English and Linguistics
English and linguistics together offer a complete picture of language: what it means and how it works. English studies develops your skills of close reading, interpretation and critical argument through sustained engagement with literary texts, asking how meaning is constructed, what aesthetic and cultural forces shape literary production, and how writers use language to achieve their effects. Linguistics takes a more analytical approach, examining language as a system: its grammar, phonology, semantics, pragmatics, and the social and historical forces that shape how it is used and changes over time.
At Birkbeck College, this part-time programme is taught in the evenings, making it particularly well suited to students who are combining study with employment or other commitments. Birkbeck's distinctive model of higher education attracts students who bring professional and life experience to their academic work, and the part-time evening mode allows you to develop your understanding of English and linguistics steadily alongside your other responsibilities. You will study the key theories in both linguistics and literary studies, developing critical thinking and the ability to examine the role of English in the globalised, interconnected world.
The combination is described as particularly suited to those who wish to study linguistics, literature and culture together, recognising that language and its literary uses are deeply interconnected.
You will develop strong analytical and interpretive skills, the capacity for clear and precise written argument, and a nuanced understanding of how language functions in literary, social and global contexts.
Graduates from English and linguistics degrees move into teaching, publishing, journalism, communications, speech and language therapy (with further training), language technology, policy, research, and a wide range of other careers where strong literacy, analytical thinking and cultural awareness are valued. Postgraduate study in linguistics, literary studies, TESOL, or related fields is a well-established pathway.