Program Overview

English Literature / Linguistics

Overview of the Program

The UZH English Department offers the broadest range of courses among Swiss universities, with four chairs in English Literature and four chairs in English Linguistics. The Master program in English Literature/Linguistics is designed to offer a great deal of flexibility to advanced students wishing to pursue courses in one or both areas.

Program Structure

• In English Literature, students will deepen their understanding of theoretical debates, including their historical development. Key areas include:
  • Intermediality and audiovisual culture
  • The relation between literary history, identity, and collective memory
  • The politics of literary representation, e.g., in relation to gender or (post-)colonial power structures
• In English Linguistics, students will learn how to develop their own research design in specialized areas, including:
  • Historical linguistics, including medieval literature and culture
  • English as a world language
  • The field of pragmatics, from both a synchronic and a diachronic perspective

Career Opportunities

The Master programs in English Literature/Linguistics prepare students for later employment in a wide range of areas. Graduates with a strong academic record will have the option of pursuing a PhD and thus lay the basis for a possible career in higher education. Many alumni work at Swiss Maturitatsschulen, and former students of English have been employed by:

• Multinational banks
• Switzerland's largest TV station
• Local as well as national newspapers
• Various types of NGOs
• Cultural institutions, such as museums or foundations for the arts
• Other sectors of the economy, e.g., in high-tech companies, responsible for PR materials and user manuals

Skills and Knowledge Acquired

In English Literature, students will develop their ability to describe aesthetic phenomena with great precision and increasing nuance, contextualizing works of literature in the broader cultural field and situating their own interpretations within specific critical debates.

In English Linguistics, students will learn how to reflect critically on their own choice of method and theory and continue to hone their skills in preparing, analyzing, and interpreting increasingly complex sets of linguistic data.

The UZH Master program in English Literature/Linguistics includes advanced writing and media studies modules. By the end of their studies, students will have acquired all the necessary skills to conduct independent scholarly work.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in English Studies
• C1 level of English
• Please note that, at UZH, English Literature/Linguistics must be combined with a second subject (Major/Minor). German at C1 level may be required for the second subject.