Linguistics
Bachelor of Arts (Integrative study programme)

The formal admission requirement for the integrative Bachelor's degree course in Linguistics is a general or relevant subject-restricted higher education entrance qualification (high school graduation/Abitur).
Applicants must provide proof of German language skills for enrollment. In addition, a good command of English is required, as both the teaching and the reading are partly in English.

There are, depending on the count, between six and eight thousand human languages in the world. They all have different sound systems or gesture inventories, different word structures and different sentence structures. What we call a ballpoint pen in English is literally called a “pen with a ball” in French. If we use the word order “Mey eats an apple” in English, the order in Japanese is “Mey apple eats.”

There are also strong variations within each language. Depending on age, region and context, we can express ourselves differently. Most people in the world also speak more than one language and can use expressions from several languages at the same time in a conversational situation.

We examine this diversity: How do languages differ from each other, what do they have in common? How do we learn languages? Why do we understand words and sentences that we have never heard or read before?

In our computer pools and various labs, we learn a variety of methods to investigate these questions.

1. In the first year of study, the various sub-disciplines of linguistics are introduced in lecture modules. The basics of academic writing and working are taught in seminars with exercises.
2. In the second year, specific methods are developed. In addition, students can set their own priorities in language and programming courses.
3. In the third year of study, theoretical approaches and content are deepened. In the specialization module, students can take advantage of courses offered by other institutes. The year concludes with the Bachelor's thesis.

The degree program prepares students for a wide range of professions. Our graduates learn methods for collecting and analyzing data, and some work in industrial research, for example as data scientists, or in the development of language technologies.

The program also trains students to write concise texts and to visualize data and ideas in a meaningful way, which is a good basis for careers in public relations, knowledge transfer and consulting.

By focusing on linguistic diversity and specific language skills, our graduates are also well prepared for careers in cultural mediation, language training and multilingual team management.

Other career paths that we observe can be found in various areas of management (product management, project management, human resources management) and adult education.

An alternative is the Heinrich Heine College Year, an orientation course in the humanities, cultural and social sciences, with the opportunity to get to know the whole range of subjects at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.