English Language (with Foundation Year) BA (Hons)
| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2023-04-24 | 2023-02-10 |
| 2023-09-19 | 2023-01-27 |
| 2024-01-03 | 2023-11-25 |
Program Overview
Course overview
During this course, you will study the structures and theoretical principles of English and language in general, and use them to understand and analyse spoken and written English discourse in context. This may include investigating sounds, word meanings, sentence structures, discourse analytical principles, child language acquisition, and language variation and change. You will be offered a variety of assessment types, including standard essays, presentations, data collection projects, exercises, transcriptions, dissertation and even blogs. This will equip you with the academic experiences you need to make the most of employment opportunities following your undergraduate degree and/or postgraduate study.
Why study this course with us?
Established first as a Combined Honours course in 2009, English Language at Chester celebrates 10 years as a Single Honours course in 2020-21.
The course has been repeatedly praised by external examiners, who have noted the unusually broad range of expertise provided by the teaching team, which covers some of the most cutting-edge subjects in English language and linguistics, such as Corpus Linguistics (computer-assisted discourse analysis) and Cognitive Stylistics (how readers' minds process literary and non-literary discourse). Staff also have considerable expertise in the areas of sociolinguistics, historical linguistics, child language acquisition, models of grammar, critical discourse analysis, dialectology and comparative linguistics.
NSS 2019 results have placed the English Language course high above the sector average in terms of lecturers' ability to explain things (100%), opportunities to explore concepts in depth (97%), and advice and guidance offered by staff (96%). Students comment positively upon how approachable the teaching staff are (100%), and how they feel that staff value students’ opinions (96%).
As part of a Combined Honours course, English Language can be combined very fruitfully with numerous other subjects across the University, including education, psychology, journalism, modern languages, politics, religious studies, and many more.
Student support
We pride ourselves on the quality of support we offer, and have a range of support packages to help support students during their time at University.
Explore our study abroad opportunities and student exchange programmes
Program Outline
Teaching methods
In most modules you will attend a lecture and discuss ideas in seminars/workshops. Our classrooms are equipped with technology for multimedia experiences. You may work in pairs and small groups, and occasionally give a short presentation.
Assessment
Assessment includes online blog entries, seminar presentations, conversation and phonetic transcriptions, data collection, research and analysis, syntax trees, and short answer exercises. There are also traditional discussion essays and some formal written examinations.
Work based learning
Work Based Learning
(WBL) provides you with the opportunity to ‘test-drive’ a future career by undertaking a work placement of at least 150 hours. Alternatively, you may wish to undertake Experiential Overseas Learning, where you can take advantage of our long-established links with organisations worldwide. Most students have the opportunity to undertake either one of these options as an integral part of their undergraduate course.
Job prospects
Graduates in English Language typically secure employment in professions such as teaching, publishing, the media and communications, speech therapy, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), advertising, public relations, journalism, librarianship, management and administration, and personnel work. Many students have gone on to postgraduate study in the discipline.
Progression options
Should you decide to further your journey in Higher Education, we offer a broad choice of professional, internationally recognised qualifications. This can be a popular option for students interested in developing their knowledge within a specialist area, or gaining the necessary qualification to further their career.
Here are just some of the areas our students have gone on to:
Postgraduate Opportunities
Careers service
The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.
Careers and Employability - Student Services aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.
We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.
Students and graduates of the University of Chester can use our services free of charge for up to two years after graduating.
The location
The campus is close to the city centre of Chester, a city like no other and an amazing place to live as a student. While it is undoubtedly beautiful and packed with history, Chester is also a bustling 21st-century city balancing big-name shopping, eating and living with a thriving independent scene.
