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Quality of teaching

"I've been impressed by the quality of teaching and the support provided – tutors are always available to give advice and show enthusiasm"

Lynda O'Brien BA Applied English Language Studies

In the National Student Survey 2024, 100% of our students said that teaching staff are good at explaining things.                              (National Student Survey 2024, responders from the Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics).

Employability

We have lots of opportunities for placements throughout the course, and you can engage in a professional communication project in your final year. 

In The Guardian University Guide 2025, we are ranked 9th for English.

Dynamic programme

We offer a diverse portfolio of modules, allowing you to specialise,  while our flexible programme allows you to study abroad in another country.

Our students really enjoy the opportunity to practically apply aspects of linguistics to solving real-world problems.


 

What our students say

As a student in the Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics, you’ll have lots of opportunities to develop your knowledge and gain practical skills. Watch this video by two undergraduate students to find out more about why you should study with us.
Reading had the most to offer - the lecturers are really amazing - they are really inspiring on the Open Days - and the course itself - all the modules were interesting and there's quite a lot of variety in the first year - you get to explore what you want to do, which helps with your career development.

Katie Halley, BA English Language and Linguistics

Your future career

We aim to make our graduates stand out from the crowd, giving them the opportunity to develop a range of transferable skills including effective written and oral communication, critical thinking and the ability to work as part of a group. 

We also offer career-oriented modules to help you to prepare to enter particular fields such as media, politics and education. 

Our graduates have gone on to a wide range of careers including: teaching (both in the UK and abroad), speech therapy, publishing and journalism, events coordination, The Civil Service, media (including advertising, marketing and public relations) and information technology.

Our BA Spanish and English Language graduate, Sophie, who you can see in the video above from when she was a student, worked as a Business Reporter Kickstart intern at The News, Portsmouth and is now working in marketing for an award-winning training organisation, PETA Ltd.

In this video, she tells us about the benefits of a joint degree from the student and employer perspective.

 

Life in the Department

Develop your ideas and nurture your creativity with first-hand guidance from expert academics and experienced professionals.

Our experts

Meet some of the talented staff that will be teaching you on our various courses.

Our excellence in research

Our research brings a breadth of applied linguistic expertise to exploring a range of issues from second language acquisition to language and digital media.

Our student stories

"I really like my course: there is so much writing. It has forced me to develop my written communication skills and learn how to structure an argument in a thoughtful and fluid way through practising essays."
Sabita Burke, BA English Language and Linguistics

Step off campus and you'll find yourself in a bustling town centre offering a variety of shops, restaurants and activities. We're also well-connected – you can reach London Paddington within half an hour by train.