Perspectives

General Linguistics offers a broad field of study that can be a starting point for very different specializations. The BA program offers a variety of career prospects:

Linguistic Research

The scientific foundations laid by the program are applied directly in research. Further qualification is recommended within the framework of the MA Linguistics which is offered by the Linguistics in Göttingen. Linguistic research is carried out in universities and Special Research Centers, as well as in research institutions such as the Max-Planck Institutes or the Academies. With a qualification in General Linguistics, you can work in projects on various issues on linguistic theory or description, in projects for the documentation or revitalization of endangered languages, in projects on language change or typology.

Professional fields in applied linguistics

Further qualification opportunities after a BA in General Linguistics are offered in applied linguistics, e.g. Intercultural Communication, Computational Linguistics and Text Technology, Clinical Linguistics, Translation or Language Teaching. The following MA programs at the University of Göttingen offer possibilities to develop a qualification in this direction: Digital Humanities, Intercultural German Studies Germany - China and Intercultural German Studies/German as a Foreign Language.

Professional fields in language and culture

Further career opportunities arise if you combine your competence in general linguistics with a regional focus. This may result in a versatile qualification that can be very useful in professions with the corresponding regional focus. The MA Cultures and Languages of the Mediterranean offers an interesting opportunity for such a further qualification. Especially for students of the Indo-European Linguistics major, the MA Ancient Cultures can open up relevant perspectives.

Other professional fields

The General Linguistics major provides expertise in the humanities combined with key skills like the processing of linguistic data and the application of empirical methods of psychology and social research, which are in demand in a wide range of professional fields in the non-academic sector. The skills taught in this program are relevant to all professional occupations in the fields of communication, science-based services, publishing, translation and processing of linguistic data. Linguistic expertise in combination with foreign language skills are an excellent basis for job opportunities in the area of intercultural communication. The program is interdisciplinary in nature. Combined with a philology, but also with ethnology, psychology, computer science, mathematics, philosophy and other subjects, it opens up a wide range of possibilities.