br/><br/>Language shapes our experience of the world – from our social and emotional lives, to our experience of society, work, politics and culture. Immerse yourself in the nature of spoken and written language, and how its used in everything from digital communication to forensic investigation.<br/><br/>Youll study how language works, including the relationships between language, the mind, and society, and how language varies through time, place, culture and identity. Youll explore the different ways people use language and what they use it for. Discover methods for analysing spoken and written language, how we learn language and how we teach it.<br/><br/>Youll develop sought-after skills including communication, creativity and critical thinking. Youll be taught by expert researchers and study alongside students within the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics – bringing opportunities to learn from the latest research and build intercultural relationships.<br/><br/>**Course highlights**<br/><br/><br/>- Discover how the use of language affects perceptions of important contemporary issues, such as gender, sexuality, education and globalisation<br/><br/><br/>- Learn the linguistic skills to spot how language persuades and prejudices people – from what drives social movements on social media, to relationships in the workplace<br/><br/><br/>- Develop the skills employers want, including analysis, criticism, negotiation, argument and problem solving<br/><br/><br/>- Tailor your degree to suit your career ambitions, including options that equip you to work internationally, such as intercultural communication and teaching English as a second language<br/><br/><br/>- Learn from dedicated, expert researchers from the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics<br/><br/><br/>- Have the opportunity to build skills in ‘corpus linguistics’ analysis – essential skills in a world where working with big data is the future<br/><br/><br/>You can choose to customise your degree depending on your interests and ambitions, by specialising in English literature or teaching English as a foreign language.<br/><br/>**Careers and opportunities**<br/><br/>You’ll graduate with specialist expertise in language and linguistics, plus sought-after employability skills including:<br/><br/><br/>- analytical techniques and reasoning<br/><br/><br/>- communicating clearly to diverse audiences<br/><br/><br/>- data collection and interpretation<br/><br/><br/>- developing persuasive, evidence-based arguments<br/><br/><br/>- problem solving <br/><br/><br/>If you decide to pursue a career that’s closely related to your studies, you could apply for jobs in writing, editing or publishing. Or employ your research and analysis skills to go on to postgraduate study, in areas such as speech therapy, communication studies, law and marketing.<br/><br/>Further study in forensic linguistics could open up possible careers in law enforcement, criminal justice or legal firms. You could also develop your linguistic talents to work as a speech therapist or train actors to master different dialects.<br/><br/>You could work in any of the following areas:<br/><br/><br/>- advertising<br/><br/><br/>- education<br/><br/><br/>- communication<br/><br/><br/>- media<br/><br/><br/>- marketing<br/><br/><br/>- publishing<br/><br/><br/>- technical writing<br/><br/><br/>- teaching English<br/><br/><br/>Graduate destinations<br/><br/>Previous graduates have gone onto further training and work in various fields, including:<br/><br/><br/>- accountancy<br/><br/><br/>- the armed forces and police<br/><br/><br/>- banking<br/><br/><br/>- research<br/><br/><br/>- journalism<br/><br/><br/>- law<br/><br/><br/>- local government<br/><br/><br/>- health services<br/><br/><br/>- public relations and marketing<br/><br/><br/>- publishing<br/><br/><br/>- speech and language therapy<br/><br/><br/>- teaching<br/><br/><br/>After you leave the University, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.

If you apply through Clearing, you'll be offered a guaranteed room in halls if you accept your offer within 24 hours of receiving it and apply for accommodation as a new full-time undergraduate student by 9am on 20 August 2025.<br/><br/>Sign up for Priority Clearing to get accommodation information straight to your inbox as well as access to Portsmouth's Clearing Visit Day on Thursday 7th August. Priority Clearing applicants will jump the queue on Results Day, get exclusive Clearing updates, invites to Portsmouth Prepare for Clearing Webinars and one-to-one application support.<br/><br/>Through the open day, students can get a feel for Portsmouth's welcoming campus and community before joining the university. With guaranteed accommodation, they can rest easy and ensure they are in the heart of the student community.