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Linguistics and Culture with Foundation Year at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS

Course options

2024 - 2025
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Birkbeck, University of London has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Course summary

The BA Linguistics and Culture allows you to study linguistics together with a range of cultural topics associated with, or comparing, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Latin American cultures.  In the linguistics component of the degree, you will learn about the structure and functions of language and how people use language to communicate information and meaning about themselves and their identity. You will learn how to construct and evaluate linguistic arguments and how to compare and evaluate different ways of analysing data. You will also explore the nature and limitations of various theoretical frameworks. By studying linguistics, you can develop a scientific, critical approach to understanding how language works and how it functions within society. A unique feature of the course is that you will learn how to apply linguistic methods and models to real-world problems and contexts.  At the same time, you will gain advanced knowledge of the culture of one or more language areas (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Latin American), including literature, thought and cinema. You can also choose to explore comparative and cross-cultural elements.  If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didn't achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree. Highlights

  • Applied linguistics has been taught at Birkbeck since 1965, so you will be taught by experienced specialists from a centre of teaching and research excellence.
  • Ours is a community of scholars with shared interests in interdisciplinary topics and cross-cultural research. Our affiliated research centres, the Centre for French, Francophone and Comparative Studies (CFFCS) and the Centre for Iberian and Latin American Visual Studies (CILAVS), provide an important platform for this exchange.
  • If you choose the four-year full-time International Experience route, you will have the opportunity to spend a year at a partner institution.
Careers and employability Graduates can pursue career paths in publishing, education, policy-making or language education. Possible professions include:
  • translator
  • English as a Foreign Language teacher
  • publishing copy editor/proofreader
  • civil service fast-streamer
  • editorial assistant.
We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.

Modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.

Assessment method

Assessment is mainly through coursework in the form of essays (linguistics modules) and a mixture of coursework and examination (culture modules).

How to apply

31Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Please select a course option – you will then see the application code you need to use to apply for the course.

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Foundation

International applicants

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. We also accept other English language tests.

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

We welcome applicants without traditional entry qualifications as we base decisions on our own assessment of qualifications, knowledge and previous work experience. We may waive formal entry requirements based on judgement of academic potential.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
55%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
90%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9250 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 Year 1
Scotland £9250 Year 1
Wales £9250 Year 1
International £17620 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases.
Linguistics and Culture with Foundation Year at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS