School of Social Science and Humanities

BA (Hons) English Language and Linguistics with Sandwich placement

BA (Hons) Sandwich 4 years

If you have a keen interest in the English language or in language in general and you want to develop your employability skills, this is the course for you. 

If you have a keen interest in the English language or in language in general and you want to develop your employability skills, this is the course for you. 

Award
BA (Hons)
Start date(s)
September 2024, September 2025
UCAS Code
QQ32
Course specifications
Course length
Sandwich (4 years)
Campus location
University: City Campus
UCAS points calculator

Why choose this course?

If you have a keen interest in the English language or in language in general and you want to develop your employability skills, this is the course for you. On this four-year degree course, you will spend the penultimate year on a work placement of your choosing. In the first two and final years, you follow the curriculum of the main BA (Hons) English Language and Linguistics degree. You will study a wide variety of language-related issues in great depth: topics such as language and gender identity; accents and dialects; code-switching in bilingual families; style in literary and non-literary texts; conversational interaction; digital communication; and language and the mind. Studying in a stimulating and multi-cultural environment and by means of high-quality teaching and a flexible, responsive and vocationally relevant curriculum, you will be introduced to key theories and frameworks in the discipline of linguistics. You will develop a range of subject specific and transferable skills, higher order conceptual and communication skills, linguistic analytical skills, enterprise, digital literacy and IT awareness, all of which are of immense value in graduate employment.

 

What's unique about this course?

1.    You will acquire linguistic skills that will equip you to work in the areas of teaching, journalism, speech therapy and copy writing. 
2.    You will be taught rich content covering all aspects of linguistics by scholars who research and publish on dialect, sociolinguistics, teaching English, conversation analysis and corpus linguistics. 
3.    You will have the opportunity to gain relevant professional experience and the possibility for a sandwich year, work placements and relevant voluntary work experience in the museum sector, TESOL teaching, education and more.  
4.    You will undertake own research at Level 6 concerning linguistics in the world. Recent examples include the decline in the use of Cantonese at an official level in Hong Kong, language shift in the Panjabi diaspora of Wolverhampton and attitudes towards Mirpuri among Pakistani heritage speakers in the West Midlands.  
5.    For your assessments, you will have opportunities to collect and analyse your own data with the guidance of experienced tutors, so you can research areas of language of interest to you. 

What happens on the course?

In your first year, you will acquire the basic knowledge and skills which will give you a solid foundation for study at higher levels. You will learn about the history of English and will explore the ways we make meaning in language, using the cutting-edge technique of computer-aided analysis. You will also explore sentence structure, the sounds of language, second language acquisition, and important issues in applied linguistics. Employability is embedded into our curriculum and you will learn to reflect on the skills you are acquiring and their applicability to the world of employment. You can also choose practical modules in foreign languages, writing skills, teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and volunteering in the community.

In the second year, you will build upon the work you have done in year one, looking in greater detail at phonology/phonetics, morphology and syntax. You will study modules in sociolinguistics, stylistics, semantics and pragmatics, examining in depth the ways in which language use varies according to social context and how individuals use language to make meaning and to be creative. You may, if you wish, develop your research and analysis skills in our Research Methods module, working on a topic of your choice. Foreign language and volunteering modules are also available in the second year.

The third year is your Sandwich Year, in which you study on the Supervised Work Experience module (40 credits). This module enables you to apply the skills and knowledge you have gained to a project negotiated together with an external organisation. At the end of the placement, you will submit a reflective report. In your final year, you return to your normal taught modules. You will study aspects of structural and applied linguistics not already covered. This includes modules on gender and sexuality, language variation and change, psycholinguistics, conversation analysis, and cooperation, conflict and humour in face-to-face and digital interaction. In the final semester of your third year, you will work on an independent research project on a topic of your choice. You may, however, choose the Community Link option instead, in which you carry out action research in a work- or volunteering- based placement and produce a report which showcases your research skills and is of use to the organisation in which you conducted the research.

Course Modules

Potential Career Paths

Graduates in Linguistics, English Language and TESOL have specialisms across the Arts and Sciences.  Our graduates have gone on to military communication training, further education teaching, forensic linguistics (working with legal experts presenting linguistic evidence to the courts). They have taken jobs in speech and language therapy, computational linguistics and in teaching across mainstream and specialist situations, in both multilingual and monolingual contexts and all over the world. Recent graduate destinations have included Birmingham City University, Shropshire Council, Birmingham Adult Education Services, CoachBright social mobility charity, as well as schools, further education colleges and universities across the UK, Europe, Japan, China and South Korea.

Additional Information

Everything you need to know about this course!

The team prides itself on giving individual attention to students. We believe in interactive learning and encourage full participation from all our students: external examiners have consistently highlighted our innovative assessments as a major strength.

In the 2015 National Student Survey this course achieved 95% student satisfaction rate!

Wolverhampton has pioneered the use of interactive web-based forums for teaching and assessment. These activities have proved very popular with students.

Comments from our External Examiners on provision:

For English Language:

"I've read many good essays which show students' real engagement with module primary and secondary materials, which in turn suggest overall degree structures with decent breadth"

"Each module in Wolverhampton is assessed by more than one mode of assessment, allowing students to play to their strengths".

"All of these show good practice, real dedication to teaching on the tutors' behalf, and a great deal of effort going into the designing of modules, the setting of assignments, and the assessment of the submitted assignments".

"I particularly liked seeing innovative assessment methods … adjusted to the different kinds of student population".

For Linguistics:

“As always, I have found the marking consistent within individual modules and across modules. There is good evidence of a dialogue between first and second markers and my judgement has been sought in relation to one piece of assessed work. Markers provide extensive feedback which guides students towards addressing their weaknesses. What is also good practice is the provision of extensive notes within each assignment. Student work is of good quality with some very impressive independent research being carried out. The range of exam questions and essay topics is stimulating and reflects the high quality of the teaching".

The member of academic staff who leads this course is Deborah Orpin

On successful completion of this course you will be able to:

  • articulate orally and in writing knowledge of the forms and functions of English, and its use and variety in social and cultural contexts;
  • demonstrate creative thinking, critical analysis and the ability to construct a sustained and coherent argument orally and in writing;
  • demonstrate key employment skills (eg. self-management, IT, digital literacy, enterprise, working in groups).

Location Mode Fee Year
Home Sandwich £9250 per year 2022-23
Home Sandwich £9250 per year 2023-24
Home Sandwich £9250 per year 2024-25
International Sandwich £13450 per year 2022-23
International Sandwich £14450 per year 2023-24
International Sandwich £14950 per year 2024-25

Additional Course Costs

Additional Field Trips: Small contribution for field trips may be requested.
Further information on these additional costs will be provided during your studies.

Further information on these additional costs will be provided prior to the start of your studies

The University is committed to a transparent fee structure, with no hidden costs, to help you make an informed decision. This includes information on what is included in the fee and how fees are calculated and reviewed

Typical entry requirement: 96 UCAS points

  • A Levels - grades CCC / BCD
  • BTEC L3 Extended Diploma or OCR Cambridge L3 Technical Extended Diploma - grades MMM
  • BTEC L3 Diploma - grades DD
  • Access to HE Diploma (60 credits) of which a minimum of 45 must be at Level 3 (96 UCAS point equivalence, minimum 45 credits at merit)

Use the UCAS Tariff calculator to check your qualifications and points

Other Requirements

Students must usually have studied for a minimum of two years post GCSE level. However, we will consider applications from mature students who do not have two years of post-16 study, where they have relevant work experience. Please see http://wlv.ac.uk/mature for further information.

 

“I truly enjoyed studying English Language and Linguistics as a Joint Honours Degree at the University of Wolverhampton. I have always been fascinated by languages, and by choosing this course I hoped to gain more understanding about […] how language works. The subject combination turned out to be a perfect match; it gave me a well-rounded insight into the theoretical aspects of language and at the same time I had ample opportunity to apply my newly acquired knowledge. During my course, I learned many new things about languages from all over the world and about English in particular. I would recommend this very well-balanced combination to anyone who is enthusiastic about languages”.

“I started Linguistics ‘blind’ without any previously teaching in the subject and no expectations as to what I would be learning or gaining from the experience. […] I have found every module stimulating. […] Students can apply their knowledge to their own native or second language.”

“The most important thing to note about the study of Linguistics is how much fun it can be.[…]The quality of teaching within Linguistics is excellent, with staff being extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic, but also very supportive and approachable.”

"I thoroughly enjoyed learning about different languages and how they are developed, particularly writing in phonemic script. The whole course has been fantastic, but my highlight has been graduating and being on stage to collect my degree!" - Katrina Dunbar 

Tuition Fees Loan (Home Fee Status):

Most students will be able to apply for a loans to pay for these subject to eligibility. To find out more information please refer to the government Student Finance website.

Changes for EU students:

The UK government has confirmed that EU students starting courses from 1 August 2021 will normally be classified as having Overseas Fee status. More information about the change is available at UKCISA:

EU citizens living in the UK with 'settled' status, and Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, will still be classified as Home students, providing they meet the usual residency requirements, for more information about EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) click here.


Self-funding:

If you don’t want to take out a loan to pay your fees or if you aren’t eligible to receive a loan, you might want to take advantage of the University’s scheme to pay by instalments: See How to pay.

For more information please contact the Gateway.


Your employer, embassy or organisation can pay for your Tuition fees:

If your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees; the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

We must receive notification of sponsorship in writing as soon as possible, and before enrolment, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.


Financial Hardship:

Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund.

for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.


Bursaries and Scholarships:

In addition the University also offers a range of Bursaries and Scholarships packages

You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

Telephone

01902 32 22 22

Email

enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

Online

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Sandwich Course