Anthropology
Explore how culture shapes human life around the world—from religion and politics to gender identity and family ties.
Subjects
- Cultural Anthropology
- Environmental Humanities
Language Sciences –
Language connects us to people and helps us make sense of the world. Learn about the structure of language and explore how people use it.
Language matters
It’s hard to imagine human life without language. We use language for almost everything we do—from making friends and sharing stories to asking a smartphone for directions.
Language fundamentally shapes our history, culture, and technology. That’s why knowing how language works can be an asset in so many fields.
Why do kids tend to sound like their friends and not their parents? How do we store language in our minds? Why do languages vary so much across the globe? These are the kinds of questions you’ll explore in Language Sciences.
The science of language
In Language Sciences, you’ll take a systematic and scientific approach to analysing all aspects of language. You’ll learn to analyse the structure and meaning of different languages and the social contexts in which they occur.
As you develop a solid grounding in linguistics, you’ll learn how language intersects with other fields—psychology, data science, AI, anthropology, cognitive science, language teaching, and more.
Language Sciences is a natural choice if you’re interested in learning or teaching languages. It’s also a great subject to study if you like science, maths, and puzzle-solving.
First in the country
Our Language Sciences major is the first of its kind in Aotearoa New Zealand. It replaces our majors in Linguistics and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and gives you flexible options after you graduate.
Within Language Sciences, you can choose courses that put you on a pathway to becoming a second-language teacher. Or you can tailor your courses to focus on a practical or theoretical area of interest in linguistics.
Choose your specialisation
When you major in Language Sciences, you have the option of adding a specialisation in Linguistics or Applied Linguistics. These specialisations are valuable in themselves—but they also set you up for further study at postgraduate level in Postgraduate Applied Linguistics, Postgraduate Linguistics, or Postgraduate TESOL.
World-class teachers
Language Sciences are taught through the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. The School’s Linguistics programme is ranked first in New Zealand and in the top 50 globally.
You’ll be learning from some of the world’s leading academics in vocabulary studies, translanguaging, and Austronesian linguistics.
Globally ranked
This programme is ranked in the top 50 worldwide in the QS World University Rankings 2024.
The QS World University Rankings is an annual global publication that gives overall rankings and subject rankings for more than 1,500 universities worldwide.
Career opportunities
By studying Language Sciences, you’ll develop valuable skills in interviewing, teaching, collecting and analysing data, and presenting complex information. These transferable skills are in demand in today’s diverse job market.
After graduating, you’ll have many options:
- You could work in a policy advice or communications role in the government or business sectors.
- If you combine your Language Sciences studies with AI or Computer Science, you could get into designing AI tools or voice recognition software.
- Language Sciences is also a great pathway into a postgraduate qualification in speech therapy.
There are fantastic opportunities for language teachers and planners at home and abroad. In New Zealand, you might teach English to new migrants in a language school. Overseas, you can look for teaching opportunities in both local and international education institutes.
Our university is home to some of New Zealand’s top language science research centres. Here in Wellington you can learn from world-leading experts in vocabulary studies and explore the work of the Deaf Studies Research Unit, the English Language Institute, or Translanguaging Aotearoa. We also have strong links to organisations that teach English as a second language. What’s more, Wellington is a great city to live in.
Further study
After completing your degree, you may want to deepen your expertise by studying Language Sciences subjects at postgraduate level. For example, you may pursue your interest in topics related to theoretical linguistics, language policy, multilingualism, or sociolinguistics.
Current postgraduate options include Postgraduate Linguistics, Postgraduate Applied Linguistics, and Postgraduate TESOL.
Support for students
Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is a welcoming place with great student support. There are all sorts of resources available to help you get the best out of your time at university.
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