Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Literature (English - German)
Mastering multiple languages is essential in an era of increased mobility and more extensive international (virtual) interactions. However, effective communication involves more than a firm grasp of languages; it also requires a broad and open-minded understanding of the sociocultural context of communication. The Linguistics and Literature programme combines these two elements.
What
The Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Literature provides a comprehensive understanding of two languages of your choice. It familiarises you with those languages' cultural backgrounds and linguistic aspects, offers insight into their structures, functions, and histories, introduces you to their rich literature, and enables you to analyse (literary) texts. Our curriculum is built on three cornerstones: general course units, programme-specific course units, and language-specific course units, ensuring our ambitious goals are achievable within the standard three-year track.
Structure
Linguistics and Literature students at Ghent University are offered a choice of nine languages, of which they choose two. The timetables are designed to accommodate combining two languages from different columns without issues. Combining two languages from the same column is not possible.
Bachelor
- Initially, the programme provides general course units. These course units familiarise you with the basic principles of the Humanities, including Literature, Linguistics, Historical Criticism, Philosophy and Art.
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Additionally, you will take the programme-specific course units General Linguistics and Theory of Literature. These offer you the knowledge, methods, and skills necessary to understand the language-specific course units, where you will thoroughly learn to command your chosen languages actively and passively. These course units include:
- language proficiency course units (with a focus on oral and written communication),
- literature course units (with a focus on literary traditions and methods for literary text analysis),
- linguistics course units (focusing on understanding the language system, the functions of language and language variations).
- Specific culture and history course units focus on the history and culture of the chosen language areas.
- Throughout the programme's first two years, the two languages are given equal importance. In the third year, you have several options to prepare you for advanced studies or a professional career: you can choose a third language, specialise in general linguistics or literary theory, or opt for the “Education Track” in preparation for the subsequent Master of Science in Teaching. You can also take on course units from a preparatory programme to be admitted into a complementary (Master’s) programme.
Master
Once you have obtained your Bachelor's diploma, you can be directly admitted into various Master's programmes. The Master of Arts in Linguistics and Literature allows you to continue studying your chosen languages or specialise in one of them. The Master of Arts in Comparative Modern Literature continues the Literary Theory track from the Bachelor's programme and introduces you to the cultural sector as a professional field. The Master of Arts in Historical Linguistics and Literature ultimately offers academic and professional tracks.
- Your Bachelor's diploma also grants access to additional Master's programmes beyond those mentioned here, including the Master of Science in Teaching. Please refer to the ‘Postgraduate Studies’ tab.
Labour Market
Your advanced academic language proficiency, keen linguistic awareness, clear understanding of literary and non-literary texts, creative problem-solving skills, and thirst for lifelong learning... These elements ensure that 90% of our graduates find a job within a year of graduation, as VDAB reports have shown. Many of them find jobs in the business world. Others become journalists, translators, editors or proofreaders in various media and business sectors. The cultural industry offers job opportunities at museums, libraries, cultural centres, literary festivals and organisations. Academic research may be a compelling career path for alumni with a special interest in the theoretical study of linguistics or literature.
- For more specific career options, please refer to this list of jobs held by alumni:www.taalenletterkunde.ugent.be/beroepen (in Dutch).
Quality Assurance
At Ghent University, we strive to educate people who dare to think about the challenges of tomorrow. For that purpose, we provide education that is embedded in six strategic objectives: Think Broadly, Keep Researching, Cultivate Talent, Contribute, Extend Horizons, Opt for Quality.
Ghent University continuously focuses on quality assurance and quality culture. The Ghent University's quality assurance system offers information on each study programme’s unique selling points, and on its strengths and weaknesses with regard to quality assurance.
More information:
Unique Selling Points
1. Multiperspectivism: we offer a broad study programme, combining and elaborating on various perspectives. The thorough study of two languages builds on a broad introduction to the Humanities as well as an in-depth analysis of two complementary academic disciplines, i.e. linguistics and literature.
2. Language proficiency: our study programme invests strongly in the students’ oral and written language proficiency.
3. Research-oriented: the purpose of the study programme is to develop an independent, critical and research-driven mindset. In combination with the language proficiency (cf. above), this mindset ensures a broad employability and fosters an attitude of lifelong learning.
4. Electives and talent development: students have ample opportunity to nurture their interests and develop their talents: (1) the programme offers a choice of nine languages, of which our students choose two, (2) in the senior years, students can opt for a more linguistics-oriented or a more literature-oriented focus, (3) the third-year (Bachelor’s) curriculum and Master’s curriculum offer elective modules with a professional focus (e.g. a work placement or a research project), (4) students can either focus on older or more recent areas of linguistics and literature, (5) students are free in their choice of topic for the Bachelor’s and Master’s dissertation.
5. Internationalisation: due to our (1) study topic (foreign languages), (2) an international team of lecturers, combined with guest lectures by international speakers, and (3) well-organised international exchange opportunities in the Bachelor’s and Master’s curriculum the focus on internationalisation is strong. We guarantees that all the students who wish to study abroad, can do so.
Strengths
1. Our study programme offers a wide variety of teaching and assessment methods, tailored to the acquisition of (academic) linguistic proficiency, academic knowledge and theory, research competencies and critical thought.
2. Our students appreciate the good rapport they have with our motivated lecturers, both in the traditional lectures (in large groups) and in the tutorials (in smaller groups).
3. We have a close collaboration with a large and motivated group of student representatives.
4. Our study programme feedback reveals that student appreciation of the general quality of our programme, the learning effect in the individual course units, the fostering of critical thought and a research attitude, independence and internationalisation is high. This is corroborated by our experiences with (incoming and outgoing) exchange students. The most recent survey results (study programme feedback, Master’s dissertation survey) confirm that student appreciation is still high.
5. As a study programme, we take into account the students’ appeal to be well-prepared for their professional future. Since the 2018-2019 academic year, the curriculum contains an elective component to suit that purpose. Since the 2022-2023 academic year, every student can take on a work placement. In addition, we organise sessions on career coaching, job interviewing and professional orientation.
Challenges
1. Our consistent approach and communication across the different languages and disciplines merits further consolidation. Although there are intrinsic differences between the languages and the disciplines we offer, we should monitor that learning contents, study load and work load are aligned throughout.
2. We want to strengthen our focus on diversity and inclusion, a well-considered use of blended learning and generative AI, and a better monitoring of study efficiency in the light of the so-called “hard cut” between the Bachelor’s and the Master’s programme.
3. Overall, we should inform our students better in terms of our study programme vision, our learning outcomes, our social importance and our match with the labour market. Although we are convinced that our education focuses on socially relevant topics and issues, it is still a challenge to make this tangible for our students.
This study programme is accredited by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (Dutch: NVAO). Accreditation was extended following the positive outcome of the institutional review in 2022. Programme quality was validated by a quality review (peer-learning visit) in 2016. Please find the quality assurance resolution here.
This information was last updated on 29/02/2024.
In case of questions or suggestions with regard to the publicly available information, please contact the study programme.