BA in English Language and Culture
Groningen, Netherlands
DURATION
3 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 May 2025*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 13,100 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Dutch I EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA students
** for Non-EU|for EU/EEA EUR 2,530
Introduction
Is English your favorite subject at school? How does the Netflix series Bridgerton combine the novels of Jane Austen with modern thoughts on women, race, and equality? In an ever-growing diverse society, how will studying linguistics improve your communication and analytical skills?
The bachelor program English Language and Culture at the University of Groningen is consistently rated the best in the country. The three pillars of this program are language, literature, and culture. In an ever-growing international environment, there is a need for employees and researchers with a high level of English in writing, reading, and speaking. In addition, the program develops your presentation and debating skills for both an academic and professional context.
Studying English literature not only means you get to read a lot of books, but it also allows you to explore topics related to present-day issues such as gender, identity, crime and punishment, and social cohesion. These topics are not only present in modern literature, but they also dominate the popular plays of William Shakespeare and are also found in a number of medieval works such as The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. The medieval world, like todayโs, was full of controversy. People debated about the position of women in society, ways of combatting disease, the virtues, and vices of different classes, which way best to pursue oneโs religion, and many other issues which are debated today.
English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. By studying linguistics you will not only learn about the English language and its position as a lingua franca, but you will also see how the English language has changed throughout the years and how it continues to change. Knowledge of linguistics is essential for understanding the role of communication and how language can vary between people and situations.
There is a range of study options that complement an English Language and Culture degree, and many students spend time at a foreign university, for example in Ireland, the UK, or New Zealand. After the BA degree, many students continue their studies at one of our MA degrees in the field of literature, linguistics, or communication. You can also combine your MA in English with a teacher training course.
Why study this program in Groningen?
At the University of Groningen, we offer an integrated approach to the English language, linguistics, literature, and culture. In addition, we concentrate on training academic skills.
Research
Research in the Department covers all areas of English literature and linguistics. Our particular strengths lie in modernism, pre-modern culture, and language development. We publish widely on topics such as critical theory, visual culture, travel literature, women's writing, medieval learning, and language acquisition and loss. Our staff members run or participate in a number of international research projects, including the Language Attrition project and the Hakluyt Editorial Project.
Gallery
Admissions
Curriculum
In years 2 and 3 students choose modules from a number of options. In year 2: Group A: In block 2a 10 ECTS choice of 2 out of courses Group A; Group B: In block 2b 15 ECTS choice from courses Group B. In year 3: Group C: In block 2a choice of at least one module out of Group C; Group D: In block 2b choice of at least one module out of Group D.
Year 1
- English for Academic Purposes (EAP): Persuasive Expression (5 EC)
- English Linguistics: Sentence Structure (5 EC)
- Making Meaning: Introduction to English Literatures 1 (5 EC)
- English for Academic Purposes (EAP): Composition (5 EC)
- English Linguistics: Sound Structure (5 EC)
- Knowledge and Power (5 EC)
- English Literatures: The Beginnings until 1550 (5 EC)
- English Literatures from 1550: Periods and Contexts (5 EC)
- EAP: Argumentation (5 EC)
- English Linguistics: Sociolinguistics (5 EC)
- Chaucer: Works and Background (5 EC)
- Literary Theory for English Studies (5 EC)
Year 2
- EAP: Popular Contexts (5 EC)
- English Linguistics: Meaning and Use (5 EC)
- Shakespeare and Early Modern Literature (5 EC)
- EAP: Research reports (5 EC)
- English Linguistics: Language Change (5 EC)
- Reading Middle English (5 EC)
- EAP: Debate and Discussion (5 EC)
- Group A: English Linguistics: Phonology Laboratory. Or, in alternate years: English Linguistics: Morphology (5 EC, optional)
- Group A: English Linguistics: Research Tools (5 EC, optional)
- Group A: King Arthur, Romance, and Empire. Or, in alternate years, Marvels, Monsters, and Mysteries (5 EC, optional) (5 EC, optional)
- Group A: Modern Literature option (5 EC, optional)
- Group A: Revolutionaries and Romantics in English Literature. Or, in alternate years: Sensation & Victorian Culture (5 EC, optional)
- Group B: Broken Images: Anglo-American Modernism. Or, in alternate years: Sick Jokes: Postmodernity & English Literature (5 EC, optional)
- Group B: English Employed (5 EC, optional)
- Group B: English Linguistics: Lexicon. Or, in alternate years: English Linguistics: Syntax (5 EC, optional)
- Group B: Medieval Literature option (5 EC, optional)
- Group B: Saints and Sinners in Medieval England. Or, in alternate years, Controversy and Dispute in Medieval English Literature (5 EC, optional)
- Group B: Shakespeare at Stratford (5 EC, optional)
- Group B: World Literatures in English (5 EC, optional)
Year 3
- Minor (30 EC, optional)
- Group C: English Linguistics: Language Variation (5 EC, optional)
- Group C: Language and Culture of Anglo-Saxon England (5 EC, optional)
- Group C: The Century of the Self: English Literature & Identity (1900-) (5 EC, optional)
- BA Dissertation (Linguistics, Medieval Literature or Modern Literature) (10 EC)
- Group D: English Linguistics: Language in Interaction (5 EC, optional)
- Group D: Modern Popular Literature (5 EC, optional)
- Group D: Special Topic Medieval Literature and Culture (5 EC, optional)
Program options
- Premodern Literature and Culture (track)
- Modern Literature and Culture (track)
- English Linguistics (track)
- Minors (minor)
- University of Groningen Honours College (honors program)
Study abroad
- Study abroad is optional
- For an average of 16 weeks
- Maximum of 30 EC
Career Opportunities
As a graduate, you can find a career in teaching, translating and publishing, government, cultural organizations, tourism, PR and communications, or consultancy firms. The positions you could hold are varied, but your communication skills will always be very important.
Job examples
- Publisher
- Editor
- Teaching
- Literator
- Interpreter / translator
- Communications Advisor
- Work within the international field