Course details

Summary

Are you curious about how the English language works? Are you fascinated by the changes that have taken place in the English language over centuries of time? Or even how individuals vary their use of English from one day to the next, depending on social situation or communication medium? Ever thought about how a person's early experience of English shapes them? Or how and why New Zealand English differs from the language spoken in other English-speaking countries?

English Language studies aim to satisfy these curiosities and illuminate even further; focusing on the structure, functions and contexts of use of English. Students will learn about the sound systems and grammatical systems of English, and they will come to understand how English varies in different historical, geographical and social contexts.

Courses

100-level

ENLA101 and ENLA102 are prerequisites for 200-level English Language courses.

ENLA101 The English Language introduces students to the study of the English language, its words, sounds and sentences. It also introduces the conceptual and analytical tools which linguists use to understand how languages are constructed.

ENLA102 From Babies to Adults: How Experience Shapes your Language - participants will assess the role of language experience in how we speak, how we listen and how our beliefs are shaped.

200-level and beyond

Beyond first-year, more specialised courses explore a variety of topics. At 200-level, students are introduced to the sociolinguistic study of language and will analyse English language variation across space and time. At 300-level, courses include New Zealand English and the History of English.

Over the three years of your degree, you will gain critical thinking, creative problem solving, and communication skills that employers want. Unique practical experiences such as internships are on offer too.

The Bachelor of Arts requires a minimum total of 360 points:

• at least 255 points from Arts courses
• the remaining 105 points can be from either Arts courses or courses from other degrees.
• A minimum of 225 points must be from courses above 100-level, with at least 90 points at 300-level.

Double Degrees

It is possible to combine an Arts degree with other degrees such as the Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Health Sciences, Bachelor of Laws or Bachelor of Science.

Further study

The College of Arts has a wide range of options for postgraduate and graduate study with excellent research facilities. These include specialised research centres such as the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, Social Science Research Centre, New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies, Te Awatea Violence Research Centre and National Centre for Research on Europe.

Career opportunities

This subject provides a foundation for any career which requires advanced communication skills and/or a detailed understanding of the English language, such as teaching, management, marketing, the media, research and publishing.

An English Language degree is an ideal preparation for training in teaching English as a second language, which is a popular career and offers excellent travel opportunities.

Entry criteria

Admission to UC with University Entrance, or equivalent, is required to enrol for a Bachelor's degree. Applicants must have completed New Zealand University Entrance through NCEA; or Cambridge International Examinations (CIE); or International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) or any other equivalent overseas qualification.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 550 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum C+ grade; CAE or CPE minimum score of 169 with at least 162 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 57 and no PTE communicative skills score below 50.