English Language and Philosophy

Studying a BA English Language and and Philosophy degree allows you to discover how societies communicate and how language shapes our experience of the world. Combining this study with different philosophical perspectives, you’ll engage with some of history’s greatest minds as you discover how language and society influence each other.

At Birmingham, you will have access to world-class talent in philosophical fields as diverse as metaphysics and epistemology, philosophy of language and mind, ethics and ethical theory.

By studying Philosophy as a Joint Honours degree with English Language, you'll also gain a thorough appreciation of the technical aspects of the English language and its social and political context. You'll have the chance to use new resources, such as computer-held databases of linguistic data, and you'll be encouraged to embrace theoretical and technological advances in the study of language.

Why study this course?

BA English Language and Philosophy is for you if you want to:

Explore a broad range of specialisms - Birmingham is internationally famous for its work in corpus linguistics, figurative language, language learning and teaching, the language of social media and stylistics. You can focus on traditional aspects of the subject such as grammar, historical linguistics or pragmatics, but you can also explore newer areas such as English used in internet communication or English used worldwide.

Enjoy fantastic module variety - the amount of optional modules on offer will allow you to specialise more as you progress through your degree course, so that you can study areas of the discipline that interest you the most. Some module examples include Minds, Brains and Computers: Issues in Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Reasons to Believe: Topics in Epistemology and Fantastic Beasts and How to Understand them and Topics in Philosophy of Biology.

Take advantage of our exceptional resources - including our archives and special collections in the Cadbury Research Library and the Library of Birmingham, Europe’s largest regional library.

Do more than read books - take advantage of the wide-ranging expertise within our academic community and delve into the study of language in areas as diverse as advertising, traditional and online media, and clinical and health settings.

Join welcoming and sociable departments - you can join the English Language and Linguistics or Philosophy student societies and take part in a range of social and wellbeing activities, getting to know your fellow students with quizzes, coffee mornings, trips, and a summer ball.

26th for English Language and Literature in the QS World Subject Rankings 2024

11th for Philosophy in the Complete University Guide 2025