Linguistics

First year

The programme of the first year mainly consists of compulsory courses, some of which are offered in Dutch and some in English. In the second semester you choose two elective courses in preparation for your specialization.

Comparative Indo-European Linguistics

Descriptive Linguistics

Language and Cognition

Taal in gebruik

Career Preparation in Linguistics

Career preparation in Linguistics

In addition to offering you a solid university education, Leiden University aims to prepare you as well as possible for the labour market, and in doing so contribute to the development of your employability. In this way, it will become easier for you to make the transition to the labour market, to remain employable in a dynamic labour market, in a (career) job that suits your own personal values, preferences and development.

'Employability' consists of the following aspects that you will develop within your study programme, among others:

1. Discipline-specific knowledge and skills
Knowledge and skills specific to your study programme.

2. Shared transferable skills
These are skills that are relevant to every student and that you can use in all kinds of jobs irrespective of your study programme, for example: researching, analysing, project-based working, generating solutions, digital skills, collaborating, oral communication, written communication, presenting, societal awareness, independent learning, resilience.

3. Self-reflection
This concerns self-reflection in the context of your (study) career, including reflecting on the choices you make as a student during your studies, what can you do with your knowledge and skills on the labour market? In addition, reflecting on your own profile and your personal and professional development. Who are you, what can you do well, what do you find interesting, what suits you, what do you find important, what do you want to do?

4. Practical experience
Gaining practical experience through work placements, projects, practical (social) assignments, which are integrated into an elective, minor or graduation assignment.

5. Labour market orientation
Gaining insight into the labour market, fields of work, jobs and career paths through, for example, guest speakers and alumni experiences in the field, career events within the study programme, the use of the alumni mentor network, speaking with people in the field, and walking along/visiting companies in the context of a particular subject.

Employability in Linguistics

The BA in Linguistics develops your knowledge on one of the most intriguing aspects of human knowledge and behaviour: language. Studying linguistics means learning about the fundamentals of human language, from its many sounds and sentence structures to the ways in which language influences how we think about the world. Discipline-specific knowledge and skills can therefore be found throughout the programme.

Future employers are interested not only in the subject-related knowledge that you acquired during your study programme, but also in transferable skills. These include conducting research, analysing, teamwork, digital skills, self-directed learning, social consciousness, and communicative skills in speaking and writing. In short: what you need to function well in a responsible position. Directly in year 1, you will learn to make linguistic analyses, for example in Phonology 1, Language of the World and Historical Linguistics. You will learn how to do research, both independently and in a team, for example in the group assignments in Sociolinguistics. In years 2 and 3, more independence is expected, while at the same time collaborations with others are intensified. Individual and group presentations contribute to the development of your communication skills. You will also write small essays in year 2 and 3, so that you develop your writing skills. Social consciousness is part of courses such as Language and Communication (year 1) and Language Policy and Multilingualism (year 2). Digital skills are now part of the entire field of linguistics; in year 1, Computation for Language Research is specifically designed to train these skills.

Self-reflection develops gradually through the feedback on tests, presentations, assignments and essays. It is particularly at the stage of the Bachelor these (year 3) that this skill is explicitly addressed, when you have to explain the choices and considerations you had during the design of your study.
Within the program in Linguistics, there is room voor internship in order to acquire practical experience, particularly in the first semester of the third year. Below under c and d, you will find detailed information about internships and other ways of labour market orientation.

Activities to prepare for the labour market alongside / outside the curriculum

How can you use this knowledge and the skills that you acquire? Which specialisation should you choose within your study programme and why? What skills do you already have, and what further skills do you still want to learn? How do you translate the courses that you choose into something that you’d like to do after graduation?
These questions and more will be discussed at various times during your study programme. You may already have spoken about them with your study adviser, the Humanities Career Service or other students, or made use of the Leiden University Career Zone. Many different activities are organised to help you reflect on your own wishes and options, and give you the chance to explore the job market. All these activities are focused on the questions: ‘What can I do?’, ‘What do I want?’ and ‘How do I achieve my goals?’.

Activities
You will be notified via the Humanities website and by email about further activities in the area of job market preparation. The following activities will help you to thoroughly explore your options, so we advise you to take careful note of them:

First year

• Introductory interview with study adviser

• Mentoring

• Study career session with student mentors and teaching staff mentor

• Introduction to the the Humanities Career Service

• Leiden University Career Zone

Second year

• Information about internships

• Study abroad informationsession

• Workshops and (faculty) career events, organised by Humanities Career Service

• Minor Market (Leiden University)

• Master’s Open Day (Leiden University)

• Humanities Career Event

• Leiden University Career Zone

Third year

• Master’s Open Day (Leiden University)

• Humanities Career Service

• Humanities Career Service Workshops, for example 'How to find a job?' and 'CV and letter'

• Leiden University Career Zone

Mentor Network with students and alumni
Leiden University actively seeks to prepare students for the labour market and wants to help young alumni at the start of their careers. For this we like to use the knowledge and experience of Leiden alumni. To bring these students and young alumni who have questions about their career in contact with experienced alumni, Leiden University has created the Mentor network.

Study abroad
Studying abroad is a great way to broaden your horizons. It’s beneficial for both your academic and personal development. Not only will you gain new experiences, but you’ll also learn to get by in a different environment. A period of study abroad is an asset on your CV. With the increasing internationalisation of job markets, many employers regard international experience as a real advantage.

It is possible to go a semester abroad as a part of your bachelor’s in Linguistics. This is usually done in the third year of the programme. Please contact the coordinator of studies in time, because you will need to draw up an adjusted study plan.

Exchange programmes offer an easy way to study abroad. You’ll study at a university that has an agreement with Leiden University and, in return, a student from that university will come to study here.
You can apply for a spot through two different programmes:
1. Erasmus+ with partner universities within Europe. Application deadline: 1 December in the academic year prior to the semester abroad.
2. University-wide exchange programme with partner universities outside Europe. Application deadline: 15 February in the academic year prior to the semester abroad.

More information? Please check this website on studying abroad.

Humanities Career Service, LU Career Zone and career workshops calendar

Humanities Career Service
The Humanities Career Service offers information and advice on internships, study (re)orientation and master's choice, orientation on the labour market and careers.

Leiden University Career Zone Leiden University Career Zone is the website for students and alumni of Leiden University to support their (study) career. You can find advice, information, (career) tests and tools in the area of (study) career planning, career possibilities with your study, job market orientation, job applications, the Alumni Mentor network, job portal, workshops and events and career services.

Workshops and events
On the Workshop calendar you will find an overview of career and application workshops, organised by the Humanities career Service.

More info

More info

1. Learning objectives
2. Binding Study Advice (BSA)
3. Mandatory attendance
4. First year: propedaedeutic phase
5. Second and third year
6. Elective choice
7. Obligatory sequence
8. Full-time and part-time
9. BA thesis and graduation requirements
10. Subsequent degree programmes

1. Learning objectives
Graduates of the bachelor’s in Linguistics:

• have advanced knowledge, analytical skills and insight in the field of linguistics;

• are able to investigate a well-defined problem independently or in collaboration with others in each of these areas;

• are able to report clearly in an oral or written form;

• can apply knowledge and insight in the field of linguistics in cognitive and / or computational analysis.

Please also consult the Faculty Course and Examination Regulations, Course and Examination Regulations Linguistics and the Faculty Regulations.

2. Binding Study Advice (BSA)
In the first year, the Linguistics program issues a Binding Study Advice (BSA). This means that you must have obtained a minimum number of crefdits to be allowed to proceed to the next academic year. Read more about the regulations on the BSA on the website.

3. Mandatory attendance
Seminar attendance is compulsory. You may miss a maximum of two of the thirteen meetings per course (if you have a valid reason and provided you notify the lecturer before the seminar). If you miss more than two seminars, you must contact the study coordinator. Only if the study coordinator believes that special circumstances apply to your situation, you might be exempted from the mandatory attendance. The study coordinator will consult your lecturer(s) and inform you of their decision. An extra assignment can be given to compensate for the missed lectures.

4. First Year: Propaedeutic phase
The first year of the programme offers a broad orientation on the phenomenon of human language and the study of language and provides students insight into the diversity of languages. Students will learn about the various, including interdisciplinary, areas of linguistic research and be taught methodes of linguistic analysis. This way you can explore which track you want to specialise in.

During lectures and tutorials books and articles will be used that will, together with the discussed materials, explain the field of study and way of reasoning.Tutorials will also be used for requiring oral and written skills, practicing techniques en solving problems, individually as well as in small groups. This way you lay a solid foundation for the rest of your Bachelor programme.

During the second semester of your first year, students will select and follow two out of eight courses that relate to their chosen track. This choice is also based on the track that students will choose in their second and third year. Also consult the paragraph ‘Elective choices’

5. Second and third year
During your second and third year students will improve their research and general academic skills (such as analysis, writing and presenting). Students will take courses related to their chosen track. Four tracks are available from which students choose one:

• Comparative Indo-European Linguistics: Indo-European was spoken more than five thousand years ago by people who probably lived north of the Black Sea. Languages such as Sanskrit, Greek and Latin originate from this language, as do Dutch, English, French and Russian. Yet the Indo-Europeans did not leave behind any written sources. In Comparative Indo-European Linguistics, we try to reconstruct the language of the Indo-Europeans by learning, analysing and comparing many different languages.

• Descriptive Linguistics: All languages have a grammatical structure, but of the roughly six thousand languages in the world, only about five hundred have been documented to a reasonable extent. Thousands of languages are still waiting for an eager linguist to discover and document their structures before they are lost to extinction. Many others are currently spoken by vast numbers of people yet remain undocumented. Descriptive Linguistics focuses on this important and highly relevant aspect of the linguistics field.

• Language and Cognition: Language is a system, and this system is what we study in linguistics. In the Language and Cognition track, we explore language models that try to explain how language is represented in the brain, how children develop language systems and how brain damage can affect these systems. This track touches on numerous research fields such as psychology, neuroscience and computer science.

• Taal in gebruik (Language in Use; but mainly taught in Dutch): People mainly use language to inform, entertain or convince. Yet whilst we know it has a functional use, which principles and rules do people apply when they use language in this way? Taught in Dutch, the track Taal in gebruik is about language in use, and explores the similarities and differences between languages and their associated cultures. This track also looks at the way in which linguistic and non-linguistic communication interacts, and how culture plays an important role.

6. Elective choice
Next to the compulsory courses within each track, students have a lot of freedom to design their own programme with the elective choices on offer. Electives within the different tracks can be used for other tracks as well. Please consult the programme of the track of your choice to read more about the possibilities.

The choice starts in the second semester of the first year. You then choose two preparatory courses for the track that starts in the second year. These first year’s courses are meant as an orientation on the tracks:

• Gothic | Comparative Indo-European Linguistics

• Lithuanian | Comparative Indo-European Linguistics

• Structure course non-western language | Descriptive Linguistics

• Word and Meaning | Descriptive Linguistics

• Experimental phonetics | Language and Cognition (also for Computational Linguistics)

• Psycholinguistics | Language and Cognition

• Python for Linguists 1 | Computational Linguistics (in track Language and Cognition)

• Argumenteren en overtuigen | Taal in gebruik

• Language and Identity | Taal in gebruik

Please note: In order to complete a track, it is mandatory to have successfully completed the correct preparatory courses belonging to this track!

Half of your third year is discretionary space of 30 EC: you can choose to do an internship, follow a fixed minor programme, or creating and following a personalised ‘study package’ comprising electives from another programme. For more information about the discretionary space click here.

7. Obligatory Sequence
Be aware that some courses can only be attended after succesful completion of a previous course in the programme. The obligatory sequence can be found in the Course and Examination Regulations. Additionally, note that some courses have a recommended order.

8. Full-time and Part-time
The bachelor Linguistics programme is fulltime.

9. BA thesis and graduation requirements
To be able to graduate students need to have obtained 180 EC, meet the requirements of their track and discretionary space and, as part of their programme, have succesfully finished their BA thesis. In order to graduate within one of the four tracks, the two corresponding preparatory courses from the first year must also be completed.

Students are free to choose the subject of their thesis, as long as this is related to their track. The BA thesis is the largest and most important assignment of the bachelor's programme. It is a written report of research carried out by the student under the supervision of one of his lecturers and serves as the final and concluding assignment of his degree. In general the thesis contains a maximum of 10.000 words (including footnotes, bibliography and attachments). The regulations and procedures concerning the BA thesis can be found here.

10. Subsequent degree programmes
If you successfully complete the bachelor’s in Linguistics, you are eligible to choose one of the one-year master's in Linguistics that corresponds with the track of your BA more information. Depending on your results, you may also be granted access to a two-year research master’s programme in Linguistics at Leiden University more information.

Certain master’s programmes have additional admission requirements which can be met by taking a specific minor in the third year of your linguistics programme, possibly with a pre-master's programme. For more information about the different master's programmes and the application procedures, click here.

Transitional provisions in 2025-2026

These are the changes and the transitional arrangements that apply (only) in academic year 2025-2026 for current 2nd, 3rd and higher year students.

Should you have any questions in relation to the changes to the curriculum and what this implies for your individual programme, feel free to contact the study adviser via stuco-ba-linguistics@hum.leidenuniv.nl.

Comparative Indo-European Linguistics

Within CIEL eight 5 EC courses are being merged into three 10 EC courses:

• Ancient Greek 1 & 2: Ancient Greek for Linguists

• Vedic Sanskrit and Historical Grammar of Sanskrit: Vedic Sanskrit

• Hittite and Anatolian Historical Grammar: Anatolian

• Indo-European Phonology & Indo-European Noun: Indo-European I

In the year 2025-2026, a transitional arrangement has been made for students who have not yet passed one of the two original 5 EC courses. They can take the relevant half of the new course (for 5 EC). If this applies to you, you are required to contact the lecturer beforehand. In MyStudymap you should register for the relevant original 5 EC course.

Philosophy of Science and Reading Vedic Texts will move from year 2 to year 3. Because current 2nd year students have already taken these courses, they are not mentioned in year 3 of next year’s prospectus. However, Philosophy of Science will be on offer so you are advised to take the course in the new academic year. Reading Vedic Texts will again be offered in 2026-2027.

As you can see in the e-prospectus, the first semester of year 3 is now meant for the minor (from 2027-2028 this applies to all Humanities BA’s). In case you have registered for a minor that is spread over two semesters, you may consider to write your thesis in semester 1, in order to have a more equal workload.

Descriptive Linguistics

Within Descriptive Linguistics Fieldwork A and B will be merged into the 10 EC course Fieldwork, taking place in semester 2, from next year onwards. Also, it will become a 2nd instead of a 3rd year course. Fieldwork A and B will be on offer one more time next year, so next year’s third year students can still take the two courses in their current form.

Language Documentation will also become a second year course, so in the coming year both second and third year students will take the class.

Description of a Non-Western Language: Leti and Description of a Non-Western Language: Berber will alternate from next year onwards. Both will remain obligatory courses, so in order to prevent a study delay it is important to take the relevant course in the year it is on offer. In case you do not pass the exam or the resit exam, an additional resit will be offered.

Antropological Linguistics and Philosophy of Science will move from year 2 to year 3. Because in principle the current 2nd year students have already taken them, they are not mentioned in the prospectus for year 3 of next year. But in case you did not take (one of) them, please be aware that the courses are still on offer, a course description can be found in the prospectus, and you are advised to take them in the coming academic year.

Language and Cognition

The 2nd year course Neurolinguistics has been moved to the 3rd year. Because in principle our current 2nd year students have already taken it, it is not mentioned in the course overview of next year’s e-prospectus of our programme. However, the course will be on offer and is scheduled for semester 2 (block 1).

The 3rd year 10 EC course Seminar Language and Cognition will replace Form and Meaning and Sound and Sound Structure. The seminar’s subject will change every other year: one year it will be about form and meaning, the other year about sound and sound structure. The latter applies in the coming academic year. Therefore, students who passed Form and Meaning but did not pass Sound and Sound Structure, have the option in 2025-2026 to take half of the new Seminar Language and Cognition for 5 EC instead of 10 EC. You are required to contact the lecturer beforehand, and should register for the original Sound and Sound Structure 5 EC course via MyStudymap.

Students who have already passed Sound and Sound Structure, but did not yet follow Form and Meaning will take part in a reading group next year, organized by prof. Lisa Cheng, which will be assessed with an essay. You should register in MyStudymap for the original 5 EC course. Students who did take the course but have not passed the exam will be offered an additional resit. For more information you may contact prof. Cheng.

Phonology 2 and Syntax 2 have been merged into the new 10 EC course Phonology and Syntax 2. If you have passed only one of the two, there will be the option in 2025-2026 to take the relevant part of the new course for 5 EC. You are required to contact the lecturer beforehand. You should register for the original 5 EC course in MyStudymap.

Philosophy of Science will move from year 2 to year 3. Because current 2nd year students have already taken it, it is not mentioned in year 3 of next year’s prospectus. However, it will be on offer so you can still take the course in the new academic year.

Computational Linguistics

Within Computational Linguistics, the course Machine Translation (10EC) is moved from the third year to the second year. Students who are third year students in 2025-2026 will take this course, together with the second year students. Philosophy of Science will move from year 2 to year 3 in the new programme. Since 3nd year students in 2025-2026 have already taken it last year, it is not mentioned in year 3 of next year’s prospectus. However, it will be on offer so you can still take the course in the new academic year if you have not taken it already.

Taal in gebruik

De wijzigingen in de track Taal in gebruik zijn beperkt. Globalising Second Language Acquistion (10 EC), dat voorheen in semester 1 van jaar 3 zat, is verplaatst naar het eerste semester van jaar 2. Het vak Dimensions of Written Text Composition (5 EC) maakt geen verplicht onderdeel meer uit van de track. Ook de verplichte keuzevakoptie Strategisch communiceren/Kritisch Denken, kritisch schrijven (5 EC) is vervallen. Laatstgenoemde twee vakken worden wel keuzevakken (opgehoogd naar 10 EC) in de trajectgebonden keuzeruimte.

Voorts is in jaar 3 Vergelijkende Stilistiek verplaatst van semester 1 naar semester 2. Daarmee wordt de EC-verdeling van de minor anders: 25 EC in semester 1 en 5 EC in semester 2 (al kan natuurlijk een ieders invidividuele programma afwijken, afhankelijk van de minor die men volgt).

Tot slot worden Vergelijkende Stilistiek en Van sollicitatiebrief tot haattweet komend jaar gevolgd door zowel de tweede- als derdejaarsstudenten, daar vanaf aankomend jaar de vakken onderdeel van jaar 2 zijn geworden.