Is the BA English Language a literature degree?

No. It is a linguistics degree centred on the structure, use and social life of English. Literary text appears occasionally as data for discourse analysis, but the discipline is linguistics — distinct from our BA in English Literature.

Does the BA English Language qualify me to teach English?

It gives you the linguistic grounding teaching builds on, and includes a TESOL foundation module. To teach in UK state schools you would add a PGCE or School Direct year; to teach EFL internationally you would typically add a CELTA or our specialist diploma.

Can I study the BA English Language online?

Yes. Lectures and workshops are delivered asynchronously with live cohort seminars and tutor sessions. The sociolinguistics fieldwork is designed to be completed in your own community wherever you are based.

What does the sociolinguistics fieldwork on the BA English Language involve?

You design and run a small study — typically interview or recording-based — looking at variation, attitude or change in a community of your choice. Past projects have covered London teenage speech, multilingual workplaces and accent change in second-generation migrants.

Will the BA English Language prepare me for a Master's in Applied Linguistics or TESOL?

Yes. The degree's core linguistics modules and the dissertation map directly to the entry requirements of UK MAs in Applied Linguistics, TESOL and Translation Studies — including our own MA programmes.

BA English Language in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BA English Language at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree centred on the structure, use and social life of English as a global language. You will study phonetics and phonology, syntax and semantics, sociolinguistics, language acquisition, and the discourse analysis tools needed to read how language carries power and identity in real-world settings.

This is not a literature degree dressed in linguistics clothing. The BA English Language is for students fascinated by the language itself — how it is made, how it changes, how it is taught and how it carries meaning across the world's most multilingual city, where it is taught.

Key Features

UK honours degree in English Language — three years full-time, with online and distance routes.
Phonetics and phonology lab work using current articulatory and acoustic methods.
Sociolinguistics fieldwork module — design and run a small study in London or in your own community.
Discourse analysis clinics on media, political and everyday texts.
English language teaching foundation — methodology, materials assessment, an introduction to TESOL practice.
Final-year dissertation (8,000–10,000 words) on a topic of your choice in English language.

What You Will Learn

The BA English Language is structured around the four core areas of linguistic study and their applied extensions. You graduate able to analyse the structure of English at every level, situate language use in its social context, and apply linguistic insight to teaching, editing or policy work.

Phonetics and phonology — IPA, articulation, prosody, accent variation.
Morphology and syntax — word structure, sentence structure, contemporary syntactic frameworks.
Semantics and pragmatics — meaning, reference, implicature, speech-act theory.
Sociolinguistics — variation, change, identity, multilingualism, language and power.
Language acquisition — first and second language development, cognitive and social models.
Discourse analysis — political discourse, media discourse, conversation analysis.
World Englishes — global varieties, lingua-franca English, prestige and standardisation.
Applied linguistics — language teaching, lexicography, editorial standards, forensic linguistics.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers with strong language and analytic aptitude planning a teaching, editorial or research career.
International students seeking a UK linguistics degree taught in central London.
Career-changers from teaching, journalism or editing wanting structured grounding in linguistics.
Prospective TESOL teachers and language editors who want the linguistic underpinning before specialising.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the BA English Language move into teaching, editorial, research and language-policy roles across the UK and internationally. Typical first or next roles include:

English Teacher (UK secondary, FE college, international school)
Academic Editor (academic publisher, journal, research institute)
Examinations Officer (Cambridge English, Trinity, IELTS bodies)
Lecturer (FE college English programmes)
Educational Materials Writer (ELT publisher, educational technology)
Language Policy Researcher (British Council, government research)

Graduates progress to a Master's in TESOL, Applied Linguistics, English Language or Translation Studies, or to teacher training (PGCE).

Entry Requirements

Three A-Levels at BBC or above (or international equivalent — IB 28 points, BTEC DMM, or accepted national qualification).
GCSE English Language at grade 5 or equivalent English proficiency test.
IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
A short personal statement; an English language A-Level is welcome but not required.
Mature applicants (21+) without standard qualifications may apply with a portfolio and short interview.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.