German and Linguistics

German and linguistics is a pairing that brings together intensive engagement with one of Europe's most significant languages and cultures alongside the scientific study of how human language itself works. German opens the literary, philosophical, political and cultural worlds of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, countries that have shaped European history profoundly and that remain major forces in European and global politics, science and commerce. Linguistics provides the analytical tools for understanding language as a cognitive, social and historical phenomenon, asking how languages are structured, how they are acquired, how they vary across communities and how they change over time.

At Queen Mary University of London you will study across four years of full-time study, developing high-level linguistic competence in German alongside a thorough grounding in linguistic analysis and theory. German is taught from the outset regardless of prior knowledge, so the programme is accessible to students starting from different levels. You will develop analytical skills and intercultural understanding alongside your linguistic proficiency, and the linguistics component gives you a rigorous scientific framework for understanding not just German but the nature of language itself.

Graduates in German and linguistics work in translation and interpreting, language education, speech and language therapy, publishing, journalism, international business, the civil service, the diplomatic service, computational linguistics and natural language processing, and a wide range of roles in European and German-speaking institutional contexts. The linguistic component is particularly valued in language technology, applied linguistics and research, while the German language opens professional doors across German-speaking Europe and in any international context where Germany is a significant partner. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in Germanic studies, linguistics, translation, applied linguistics or language education.