Course details
At Homerton
Homerton College has been taking students for Linguistics since the undergraduate degree began, and we have a fine track record of success in the subject. We generally take two students per year, as the subject has limited space for undergraduates. Our Director of Studies, Dr Roberto B. Sileo, is Homerton's Fellow in Linguistics (and a Postgraduate Tutor and Praelector). He is also an Affiliated Lecturer in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics.
Linguistics is the systematic study of human language. Superficially, there is huge variation among the world’s languages, and linguists not only describe the diverse characteristics of individual languages but also explore properties which all languages share and which offer insight into the human mind. Situated within the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics, the Theoretical and Applied Linguistics Section emphasises an interdisciplinary approach to language, since the study of Linguistics draws on methods and knowledge from a wide range of academic fields. For instance, the study of meaning draws on Philosophy, the analysis of the speech signal uses methods from Physics and Engineering, and the study of language acquisition draws on Psychology. This variety makes Linguistics fascinating: one day you might be poring over a medieval text for evidence of how the grammar of a language has changed, and the next, learning about how the larynx creates sound energy for speech or how we can record brain responses in a categorisation task. Linguistics courses at Cambridge are taught at undergraduate, MPhil, and PhD levels and they generally top national and international university league tables. For more information, see Theoretical and Applied Linguistics.
We are looking for students who have the academic ability and potential to succeed on the course, as well as the necessary interest in and motivation for the subject.
In order to explore Linguistics in more detail we would recommend the introductory reading for prospective students and offer holders listed here.
You can also explore your chosen subject through the Homerton Resources page.
There are no essential subjects but English (language or literature), a modern or an ancient language, and/or mathematically-oriented subjects are potentially useful.
Admissions assessment: There is a college admissions assessment for Linguistics. More details are available on this page.
Written Work: There are no written work requirements for Linguistics.
There will be two interviews for Homerton applicants, one of which will be a specialist interview conducted by our Director of Studies and colleagues in the Theoretical and Applied Linguistics Section (though no formal knowledge of linguistics as a subject will be presumed). The second will typically be a more general academic interview.
The value of languages and Linguistics expertise is fully recognised across the board (e.g. in reports commissioned by the British Council) and as a Linguistics graduate you will have a wide range of career options ahead of you. The specialist knowledge of languages and cultures, skills of analysis and argumentation, advanced communication and computing skills, together with the experience in independent thinking and project management, are highly sought-after competencies in the job market.
