More
English Language BA (Hons)

English Language (Joint Honours) BA (Hons)

The language you speak shapes the world you see. This course will develop your understanding of the form, culture and function of the English language and how it is applied to real-world contexts through combined study of journalism or media. 

Overview

English is a global language that’s rich in history. In this course you will immerse yourself in the form, culture and analysis of the English language and learn to make the connections between what you study at university and what takes place in the world beyond the classroom. Combining your studies with another related subject will broaden your outlook and skillset and open up even more career opportunities.

We live in a modern world governed and connected by technology. So alongside understanding the history of English and how it’s become an international language, we believe you should study the nature of the 'wired' environment and how it influences who you are. As part of our approach to digital humanities, you will have the opportunity to see how communication and language operate on web-based platforms, and how the application of digital tools and methods can deepen the knowledge of your chosen subject area.  

Your first year will introduce you to the study of language in general, how sounds become words, and how words are put together to create meaning. You will develop your ability to analyse and deconstruct language and, through your study, you will also learn how to put it together in such a way to create clear, effective and influential communication.  Later in the programme  we offer a module in teaching English, a final-year work placement module and the opportunity to study material such as propaganda and interrogation, pragmatics (looking at the gap between what we say and what we mean), psycholinguistics and the political, social, and cultural roles of language.  

At DMU, you can study English Language and Journalism or Media as a joint honours course. You will choose 50 per cent of your options from English Language and 50 per cent from either Journalism or Media. 

Key features

  • With a wide range of highly specialised modules, you can study and the theories and practice of English language in detail and tailor your learning to your specific interests and career ambitions. Modules you can choose from include Sociolinguistics, English Language in UK Schools, Textual Studies Using Computers and Language, Mind and Culture. 

  • Broaden your knowledge across different subject areas and increase your career opportunities by combining English Language studies with either Journalism or Media as part of this joint honours course.

  • Develop specialist skills and become an excellent communicator by studying the impact language can have in various contexts and the many different ways language is used.

  • Visiting lecturers have included world-renowned expert of forensic linguistics Dr John Olsson, while organised trips have seen students visit professional events such as the London Language Show. 

  • Gain an even wider understanding of the English language through our international experience programme DMU Global. Students have previously explored ekphrastic writing and themes of oppression in Berlin and visited media organisation TED’s headquarters and key literary locations in New York. 

  • Gain additional skills and experience of the workplace by putting your research, reasoning and communication skills into practice on a placement or extracurricular internship during your degree. 

Scholarships:

DMU Global High Flyers Award
Our dedicated DMU Global High Flyers Award offers ambitious students a discount of up to £1,000 towards a DMU Global opportunity (terms and conditions apply).

More courses like this:

Creative Writing, English Language, English Literature and History
Journalism (Joint Honours) BA (Hons)
Media (Joint Honours) BA (Hons)

  • UK
  • EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: 

English Language and:

  • Journalism: QP35
  • Media: QP33  

Duration: Three years full-time, four years full-time with a placement. Six years part-time.

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250

Find out more about tuition fees and available funding.

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

Contact us: For more information, call us on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70.

How to apply

Submit a study-related enquiry

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with placement

Fees and funding: 

2023/24 tuition fees for international students: £15,750

Find out more about available funding for international students.

 

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

Contact us: For more information, call us on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70.

How to apply

Application guidance document

Submit a study-related enquiry

Entry criteria

Typical entry requirements 

English Language and Media
English Language and Journalism

  • 104 points from at least 2 A'levels
  • BTEC Extended Diploma DMM
  • International Baccalaureate: 24+ Points

Plus five GCSEs grades 9-4 including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above.

  • Pass Access with 30 level 3 credits at Merit and GCSE English (Language or Literature) at grade 4 or above.

We will normally require students have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course.

  • We also accept the BTEC First Diploma plus two GCSEs including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above

Interview required: No

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

 

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessments

 

First year

  • Words in Action: an introduction to Grammar and Linguistics
  • Evolving Language: an Introduction to the Histories of Language

Second year

  • Sociolinguistics

  • Grammar: Analysing linguistic structure

  • Semantics: Analysing linguistic meaning

  • Phonetics and Phonology

  • Research Methods for Linguists

  • Language in Context

  • Pragmatics in the Real World
  • English Language in UK Schools
  • Introducing English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Third year

  • English Language Dissertation

  • English Language in the Workplace (Placement Module)

  • Language Acquisition

  • Language, Mind and Culture

  • Powerful Language: An Introduction To Rhetoric

  • Perception, Persuasion, Power: Communication and Control

  • Textual Studies Using Computers
  • Language, Gender and Sexuality
  • Data From Texts: Corpus Linguistics

Click here for more detailed module information

Joint honours degree students will choose to study available modules from 50% of one subject and 50% of another.


Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

Overview

You will be taught by staff with a wide range of knowledge and experience in English literature and linguistics (theoretical and historical), modern foreign languages, English as a foreign language, history, international relations and American studies. Members of the team are engaged in a wide range of research projects which feeds directly into our teaching. 

English Language is offered as a Joint Honours degree with Media and Journalism because these subjects are all concerned with communication and the skilful, versatile use of language, both spoken and written.Your English Language studies will be of direct benefit to your other subject, and vice versa. These are designed to be true joint degrees, where the two subjects are interrelated and complement each other. 

In the final year you have the opportunity to do a work placement module.

Contact hours

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and self-directed study. Assessment is through coursework (e.g. presentations, essays and reports). Your precise timetable will depend on the optional modules you choose to take, however, in your first year you will normally attend around 10 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 25 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research. For more information, visit Journalism (Joint Honours) BA (Hons) and Media (Joint Honours) BA (Hons). 

 

 

Facilities and features

Placements

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available. 

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose. 

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub. 

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.


 

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Campus Centre

The home of  De Montfort Students' Union, (DSU) our Campus Centre offers a welcoming and lively hub for student life. Conveniently located at the heart of campus, it includes a convenience store, a Subway and a Starbucks. Here you can find the DSU-owned charitable accommodation service Sulets and DSU’s shop, SUpplies, selling art supplies, stationery and clothing, and printing and binding services. The building is also home to the DSU officer team. 

 

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

DMU's award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities DMU Careers Team
placements-img-01

Placements

Through our English in the Workplace module  you can put the skills developed during your English degree into practice.  This insight into the professional world is a valuable  opportunity to enhance and build  on your knowledge in a real-world setting, preparing you  to progress  to your chosen career.  

Previous students have taken up placements in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, including some international posts, across a range of companies including public relations agencies and local schools.  For instance, English language students have worked as teaching assistants in schools, supported children with special educational needs through speech and language therapy, assisted with Digital Humanities research projects at DMU’s Centre for Textual Studies, worked in local publishing, at the Leicester Mercury and for the BBC.

Our careers programme DMU Works can help to hone your professional skills with mock interviews and practice aptitude tests, and an assigned personal tutor will support you throughout your placement.

Students on the #DMUglobal trip to New York

DMU Global

Our innovative international experience programme DMU Global aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons, helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.  

Through DMU Global, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK-based activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.  

Students on this course have previously  been on  DMU Global trips to  explore ekphrastic writing and themes of oppression in Berlin, visited media organisation TED’s headquarters and key literary locations in New York, as well as gained insight into the rapidly changing world of newspapers at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. 

While overseas DMU Global opportunities are not currently possible, DMU will continue to review government advice and if travel is permitted, we hope to offer a small number of extra-curricular opportunities in the summer of 2021. 

graduate-careers-img-01

Graduate careers

Our  graduates  have  strong  linguistic, reasoning and analytical skills, which are skills highly sought-after by many employers. As a DMU student, we develop your analysis and presentation skills to help you become an articulate, adaptable, professional communicator who can operate with ease in any professional setting and with and with a diverse range of people.   

Journalism graduates have gone on to work for some of the UK’s biggest media companies, including major newspaper groups, magazines, PR companies and the wider communications and digital media industries. Previous students have secured roles such as trainee journalist at the Loughborough Echo, trainee reporter at the Berkshire Media Group, broadcast journalist at Global Radio, junior features writer at Caters News Agency and a position on the ITV News graduate scheme. 

Media graduates have pursued careers in both the public and private sector and have gone on to work in advertising, SEO, sales, TV production, journalism, independent media, film, teaching and public relations agencies. They have gone on to work for Cosmopolitan, the BBC, CBeebies, Mentorn Media (Question Time), Hewlett Packard and News International. 

Take your next steps

More from DMU