Our BA Language Studies (including foundation year) is open to Home and EU students. It will be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entrance requirements for the three-year version of this course and you want a programme that increases your subject knowledge as well as improves your academic skills.

This four-year course includes a foundation year (Year Zero), followed by a further three years of study. During your Year Zero, you study four academic subjects relevant to your chosen course as well as a compulsory academic skills module.

You are an Essex student from day one, a member of our global community based at the most internationally diverse campus university in the UK.

After successful completion of Year Zero in our Essex Pathways Department, you progress to complete your course with the Department of Language and Linguistics. This course explores the structure and use of the English language as well as how Media is used to communicate, from the perspectives of both businesses and politicians and also in every day society.

Does language in the media affect people's opinions and actions? How is language used in social and traditional media for politics, art, and business communication? What does the language used in the media tell us about English-speaking societies?

During your studies you explore topics such as:

Propaganda in film and literature

How language is used in conversation

How the pronunciation of speech varies

The role of new media in shaping mass culture

How questioning in broadcast interviews has changed over time

How politicians use rhetorical devices to generate applause from audiences

How the media is used for marketing purposes

How people use language on social media to construct identities for themselves

This unique combination of studying English language and Media communication provides an interesting curriculum and the broad range of areas covered opens many doors, giving you an edge in the global job market.

This course is taught within our Department of Language and Linguistics. We are Top 25 in the UK for linguistics in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024.

The collaborating departments on this course stand out for their excellence in their respective fields. Essex Business School is an international community of researchers, students and entrepreneurs. You learn from world-leading academics and practitioners, solving real-world business challenges.

The Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies is an interdisciplinary department with expertise in English literature, drama, creative writing, journalism, film and screen media. It has an international reputation for research quality and teaching, with excellent scores for student satisfaction and graduate prospects.

The Department of Government is a world leader in political sciences and ranked top 10 in the UK for politics and international studies in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024.

The Department of Sociology and Criminology were ranked 73rd globally and top 15 in the UK for sociology in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024.