Philosophy and Linguistics Cardiff University

Overview

The Philosophy and Linguistics degree offered at Cardiff University will support you to critically and creatively engage with difficult problems in an open-minded and collaborative way, including on sensitive and controversial topics.  

Key facts

During your studies, you’ll have the opportunity to explore a broad range of philosophical and linguistic topics and traditions. In philosophy you will develop a solid grounding in moral philosophy, will also study epistemology, philosophy of mind, and political philosophy, and will have the opportunity to study areas such as aesthetics, feminist philosophy, and phenomenology. In the final year of the programme, you can specialise in your preferred areas of philosophical study.

In linguistics you’ll develop a grounding in key aspects of phonetics, morphology, syntax and semantics based on usage from English and comparative examples from a wide range of other languages. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore various other topics, such as forensic linguistics, language and popular culture, professional and intercultural communication, sociolinguistics.

Many of the modules directly address contemporary problems facing society, providing you with a clear link between theory and practice. This is emphasised in the final year of the programme, where you’ll take two core modules that link your studies to their applications outside university. 

In philosophy, you’ll take part in a project to apply philosophical research to develop policies or strategies aimed at solving a real-world ethical or social problem. In linguistics, you’ll gain key empirical research skills in collecting, analysing and visualising data for professional and workplace settings.

Career prospects

Graduates from this programme possess a range of transferable skills and areas of knowledge that are sought after by many employers.

These include the ability to independently analyse complex problems and identify workable and innovative solutions, to work effectively with others on large projects, to communicate effectively to different audiences, and to use reflection and feedback to further develop your skills. You’ll also acquire a broad knowledge base enabling you to understand and respond to a range of contemporary ethical or social problems. 

During your degree, you’ll gain experience of professional research, policy and strategy roles by working on a large collaborative policy project, and understand how to work with data and present it to public and professional audiences. The work you do in these modules showcases to employers how your knowledge and skills can be of huge value in the workplace.

University services and schemes are also available to you, providing additional ways to increase your professional skills and confidence. The Cardiff Award provides a framework through which to develop your employability further, and Student Futures is on hand to provide career advice and support in gaining placements specific to your degree. 

You can also take advantage of programmes like Languages for All and Welsh For All to improve your language skills, while support from the Enterprise and Start Up team to bring your ideas to life.

Due to the depth and breadth of their skills and knowledge, our graduates can be found in a variety of sectors, including the civil service, local government, charitable organisations, small businesses, consultancy firms, and schools and colleges. They work in journalism, law, teaching, finance, marketing, human resources, public relations, and many other professions.