BA - Linguistics as a major
Major, Second Major, Supporting
If you’re fascinated by the history and creative activities of humankind and how this shapes societies and our future, then a Bachelor of Arts (BA) is for you. Our graduates are in demand for their flexible skills, practical outlook and depth of understanding they bring to their roles.
Linguistics is the scientific study of language and, given that language impinges on virtually everything we do, it is a broad and interesting subject. Linguistics at the University of Waikato is a top 250 QS-rated programme and will deepen your appreciation for language, as well as provide essential understandings relevant to any career where language is a key component.
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Education and Society
- English
- Environmental Planning
- Geography
- History
- Human Development
- International Languages and Cultures
- Law
- Music
- Māori and Indigenous Studies
- Māori Language/Te Reo Māori
- Pacific and Indigenous Studies
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Population Studies
- Psychology
- Screen and Media Studies
- Social Policy
- Sociology
- Theatre Studies
- Writing Studies
Apply to enrol
Key information
| Years: | 3 |
|---|---|
| Points: | 360 |
| Start Dates: | Trimester A (March) and Trimester B (July) |
| Estimated Fees* (Domestic): | $6,591 - $7,608 per year |
| Estimated Fees* (International): | $29,425 - $38,305 per year |
| Entry Requirements: | Undergraduate International |
| Area of Study: | |
| *Tuition fees shown are indicative only and may change. There are additional fees and charges related to enrolment please see the Table of Fees and Charges for more information. You will be sent an enrolment agreement which will confirm your fees. | |
Career opportunities
- Education Researcher
- Journalist
- Language Policy and Planning
- Language School Management
- Lexicography (Dictionary Writing)
- Second Language Teaching
- Speech Therapist
- Writer
Degree Planner
Degree planner — BA in Linguistics
Year 1
Any 100 level
paper listed below
Field of the Degree
100 level
Field of the Degree
100 level
Field of the Degree
100 level
Elective
Elective
Year 2
One from List B
Field of the Degree
200 level
Elective
Elective
Elective
Year 3
Elective
Elective
Elective
Elective
- Major
- Compulsory
- Elective
Papers (15 points unless specified otherwise)
100 Level
- ARTSC102 Music, Sound and Human Communication
- ENGLI100 Telling the Story
- INTLC101 International Languages and Cultures
- MEDIA100 Understanding Visual Culture
- WRITE100 Writing for Academic Success
200 Level
This information is provisional and subject to change.BA Papers
Lists A, B and C
List A: Academic Foundations
- ARTSC103 Rights and Reasons
- ARTSC105 Language in Context
- ENSLA103 Undergraduate Research Writing for ESL Students
- ENSLA202 Oral Skills for Academic English
List B: Cultural Perspectives
Any Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies paper, or- ANTHY101 Exploring Cultures: Introduction to Anthropology
- ANTHY102 Exploring Cultures: Aotearoa and the Pacific
- ANTHY201 Patriots, Racists, and Foreigners: Ethnicity and Identity in Global Perspective
- DSIGN252 Cultural Perspectives for Design
- EDUCA200 Te Hononga Tangata
- ENGLI200 Global Fictions
- GEOGY219 Māori Lands and Communities
- INTLC221 Understanding East Asia
- INTLC225 The French-speaking World from Astérix to Zombies
- LINGS203 Language, Society and Culture
- Any MAORI paper
- Any PACIS paper
List C: Work-Integrated Learning
- ALPSS301 Work-integrated learning - Placements
- ALPSS363 The Impact Lab
- ARTSW300 Arts and Cultural Festivals
- ARTSW301 Professional Practice in the Arts (prerequisites ARTSC110 - so open to all BA students)
- ARTSW302 Work-Related Project in the Arts (prerequisites ARTSC110 - so open to all BA students)
- LEGAL306 Dispute Resolution (BA Law students)
- LINGS301 Research Apprenticeship
- MEDIA307 Professional Studio Production
- POLCY318 Global Environmental Politics and Policy
- POPST300 Population Studies Work-Related Project
- PSYCH301 Psychology Research Assistantship
- SOCSC301 Work-Integrated Learning - Work-Related Project
- WRITE396 Writing Studies Work Placement
*Please consult our Student Advisors for the correct work-integrated learning paper.
Subject to approval
Papers
Papers available within Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of language in all its facets. Language is a fundamentally important aspect of human life, and impinges on virtually everything that we do. Thus, Linguistics is a study which shares interests with a very wide range of other disciplines, and usefully complements a variety of other subject areas, such as the language subjects, Philosophy, Education, Sociology, Social Anthropology, Psychology and Artificial Intelligence.
Linguistics is available as a first major for the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSocSc). Linguistics may also be taken as a second major or minor, subject to approval of the Division in which the student is enrolled.
To complete Linguistics as a single major for the BA and BSocSc, students must gain 135 points from papers listed for Linguistics, including 105 points above 100 level, and 60 points above 200 level. Students must include ARTSC105, LINGS201 or LINGS202, and LINGS301, LINGS302 and LINGS303.
To complete Linguistics as part of a double major for the BA, BSocSc or other undergraduate degrees, students must gain 120 points from papers listed for Linguistics, including 90 points above 100 level, and 45 points above 200 level. Students must include ARTSC105, LINGS201 or LINGS202, and LINGS302 and LINGS303.
To complete a minor in Linguistics, students must complete 60 points from the papers listed for the Linguistics major, including at least 30 points above 100 level, including either LINGS201 or LINGS202.
Note: It is recommended that students intending to take Linguistics as a major or minor, include a language skills paper in a language other than their first language in their programme of study. Such a paper would not count as a Linguistics paper for the purpose of the degree regulations.
100 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARTSC105 | Language in Context | 15.0 | 24A (Online) |
| Language in Context is an essential paper for students of a broad range of disciplines where language and communication are a focus. Students are given the tools to examine how human language reflects our histories, our social selves, and our immediate physical contexts. We observe how language is used to reinvent and to reinforce ... | |||
| ARTSC112 | Music, Sound and Human Communication | 15.0 | 24B (Online) |
| Every day we communicate using complex linguistic and musical systems. This paper will explore the role of sound and music in human communication and the cognitive, social, and cultural processes, which underlie such communication. The paper takes a broad, interdisciplinary look at all aspects of sound and musical communication, fr... | |||
| COMMS101 | Communication Competencies | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) |
| This paper introduces students to the significance and meaning associated with our everyday communication choices. From traditional face-to-face conversation to digitally mediated interactions, communication is layered with social meaning that both replicates and constitutes our identities. | |||
| ENGLI100 | Telling the Story | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) |
| This paper examines the deep stories which are at the core of the English literary tradition and the wider Western canon, using picturebooks, fairytales, popular film, detective fiction and short stories. | |||
| INTLC101 | International Languages and Cultures | 15.0 | 24B (Online) & 24G (Online) |
| This paper introduces students to major world cultures and their languages in a comparative context. Students will gain a critical understanding of culture and diversity through examining the languages and cultures of China, France, Japan, Korea, Spain and Latin America. | |||
| MEDIA100 | Understanding Visual Culture | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) & 24X (Zhejiang University City College, Hangzhou China) |
| Our lives are dominated by still and moving images and visual technologies. This paper will constitute an important first step in learning to understand how images variously work to convey ideas, their impact and influence on our behaviour, thinking and culture. It draws on a broad theoretical platform from aesthetics, art history,... | |||
| WRITE100 | Writing for Academic Success | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton), 24A (Online), 24A (Tauranga), 24B (Hamilton), 24B (Online), 24B (Tauranga), 24JS (Hamilton), 24JS (Online) & 24JS (Tauranga) |
| The paper gives opportunities for undergraduate students to develop their academic literacy skills. It begins with general academic communication and research skills and then embeds academic literacy practice within disciplines of study. | |||
200 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| LINGS201 | Language Analysis | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) |
| This paper provides a detailed introduction to phonology and morphology. Students develop analytic skills and discuss theoretical issues related to language analysis. | |||
| LINGS203 | Language, Society and Culture | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) |
| In this paper, we explore cultural diversity through language. We develop understandings of the way that language both reflects, and is used to construct diverse social and cultural identities and practices. We will look at multiple examples of both linguistic and cultural research, as well as learning from our own diverse experien... | |||
| LINGS204 | Language of Social Media | 15.0 | 24G (Online) |
| This paper introduces students to the study of language in the genre of social media, using linguistics theory and concepts. | |||
300 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| LINGS301 | Research Apprenticeship | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) |
| This paper provides students with an opportunity to pursue an extended research project, in a sub-discipline of linguistics or anthropology (e.g. sociolinguistics, typology, documentation, anthropology), focusing on a heritage language/culture. | |||
| LINGS302 | Comparative Linguistics | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) |
| This paper concerns the study of linguistic diversity, with an emphasis on the morphosyntactic analysis of lesser-known languages. Current comparative/typological understandings are employed to examine properties and processes in language data. | |||
| LINGS303 | Sociolinguistics | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) |
| This paper teaches major methods and principles of sociolinguistic investigation, including the study of accents and dialects; language variation; relationship between language and education/gender/social class; and language attitudes. | |||
| LINGS304 | Applied Linguistics | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) |
| This paper provides an introduction to areas of research and professional practice in applied linguistics, including language acquisition, second language teaching, language planning, lexicography, translation, forensic linguistics and speech language therapy. | |||
800 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| LINGS800 | Linguistics MPhil Thesis | 120.0 | 24X (Hamilton) |
| No description available. | |||
900 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| LINGS900 | Linguistics PhD Thesis | 120.0 | 24I (Hamilton), 24J (Hamilton), 24K (Hamilton) & 24X (Hamilton) |
| No description available. | |||
Scholarships and prizes
Visit our Scholarship Finder for information about possible scholarships
Subject links
Subject Requirements
Linguistics is available as a major for the BA and BSocSc.
Linguistics is available as a major for the BA and BSocSc. Linguistics may also be taken as a second major or as a supporting subject within other undergraduate degrees, subject to academic approval of the Faculty or School of Studies in which the student is enrolled.
For more information about subject requirements please refer to the Catalogue of Papers for the most up to date information. If you have any questions and need more advice, please contact one of our friendly student advisors phone:
Students wishing to take Linguistics as a major or as a supporting subject are strongly encouraged to include a language skills paper in a language other than their first language in their programme of study. Such a paper would not count as a Linguistics paper for the purposes of the degree regulations.
Contacts
School of Arts
Phone: +64 7 838 4932
Email: [email protected]