Department of Linguistics & School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics

BA Linguistics and...

Key information

Duration
3 or 4 years, depending on precise combination
Start of programme
September
Attendance mode
Full-time
Location
Russell Square, College Buildings
Fees

Home student fees: £9,250
Overseas student fees: £21,990

Please note that fees go up each year. 
See undergraduate fees for further details.

Entry requirements

AAB-ABB

For joint degrees, the offer is based on the subject with the higher entry requirements

Contextual: ABB-BBB

See undergraduate entry requirements and English language requirements for international and alternative entry requirements.

Course overview

The BA Linguistics combined degree gives you the tools to understand how the world’s languages differ and how they are similar, how they relate historically and interact today, and above all how they are structured.

Linguistics takes you beyond merely speaking a language, and helps you see how languages, in all their diversity, actually function.

Modern linguistics is the scientific study of all aspects of the world’s languages from their sound systems and grammatical structure through to the interaction of language with culture, the study of meaning in language, and the use of language in modern technology.

Linguistics at SOAS is all about appreciating the diversity of cultures beyond Europe and the English-speaking world. Anyone who has a particular interest in the languages of a country or region in Asia, Africa or the Middle East will feel very much at home on this programme. More generally, Linguistics is the ideal subject for those who are interested in human culture and psychology, but who enjoy approaching questions about our world in a systematic, precise, logical intellectual framework.

Why study Linguistics at SOAS?

  • SOAS is ranked 12th in the UK for Modern Languages (QS World University Rankings 2023).
  • Modern Languages and Linguistics at SOAS has been ranked 10th in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.
  • We've also been ranked 4th for research environment - with 100% of our research ranked as 'internationally excellent' and 85% as 'world-leading' - and 8th for research outputs in the REF 2021.

Degree combinations

May be combined with

+ 4-year degree with (compulsory) one year spent abroad
++ 3 or 4-year degree with option of one year abroad
 

Key information set data

Structure

Learn a language as part of this programme

Degree programmes at SOAS - including this one - can include language courses in more than forty African and Asian languages. It is SOAS students’ command of an African or Asian language which sets SOAS apart from other universities.

Students take 120 credits per year composed of Core, Compulsory and Optional modules.

  • Core modules: A core module is required for the degree programme, so must always be taken and passed before you move on to the next year of your programme.
  • Compulsory modules: A compulsory module is required for the degree programme, so must always be taken, and if necessary can be passed by re-taking it alongside the next year of your programme.
  • Optional modules: These are designed to help students design their own intellectual journey while maintaining a strong grasp of the fundamentals.

Students taking the BA Linguistics and ... together with a language (when combined with BA Languages and Cultures, BA Arabic, or BA East Asian Studies) may spend the second or third year of their degree as year abroad.

Important notice

The information on the website reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. The modules are indicative options of the content students can expect and are/have been previously taught as part of these programmes. 

However, this information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Year 1

Core module

Core modules must be passed in order to proceed to the following year of study.

Module Credits
Introduction to Linguistics 15

Other subject

Students take 60 credits from their other subject.

Year 2 - linguistics pathway

Core module

Students will take the following core module.

Module Credits
Approaches to Syntax 15

Compulsory modules

Guided options

Choose 15 credits from list A or open options

Other subject

Students take 60 credits from their other subject.

Year 2 - translation pathway

Core module

Students will take the following core modules:

Compulsory modules

Guided options

Choose 15 credits from list B or open options

Other subject

Students take 60 credits from their other subject.

Year 3/4- linguistics pathway

Year 3 or Year 4 for combined degrees with a year abroad

Core module

Students will take the following module:

Compulsory modules

Guided options

Choose 15 credits from list A or open options.

Other subject

Students take 60 credits from their other subject.

Year 3/4 - translation pathway

Year 3 or Year 4 for combined degrees with a year abroad

Core module

Students will take a 30 credit Translation project as the core module

Module Credits
Translation Project 30

Compulsory modules

Module Credits
Translation Technology 15

Guided options

Choose 15 credits from list B or open options

Other subject

Students take 60 credits from their other subject.

List B - guided options, translation pathway

Year 2, 3 and 4

Teaching and learning

The linguistics component of the combined subject degree is designed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the way that languages are universally structured and trains students to master all the basic skills necessary for the analysis of different sound systems and semantics (the study of meaning in language). In addition, students may also take modules dealing with language and social communication (focusing on the interaction of language and social groups), morphology (the structure of words), historical linguistics (the historical development of languages), phonetics and the structure of an African or Asian language.

Contact hours

Each module generally involves a 2-hour lecture and a tutorial, a 1-hour small-group discussion class each week. The tutorial is intended for further discussion of points made in the lecture and for the development of linguistic problem-solving skills.

Assessment varies according to the nature of the modules. Introductory modules are assessed in the end of year exams in May/June. Other modules may involve written examinations, practical tests, course work, essays or a combination of these.

Year abroad

If linguistics is studied with a language, the second or third year of the degree is usually spent abroad.

SOAS Library

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Fees and funding

Fees for 2023/24 entrants per academic year

ProgrammeFull-Time
UK studentsOverseas students
BA, BSc, LLB£9,250£21,160
BA/BSc Language year abroad£1,385£10,580

Please note that fees go up each year.

See undergraduate fees for further details.

Employment

Graduates of the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics leave SOAS not only with linguistic and cultural expertise, but also with skills in written and oral communication, analysis and problem solving.

Recent graduates have been hired by:

  • Africa Matters
  • Amnesty International
  • Arab British Chamber of Commerce
  • BBC World Service
  • British High Commission
  • Council for British Research in the Levant
  • Department for International Development
  • Edelman
  • Embassy of Jordan
  • Ernst & Young
  • Foreign & Commonwealth Office
  • Google
  • Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
  • Middle East Eye
  • Saïd Foundation
  • TalkAbout Speech Therapy
  • The Black Curriculum
  • The Telegraph
  • United Nations Development Programme
  • UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
  • Wall Street Journal

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