Discover how societies communicate and how language shapes our experience of the world around us. Linguistics equips you to engage with complex questions about meaning, communication and human behaviour.
Develop your technical knowledge of language, how it works, and how it is analysed and classified, then use this to understand how language is used in the world around us.
Phonetics and Phonology is one of my favourite modules, particularly exploring the IPA chart and producing different speech sounds in lectures. During my shadowing experience at a speech and language therapy clinic, I was told by a therapist how the IPA is used to accurately transcribe typical and disordered speech in assessments, reinforcing how essential these skills are for my future career in speech and language therapy.
Approach your degree from another perspective with our BA Liberal Arts programme. This may offer you an alternative way to study modules in your preferred subject areas.
By choosing Birmingham, you'll be joining the Daily Mail University of the Year 2027.
With outstanding graduate employability outcomes and high student satisfaction just two of the reasons for our success, there has never been a better time to be join us.
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Globally for Linguistics
QS World Subject Rankings 2026
Choose from specialist areas like psycholinguistics, discourse analysis, sociolinguistics and specific topics like authorship analysis, language and AI and language in social media or business.
Language underpins everyone’s lives and our academics scientific study of language is helping inform education, health and social justice worldwide.
Newspaper Editors and Society Vice Presidents, our English Language students are living their best lives…
From podcasting to brain monitoring, our state-of-the-art facilities empower our students to create, perform, collaborate and explore in new and exciting ways.
Hear more about studying at Birmingham. Chat to one of our friendly students to find out more about your favourite course, our beautiful campus and life in our vibrant and cultural city.
Study at the University of Birmingham and learn from world-class experts — leaders in global teaching and research experience.
At Birmingham, you’ll have plenty of support to help you adjust to university life:
Your degree is designed to help you achieve 120 credits per year, which equals about 40 hours of learning each week. This includes lectures, seminars, workshops, independent study, revision, and assessments.
You’ll be assessed in different ways to suit each module. At the start of a module, you’ll be told how and when you’ll be assessed. Methods will vary but may include coursework (e.g., essays), group or individual presentations and projects, exams, reports or computer-based assignments.
Feedback: You will receive timely feedback on each assessment, so you can learn from it and improve your performance in future assessments.
The modules listed for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods.
The optional module information listed for this programme is intended to be indicative, and the availability of optional modules may vary from year to year. Where a module is no longer available, we will let you know as soon as we can and help you to make other choices.
2026/27 Session
The following must be taken:
You can also apply for a semester abroad in your second year; see the Year Abroad section below for more details.
2027/28 Session
The following must be taken:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Professional Research Skills for Linguists | 20 |
| The Structure of English | 20 |
Students must choose two optional modules per semester.
English Language modules:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Data Skills for the Digital World | 20 |
| Discourse Analysis | 20 |
| History of the English Language | 20 |
| Language Education and Literacy | 20 |
| Psycholinguistics | 20 |
| Sociolinguistics | 20 |
| Stylistics | 20 |
You can also apply for a semester abroad in your second year; see the Year Abroad section below for more details.
2028/29 Session
The following must be taken:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Language Dissertation | 40 |
Students must choose two option modules per semester.
English Language modules:
Students may also apply to undertake a Professional Skills module at level H. If successful this will be taken in place of one of their semester 1 taught modules. The placement can be taken either during the summer vacation (part-time or full-time) or during semester 1 (part-time only). The placement must be completed prior to the Christmas vacation.
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Professional Skills | 20 |
| Professional Skills - Freelance | 20 |
The Professional Skills Module allows students to take part in an internship that they can apply for from a bank of placements provided by the college, or an internship that they land by themselves externally, as a means of promoting hands-on learning.
In the College of Arts and Law, we're committed to helping you become career-ready. With our intercalated options, we offer undergraduate students the opportunity to take an additional year and dive into industry, language and more.
To secure a place at Birmingham, you'll need to meet our general entry requirements as well as those specific to your course.
ABB - see below for full requirements.
6,5,5 - 32 points overall.
BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM plus a B at A level.
Number of A levels required: 3
ABB with at least one A level in English Language, English Literature, English Language and Literature, a Modern Foreign Language, Psychology, Sociology, History, Geography, Philosophy, Law, Religious Studies, Media Studies, Business Studies, Computing/Computer Science, Classical Civilisation, Classics, Politics, Mathematics, Anthropology, Biology.
Applicants who take the EPQ and meet our offer criteria will be made the typical offer for their programme of choice, plus an alternative offer which will be one grade lower plus a grade B in the EPQ. This offer would apply if you make Birmingham your firm choice.
Applicants who take the Core Maths qualification and meet our offer criteria will be made the typical offer for their programme of choice, plus an alternative offer which will be one grade lower plus a grade B in Core Maths. If you are also taking A-level Maths, you will not be eligible for an alternative offer through studying Core Maths. This offer would apply if you make Birmingham your firm choice.
Applicants who have achieved (or who will achieve) any level 3 graded examination in music performance at grade 8 or above (e.g. ABRSM, Rockschool, Trinity College London) and outline that on their UCAS application will be made the typical offer for their programme of choice, plus an alternative offer which will be one grade lower plus the Music qualification. This alternative offer would apply if you make Birmingham your firm choice.
Applicants who play sport at county level or above will be made the typical offer for their programme of choice, plus an alternative offer which will be one grade lower. This alternative offer would apply if you make Birmingham your firm choice. If you have already received a one grade reduction through one of our performance athlete schemes (e.g. our Elite Dual Career Athlete Pathway programme), then you will not receive an additional reduction - we will apply a maximum one grade reduction on an offer.
If you are an international student, you will need to demonstrate you have a suitable level of English proficiency, usually through the form of an IELTS or equivalent qualification or a Presessional English course.
If you have a conditional offer for Birmingham where English is a requirement, you can take a Presessional English course as an alternative to retaking IELTS or a similar qualification. We offer on-campus courses all year round starting from September, including additional online courses in the summer term. Teaching takes place in small classes with no more than 18 students to maximise class participation.
The University tuition fee covers the cost of your tuition, examination and graduation, and includes membership of the Guild of Students.
To be confirmed
To help with the cost of studies, undergraduate students from the UK can apply for student finance through the Student Loans Company. The support available is made up of a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan which helps to cover living costs.
At Birmingham, we believe that financial worries should not be a barrier to accessing higher education. That’s why we offer a range of additional financial support for students through scholarships, bursaries and other awards.
If you're a UK student and starting university in September 2026, find out more about what financial support is available to you.
We want to help you reach your full potential. Explore our wide variety of scholarships available for international students.
Whatever your journey to university looks like, we’re here to support you every step of the way. For all undergraduate courses at Birmingham, you apply online through UCAS. The UCAS website has lots of information and advice around the process.
Application deadline for September 2027 entry to be confirmed.
View further information on how to apply for undergraduate courses, including advice for UK and overseas applicants.
If you have a question about our admissions process, including how to apply, your offer and how to track your application, please speak to our team.
Studying a degree in the department of Linguistics and Communications at Birmingham is an unparalleled opportunity to engage with a diverse cultural, textual and linguistic discipline, whilst also developing skills in intellectual analysis, critical thinking and articulate expression.
Our Linguistics and Communication graduates enter many sectors, including:
Our English Language and Linguistics students have gone on to secure roles such as 'Content Writer', 'Director,' and 'Social Media Manager' working for organisations such as:
The University has commissioned Cturtle as our data partner for tracking our alumni destinations. The data above is a subset from 43,666 alumni who completed their course up to 31 July 2024.
We’re consistently one of the top UK universities targeted by leading graduate employers
High Fliers ‘Graduate Market in 2026’ report
Receive one-to-one careers advice, including guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique.
Meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs and employer presentations.
Our aim is to make sure that success in your studies leads you on to a fulfilling career. Whatever you plan to do after your degree, the Careers Network offer support to help you identify your options, develop your skills and gain access to opportunities that propel you towards your career goal.
Hear from some of our inspiring alumni who have gone on to work for leading employers such as the UK Space Agency and BBC Sport.
Your experience studying at Birmingham will give you the opportunity to discover new experiences, develop different skills and make friends for life.
Our bustling campus with its beautiful grounds, friendly community, and excellent facilities will quickly make you feel at home. We offer you a huge variety of accommodation options in the UK’s second city, exciting activities to get involved in outside your studies, as well as all the support and advice you need.
Coming to Birmingham to study might be your first time living away from home. In our student accommodation, you can enjoy your independence in safe, welcoming and sociable surroundings.
Our cosmopolitan city has a unique history and so much to see and do. With an ever-changing food and drink scene, a vibrant nightlife and plenty of culture, our city is more than somewhere to study.
Whoever you are and wherever you come from, we are committed to providing the best possible support to our students, both before you start and throughout your time on campus.
Our beautiful campus is the place where our diverse community comes together to learn and socialise. Like a town of its own, it’s just minutes from the hustle and bustle of the UK’s second city.
Explore your options for combining subjects and shape your degree around your interests, whilst developing key skills for the world of work.
Our intercalated opportunities offer the chance to take a year out from your existing course to study within another field. This takes place usually between year 2 and year 3 of your programme.
Explore our beautiful campus from wherever you are. Get a feel for the wide range of historic and modern spaces and state-of-the-art facilities.
