Course details

Summary

Linguistics is the scientific study of language. It addresses questions relating to the structure of language, how and why languages differ and change, how humans acquire and process language, the relationship between language and society, and the systems of speech sounds that underlie the words and utterances that we speak and hear. For example, studying linguistics can help us to understand how children can easily learn to speak both English and Maori, why New Zealanders sound different from Australians, why the words ‘air' and ‘ear' rhyme for some people but not for others, and why ‘sweet as' isn't just ‘slang'.

Given the unique nature of language, Linguistics is an inherently interdisciplinary field that bridges the sciences, the social sciences and the humanities. It has links with, among other fields, Anthropology, cognitive science, Computer Science, Education, Engineering, evolutionary biology, language study, neurology, Philosophy, Psychology and Sociology. It is therefore an ideal complementary field of study.

Why study Linguistics at UC?

Many disciplines are represented at UC's New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain and Behaviour, where researchers study the foundations of language as an integrated, multimodal, statistical system operating in a social, physical and physiological context.

Recommended preparation

Linguistics is not taught in schools, so no specific school background is needed in order to begin it at university. The main requirements are curiosity and a desire to improve one's ability to think and express oneself clearly. Some knowledge of a language or languages other than English is desirable but not essential.

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

Linguistics provides the foundation for a wide range of jobs and careers including teaching, education, translation/interpreting, marketing, publishing, journalism, law, medicine, information technology, speech and language therapy, social research and international relations. In fact, studying Linguistics will help prepare you for any profession that requires skills in analytical thinking, problem solving, argumentation, critical thinking, data collection and analysis, and written and oral expression.

Naturally, you will also become familiar with many different languages and cultures, and as a result, develop important cross-cultural skills.

Linguistics is often a training ground for those who end up 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.