English Language BA (Hons)*
 English Language.jpg)
UCAS Code: Combined Honours only – see combinations tab|Duration: 3 years|Full Time|Hope Park
UCAS Campus Code: L46
Work placement opportunities|International students can apply|Study Abroad opportunities
About the course
*subject to approval
The English Language degree at Liverpool Hope University offers the opportunity to explore the structures, histories, and uses of language in one of the UK’s most linguistically diverse cities. From Liverpool’s distinctive accents and dialects to the bilingual heritage of Chinatown and the Viking influences of the Wirral, the region provides a rich and vibrant backdrop for studying language.
This English Language course equips you with critical, analytical, and digital skills that are valued by employers worldwide. You will study in small groups with international scholars from diverse fields of linguistics, engage with Liverpool’s cultural institutions, and have access to Special Collections, which house rare books and manuscripts dating back to the ninth century.
As part of the English Language degree, students conduct independent research on topics ranging from AI-generated prose to political speech analysis and the history of words. Graduates pursue careers in journalism, law, policing, teaching, education, and postgraduate study, supported by a strong focus on employability, ethics, and sustainability.
Hear a warm welcome from Senior Lecturer Dr Lisa Nahajec.
Course structure
Teaching on this degree is structured into lectures, where all students are taught together, seminars which are smaller groups, and tutorials which typically have no more than 10 students in the first year. You also have the opportunity to have a one-to-one meeting with your tutor each week.
As part of a combined honours degree, in your first year there are approximately 6 teaching hours each week, which reduce to approximately 5 teaching hours in your second and third years. On the single honours programme, you will have approximately 12 teaching hours each week with approximately 10 teaching hours in your second and third years.
On top of teaching hours, you will also be expected to spend a number of hours each week studying independently, as well as studying in groups to prepare for any group assessments you may have.
Assessment and feedback
Assessments consist of essays of various types, portfolios, language analyses, learning journals, group presentations and written exams. In the final year, building on work from your first two years, you undertake an independently researched dissertation or research project which you also present at an internal Honours Conference.
You will be given written feedback on your assessments, and you will have the opportunity to discuss this with your tutor in more detail.
Year One
The first year introduces you to the major themes in the study of English Language. You will explore the structures, sounds and meanings of English and develop the foundational knowledge needed to analyse language with confidence. You will apply this knowledge through Language in Practice and examine how language operates across time and space through the study of Language in Context. To underpin your studies in these areas, you will be introduced to writing and research skills that will support you throughout your degree.
Language in practice (30 credits)
This module covers the building blocks of language analysis and focuses on the different levels of language from phonemes and morphemes to discourse and pragmatics. It introduces students to the mechanics of speech production and the meaningful variation in sound patterns in English. Students also examine the morphological and syntactic properties of English, gaining insights into word, phrase and sentence formation. The second half of the module in semester 2 considers language and meaning and extends the study of words to consider their semantic properties, how they are used in discourse and how meaning can vary according to context.
Language in context (30 credits)
This module takes a broad approach to language and considers theories on how and why language evolved as a human capacity before examining mechanisms that drive languages to evolve across time. The module moves on to explore the story of English specifically and examines its journey from Old English with influences from Old Norse and Germanic languages to present day English with its global and historical influences. The final portion of the module examines sociolinguistic variation and considers how and why accents and dialects vary according to social and geographical factors. Students will have the opportunity to examine their own dialect variations as well as examining standard English.
Year Two
The second year continues your journey through language by examining its use and acquisition in different social and functional contexts. You will explore how language is acquired by humans and machines and how humans lose language across the life span due to brain injury, strokes and memory loss. You will also engage with the philosophical questions that underpin our understanding of language itself and consider the exciting and rapidly evolving relationship between language and artificial intelligence. Alongside this, you will examine how language operates as a site of struggle, exploring the ways in which language is shaped by power and ideologies.
Language acquisition and loss (30 credits)
This module explores the intersections of language, brain and mind. Students are introduced to theories and case studies in human acquisition of language as well as considering how our understanding of human processes of language acquisition intersect with machine language learning. The other side of language acquisition is language loss and this module introduces students to the mechanisms by which humans lose language and the ability to communicate.
Language Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence (15 credits)
This module tackles broad questions on the nature of language such as what it is, whether only humans use it and its relationship to the world and communication. This is aligned with questions around the advent and evolution of AI and its language capabilities in such things as chatbots and ChatGPT. Students will begin by examining the Turin test and consider what it means to understand and to understand language specifically.
Language, Discourse and Power (15 credits)
This module builds on the foundations of the first year modules in Language in Practice and Language in context. Students examine the features of written and spoken discourse within the framework of considering how power is negotiated by speakers and hearers/writers and readers. This module introduces students to Halliday’s metafunctions of language and considers discourse through the lenses offered by the interpersonal, ideational and metafunctions of language.
Year Three
In the third year you will continue your examination of language in use in social contexts and the impact that language has. You will also consider the role of technology in working with language data.
Example of topics covered:
- The relationship between language and power
- Language corpora and large language models
- How language varies across and between cultures and societies
- The role of language in humour
- How religion is represented in the media and the social impacts this has
- Englishes around the world
Dissertation/Research Project
A one-year project completed under the supervision of a researcher in your topic area. You present a research paper drawn from your project at an internal academic conference.
Entry requirements
| A-Levels | BBC |
|---|---|
| UCAS Tariff Points | 112 UCAS Tariff points must come from a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent). Additional points can be made up from a range of alternative qualifications.
Find out how many UCAS points your qualifications are worth, by using the Tariff calculator. |
| BTEC | DMM |
| Access to HE | 112 Tariff Points |
| IB | 26 points |
| Irish Leaving Certificate | 112 Tariff Points from Higher Level qualifications only |
| Welsh Baccalaureate | This qualification can only be accepted in conjunction with other relevant qualifications |
| T-Levels | Merit |
| Subject Requirements | No specific subject requirements |
International entry requirements
| Specific Country Requirements | Select your country |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.0 overall (with reading and writing at 6.0) and no individual score lower than 5.5. We also accept a wide range of International Qualifications. For more information, please visit our English Language Requirements page. |
Careers
A degree in English Language opens many doors and English Language graduates gain knowledge and skills that allow them to enter a wide range of careers. Many of our graduates go on to employment in fields such as publishing, education, journalism, media, broadcasting, marketing and public relations. The subject-specific knowledge gained also provides grounding for careers in language therapy, language teaching and forensic linguistics, with further training.
Throughout your degree, you will have the opportunity to explore career options and opportunities for further study. You will acquire many highly valuable critical skills throughout the course of your English Language degree; these include a sophisticated level of analytical thinking and advanced communication, writing and organisational skills, all of which significantly enhance your CV. To many employers, these skills are highly sought after and are often more important than the actual subject of your degree. An English Language degree also provides an excellent basis for postgraduate study.
Enhancement opportunities
SALA
The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.
Study Abroad
As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are £9,790 for full-time undergraduate courses.*
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,790.
The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
Home students (UK)
*Tuition fees are subject to inflation-linked increases in line with government policy. Updated fees will be confirmed in line with the maximum fee cap set by the Government or the Office for Students (OfS) for each academic year. This means your fee may increase for each academic year of study, but only up to the maximum amount permitted for that year.
Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest-rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.
Additional costs
As well as your tuition fees, you also need to consider the cost of key books and textbooks, which in total will cost approximately £200.
You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.
Scholarships
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
International tuition fees
The International Tuition fees for 2026/27 are £15,225.
Visit our International fees page for more information.
Course combinations
This course is only available as a Combined Honours degree with the following subjects:
Course Enquiry
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