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German and Linguistics

Entry Year: 2025

Key information

Degree
BA (Hons)
Duration
4 years
Start
September 2025
UCAS code
RQ21
Institution code
Q50
Typical A-Level offer
Grades BBB at A-Level. Excludes General Studies.
Full entry requirements (including contextual admissions)
Home fees
£9,250
Overseas fees
£25,000
Funding information
Paying your fees

Year abroad cost

Finances for studying abroad on exchange

View details

Overview

Combine in-depth study of German language and culture with learning how language itself works.

Studying German at Queen Mary involves intensive engagement with the language, in conjunction with learning about the cultures and histories of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. You’ll develop a high level of linguistic competence, together with analytical skills and an understanding of intercultural issues. No prior knowledge of German is required.

Linguistics is the study of human language. You’ll be looking at questions like: how did language develop? How is it able to create infinite new meanings? How is it learned? How is it represented in the brain? How do people use it? How does it change over time?

You could find yourself recording dialect speakers, working out the rules of an endangered language or learning how to write down a sneeze.

You’ll spend your third year abroad, an exceptional opportunity to develop your language skills through immersion and boost your intercultural competence.

 

Register your interest

Structure

The German language modules you take will depend on your entry level. We offer separate classes for beginner, post-GCSE, post-A-level and native speakers.

Year 1

Compulsory

  • Culture and Language
  • German language module (streamed according to entry level)

Choose from a range of modules including

  • English in Use
  • Introduction to English Syntax
  • Introduction to Phonology
  • Language Acquisition
  • Language in the UK
  • Languages of the World
  • Sounds of English

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Year 2

Compulsory

  • Contemporary German Studies I OR Contemporary German Studies II (according to entry level)
  • German language module (streamed according to entry level)

Choose from a range of modules including

  • German Narrative Fiction: Text and Film
  • German Play
  • Explaining Grammatical Structure
  • History of English
  • Language and Mind
  • Sociolinguistic Variation and Change

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Year 3

  • Year abroad

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Year 4

German compulsory

  • German language module

Choose from a range of modules including

  • Languages in the Classroom: Teaching German
  • Modern Languages Research Project
  • Bilingualism and Multilingualism
  • Formal Semantics
  • Unfamiliar Languages

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Year abroad

You will spend your year abroad in Germany, Austria or German-speaking Switzerland.

You have three options for how to spend your year abroad:

  • teaching English as a foreign language assistant
  • attending university
  • in the professional world, either on a work placement with our support, or independently with our approval.

Teaching

Teaching and learning

You'll receive approximately 10 to 16 hours of weekly contact time, comprising lectures, seminars and language classes.

You will spend up to five hours per week in language classes – in small groups of no more than 20 for classroom or language lab teaching, and no more than 10 for oral and aural work.

For every hour spent in class, you'll complete a further two to three hours of independent study.

Assessment

Assessment typically includes a combination of research diaries, poster presentations, class tests and exams. In your final year, you will do a research project, working on real data, using cutting-edge theoretical ideas, which will bring together everything you have learned.

Resources and facilities

The School offers excellent on-campus resources to aid your studies, including:

  • the Multimedia Language Resource Centre, equipped with digital labs and resource rooms, teacher and student workstations, interactive whiteboards, and software for viewing live international satellite TV broadcasts
  • a phonetics laboratory, equipped with a soundproof recording studio
  • language clubs and social activities, including film screenings, discussion groups and debates
  • subscriptions to foreign newspapers and journals
  • Writer-in-Residence programme for German students
  • regular events organised by the London Branch of the Gesellschaft für Deutsche Sprache, which invites students to get involved in its work.

 

Learn another language

If you’re interested in learning another language, you can sign up for a course at Queen Mary’s Language Centre, where you can choose from Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Japanese, Bengali, Catalan, Italian or Spanish.

Entry requirements

A-LevelGrades BBB at A-Level. Excludes General Studies.
IBInternational Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 30 points overall, including 5,5,5 from three Higher Level subjects.
BTECSee our detailed subject and grade requirements
Access HEWe consider applications from students with the Access to Higher Education Diploma. The minimum academic requirement is to achieve 60 credits overall, with 45 credits at Level 3, of which 15 credits must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher. For all other single and joint honours language programmes, experience of learning a language other than your mother tongue, and a demonstrable aptitude for language study are required. Applications are considered on a case by case basis, and we may request an interview. Due to the high volume of applications, we do not make offers of study purely on the basis of meeting grade requirements.
GCSEMinimum five GCSE passes including English at grade C or 4.
EPQ

Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification.

For further information please visit: qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry/epq

Contextualised admissions

Our standard contextual offer: BCC at A-Level.

Our enhanced contextual offer: CCC at A-Level.

More information on our contextual offer criteria can be found on our contextualised admissions page.

Please note that General Studies and Critical Thinking are excluded from any A-Level offer and cannot be considered.

Non-UK students

We accept a wide range of European and international qualifications in addition to A-levels, the International Baccalaureate and BTEC qualifications. Please visit International Admissions for full details.

If your qualifications are not accepted for direct entry onto this degree, consider applying for a foundation programme.

English language

Find out more about our English language entry requirements, including the types of test we accept and the scores needed for entry to the programme.

You may also be able to meet the English language requirement for your programme by joining a summer pre-sessional programme before starting your degree.

Further information

See our general undergraduate entry requirements.

Funding

Loans and grants

UK students accepted onto this course are eligible to apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance England or other government bodies.

Scholarships and bursaries

Queen Mary offers a generous package of scholarships and bursaries, which currently benefits around 50 per cent of our undergraduates.

Scholarships are available for home, EU and international students. Specific funding is also available for students from the local area. International students may be eligible for a fee reduction. We offer means-tested funding, as well as subject-specific funding for many degrees.

Find out what scholarships and bursaries are available to you.

Support from Queen Mary

We offer specialist support on all financial and welfare issues through our Advice and Counselling Service, which you can access as soon as you have applied for a place at Queen Mary.

Take a look at our Student Advice Guides which cover ways to finance your degree, including:

  • additional sources of funding
  • planning your budget and cutting costs
  • part-time and vacation work
  • money for lone parents.

Careers

Fluency in German is an advantage on the job market, whether in the UK, in Europe or internationally.

Studying linguistics will give you a highly desirable collection of skills: analytical ability, research skills, precision and numeracy. A knowledge of linguistics is also particularly useful for teaching languages.

Some graduates apply their degree knowledge directly, entering careers such as interpreting and teaching. Others transfer skills gained during study into the arts, finance, business or IT.

Recent graduates who combined a modern language with linguistics have been hired by:

  • Embassy Language School
  • the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust
  • London School of Economics
  • Tanzania Education and Skills Trust
  • Teach First.

Career support

The School runs regular careers events, including opportunities for current students to meet alumni.

The Queen Mary careers team can also offer:

  • specialist advice on choosing a career path
  • support with finding work experience, internships and graduate jobs
  • feedback on CVs, cover letters and application forms
  • interview coaching.

Learn more about career support and development at Queen Mary.

Course data

The Discover Uni dataset (formerly Unistats)

About the School

The School of the Arts combines innovation, discovery and excellence in education and research in Drama, Film, Modern Languages, English & Comparative Literature, Creative Writing, Linguistics and Liberal Arts. We rank in the top 100 worldwide for Arts and Humanities (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024)

With our commitment to social justice, inclusivity and social mobility, our collaborations with external organisations, prominent writers and performers, and our facilities that support both academic and practice-based learning, an education in the School of the Arts equips our students with critical thinking and practical skills, unleashes their imagination and enables them to reach the levels of excellence needed in today’s industries.

We regularly host prominent writers and performers and collaborate with leading organisations such as the V&A, the Barbican, the Live Art Development Agency and Shakespeare’s Globe.

We are renowned for the depth and impact of research - which leads our teaching. We rank 1st for drama and in the top 10 for film in the UK for the quality of our research (REF2021). Our multilingual community brings together brilliant minds from across the world to share a wealth of expertise combining research excellence with an unrivalled commitment to social justice and social mobility.

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