Course summary

The world’s problems require experts in language and communication to solve them. Students in the BA Professional and Intercultural Communication engage with language and communication in professional, multicultural, and international teams and organisations. They work with real-world data and situations to address some of the most important communication issues facing humanity. As well as gaining expertise and practical experience in analysing and understanding human interactions, students develop the communication and critical-thinking skills necessary to thrive in today’s knowledge economy. Warwick’s BA Professional and Intercultural Communication is an innovative interdisciplinary programme that will prepare you to forge a career as a communicator in the global marketplace. The degree combines elements of interpersonal communication, organisational communication, linguistics, social psychology, media studies, and public relations. You will develop a unique combination of intellectual, analytical, research, and communication skills, and apply them in a range of authentic situations. Students also develop expertise in communicating effectively in different contexts, cultures and languages, and have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience living and working in multicultural contexts. Your coursework will engage extensively with language and communication in professional and organisational contexts. These contexts will include selling products and building brands, creating and managing teams, and interacting successfully and effectively within and across cultures. You will also intensively explore interactions among language, culture, and social structure. You will unpick the ways that we build and navigate our social interactions through language, and the ways our experiences and understandings of the world are shaped by language and culture. You will shed light on the ways that language, communication, and understanding function - and sometimes break down - in multilingual, multicultural, and multinational contexts. You will learn approaches for describing and analysing language and communication empirically. This will equip you to engage with communication from perspectives informed by linguistics, sociolinguistics, and pragmatics. Additionally, you will customise your learning with optionality during your second and final years. This will allow you to tailor your degree to your professional and intellectual interests. Courses offered in Applied Linguistics are unique for prioritising engagement with real-world datasets and problems and for challenging students to conduct independent research from the very start. You will develop proficiency in gathering and synthesising information, in analysing language and communication data, and in communicating effectively and persuasively. As a student, you will work in a rigorous and highly supportive learning community to create knowledge and solve problems. As a graduate, you will be imminently prepared for a successful and fulfilling career in a wide array of communication-related professions in the international marketplace.