Language and Communication (Bachelor's Degree Subject)Learn how language works and explore how communication succeeds
THIS DEGREE SUBJECT WILL BE AVAILABLE STARTING IN THE FALL SEMESTER OF 2027.
More than ever, language is our most important tool – it connects people, shapes societies, and changes the world we live in. The bachelor’s degree subject Language and Communication focuses on how languages work, how communication succeeds, and how both aspects can be analyzed scientifically. The degree subject combines the development of theoretical, methodological and analytical skill sets in empirical linguistics with the practical application of this knowledge to a wide variety of everyday communication processes in society and academia, both in private and public spheres. You will study in several languages (at least two). Thus, you can tailor your curriculum and your field of specialization to suit your individual interests. This unique combination creates a degree subject that is ideal for everyone with an interest in languages, in linguistic research and communication used in practice.
The bachelor’s degree subject Language and Communication draws from the latest research findings on language structure and language use in diverse communicative contexts. With the focus on the linguistic study of two languages (of your own choice), students are introduced to linguistic topics, theories and methods. The application of modern methodologies of digital linguistics, applicable also in other text- and communication-based academic fields, is of central importance.
This degree subject provides students with a thematically broad education in linguistics and communication studies, while also focusing on specific, societal, historical, and cognitive aspects of language systems and language use. At the same time, it offers interdisciplinary links to other academic disciplines for which a systematic, empirical approach to language and communication is relevant.
Whether it is media, AI, multilingualism, digital communication or intercultural exchange – this degree subject, unique to Switzerland, prepares students for the linguistic challenges of a globally interconnected world and offers diverse perspectives and opportunities for employment as well as academia.
The key prerequisites for the choice of this degree subject and for successful studies are a love for languages, communication and cultures as well as a willingness for intensive academic study of these subjects, both orally and in writing.
Focal areas of teaching and research
The bachelor’s degree subject Language and Communication places emphasis on a solid education in linguistics that also enables a transfer into everyday life. The degree subject provides an introduction to the fundamentals of linguistic themes, theories and methods in two languages. During the advanced studies phase, it offers a thematically broad range of courses in the areas of sociolinguistics, language acquisition, media linguistics, text linguistics, linguistic pragmatics, conversation analysis and interactional linguistics as well as historical-comparative linguistics. Further, students can improve and expand their language competences and learn new languages. The curriculum consists largely of courses from the subject areas English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Moreover, there is an additional offer of courses from the field of historical-comparative linguistics (Department of Ancient Civilizations), from the Digital Humanities Lab and, for the development of language skills, from other subject areas of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The curriculum comprises the following focal areas:
- Basic theoretical, methodological, and analytical knowledge of linguistics in two languages with a focus on the application of linguistic insights to everyday life.
- Written and spoken forms of communication in everyday and work life, as well as in informal and institutional contexts and their cultural specificities (linguistic pragmatics in computer-mediated communication, the language of news media, politeness, relational work and the exercise of power through language, language and culture, linguistic interactions in professional and institutional settings).
- The formation of linguistic structures through the interactional and multimodal organization of communication processes (the interplay of the body, gestures and language in the shaping of social and communicative actions, and the study of these through video recordings of social communicative situations).
- The history and relationships of languages and their varieties, multilingual individuals, and linguistically diverse societies.
- The cognitive system of language acquisition, language processing, productivity and generalizing processes.
- Understanding how linguistics can contribute to the study of everyday communication and how the resulting insights can be transferred into (professional) practice (e.g. “Conversational Skills in the Workplace”, “What makes a good text?”, “Intercultural Communication, Multilingualism, and Migration”, “Mediality and Digital Communication in the Workplace” and similar courses in the module “Linguistics in Practice”).
The subject-specific academic education is closely intertwined with language education. Particular emphasis is placed on linguistic communication skills and the development of rhetorical abilities for the writing of academic texts and the oral presentation of complex subject matter at university level.
Languages of instruction
The degree subject is studied in at least two languages with a choice of English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. The philological subject areas contributing to the bachelor’s degree subject Language and Communication offer the majority of their courses in the respective language of instruction (immersion teaching).
At the start of their studies, students must have knowledge of at least two of the languages of instruction used at the University of Basel (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) and they will further develop their receptive and productive skills in these languages. Good receptive skills (listening and reading comprehension) as well as good written and oral skills in English and/or German are expected in order to be able to complete courses in the modules not tied to the study of a particular language. In addition, multilingualism and the development of further language skills are encouraged. This enables students to practise and expand their language skills to a significant extent.
Short profile
| Degree | BA in Language and Communication |
| Type | Subject |
| Start date | February, September |
| Credit points | 180 |
| Study structure | The Bachelor's degree is the first degree before the Master's degree. It comprises a total of 180 credit points (CP). German Philology is studied as one of two subjects, each worth 75 CP. In addition, there is the free elective area (30 CP). One ECTS credit point corresponds to approximately 30 hours of work. |
| Subject combination | In addition to subjects from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, a non-faculty subject is also possible as a second Bachelor's subject. A combination with a bachelor’s degree subject in either of the two branches of linguistics selected in the modules “Introduction Linguistics” and “Advanced Linguistics” is not permitted (see information sheet “LaC-Subject combination”). The free elective area is available to all students. It is generally used to acquire general skills (foreign languages, IT, rhetoric, etc.), for interdisciplinary learning (non-subject or interdisciplinary courses), to further deepen your own subject studies or to acquire a certificate. |
| Language of instruction | Classes in the modules “Introduction Linguistics” and “Advanced Linguistics” are usually held in the chosen language (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish). The language of instruction in the other modules is English and/or German. |
| Department | Languages and Literatures, Fachkollegium Sprachwissenschaft |
Bachelor’s admission requirements
The Student Administration Office at the University of Basel is responsible for admitting students to bachelor’s programs in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. This is based on the admission regulations of the President’s Office:
- with Swiss educational qualifications,
- foreign educational qualifications, or
- as a visiting student (not working toward a degree at the University of Basel)
Holders of a Swiss federal Maturität certificate will be admitted to all bachelor’s degree programs.
If you have any further questions, please consult the information provided here.
Registration dates
Students must register for their bachelor’s or master’s degree program within a specified timeframe – even in cases of delayed registration.
Information events
The University of Basel organizes regular information events for bachelor’s and master’s programs. Details can be found on the events page of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Some subject areas also offer their own separate information or welcome events. Please consult the page for the relevant subject area for event dates and locations.
Deadlines and dates for the Bachelor's studies
Students who have earned 60 CP in the subject to be examined or 120 CP in the degree program and have completed the seminar papers that count towards the degree in the subject to be examined or in the degree program may register for the Bachelor's examination. Proof is provided by submitting the module assignment.
Only one subject per session can now be examined. This means that the two Bachelor's examinations can be spread over two sessions (note: only for subjects - it is not possible to separate the two examinations for degree programs).
BA examinations: Due to the free availability of AI text generators (such as ChatGPT), the Faculty of Phil.-Hist. has decided to adapt the way in which the BA examination is conducted. This adjustment is intended to ensure that students are able to do their own work. From spring semester 2023, the BA examinations will once again be written in the university rooms under supervision. These will be digital "bring-your-own-device" examinations. The examination dates remain unchanged.
Please note the updated information sheet on the procedure for BA examinations and the new registration form (subject, degree program). If you have any questions, please contact the Student Administration.
Examinations & graduation
Further Master's studies
The education provided in the bachelor’s degree subject Language and Communication offers a broad, generalist education and qualifies students for further studies at master’s level. The studies of Language and Communication can be continued at master’s level in the master’s degree program Sprache und Kommunikation (120 CP).
After the master’s degree, a doctorate in linguistics can be pursued as the first step of an academic career.
It is not possible to study Language and Communication as a master’s degree subject (35 CP). Students who wish to continue their studies with two degree subjects at the master’s level have other possible degree subject choices (which may have additional requirements). For example, students may wish to gain admission to a master’s degree subject in a philology (provided a sufficient number of CP has been earned in literary studies). In addition, other interdisciplinary or specialized master’s degree programs and degree subjects are possible, provided the admission requirements are met (e.g. a grade average, subject-related requirements). The information sheet “LaC-Subject combination” explains all options for further studies in detail.
Teaching degree
The bachelor’s degree subject Language and Communication is not specifically designed as a preparation for the high school teaching degree (Gymnasium/Sek II) because it covers only one part of the subject-specific training (the linguistic, but not the literary aspects). A direct admission to the teaching degree for Sek II at the Pädagogische Hochschule (School of Education) is therefore not possible. The recommended route to the teaching degree for Sek II is to study the philological degree subject (or two philological degree subjects) in which the teaching degree is to be obtained, both at bachelor’s and master’s level.
Nonetheless, a teaching degree is possible to obtain if the free electives are used. The following options are available to students studying the bachelor’s degree subject Language and Communication:
- If the degree subject Language and Communication is combined with a degree subject in a philological discipline during the bachelor’s studies, students may acquire the teaching degree in that philological discipline (i.e. in one subject rather than in two subjects, as is the norm), provided that the degree subject is also studied on the master’s level and that the master’s thesis is written in it.
- By earning additional credits, students may change from the bachelor’s degree subject Language and Communication to a master’s degree subject in a philological discipline, which can subsequently lead to teacher education in that subject.
- Those students who continue their master’s studies with the master’s degree program Sprache und Kommunikation can organize their studies so that a teaching degree for Sek II is possible in one teaching subject.
For options 2 and 3, additional credits in the field of literary studies and possibly also in any other relevant subject matter must be earned as part of the free electives (30 CP) already during the bachelor’s studies in Language and Communication. The information sheet “LaC-Teaching Degree” explains the conditions in detail.
For details and teaching degree regulations, please consult the relevant schools of education (Pädagogische Hochschule), e.g. the Pädagogische Hochschule FHNW or the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education.
Career opportunities
The knowledge and skills acquired in the bachelor’s degree subject Language and Communication qualify students to progress to master’s studies. They also enable graduates to master complex communicative and administrative tasks and challenges, and to analyze them in a well-founded, reflective and data-driven manner, while striving to optimize them.
These skills are therefore also suitable for various career fields outside academia. These include, for example, the following job profiles:
- Journalists in various media (newspaper, radio, television and the internet);
- Positions in the tertiary sector (administration, politics, [cultural] management, etc.);
- Marketing jobs in governmental and non-governmental organisations, as well as in the private sector;
- Communications manager in companies, institutions, and international organisations (media relations, public relations, corporate communications);
- Communication experts in human resources (HR) management, HR consulting, personnel training, and in the field of intercultural communication and cooperation;
- Positions in the private sector in the field of language modelling in artificial systems (conversational AI design, UX design);
Students are advised to take an active interest in the wide range of career fields whilst studying, to do internships and to build up a professional network.
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