In the course of your BA in Applied Languages, you become a language and communication professional who moves confidently between languages, cultures and domains. You acquire outstanding language skills and the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in a multilingual context and at a professional level. You understand and can apply the principles of translation practice; you learn to compose a variety of text types in several languages and to write clearly and intelligibly for a variety of target audiences.

You acquire specialised knowledge in the field of linguistics, along with expertise relevant to your future career path. You also gain fascinating insights into different cultures and countries. Your understanding and experience of academic work will lay the foundation for lifelong learning.

You receive cultural and linguistic input and exposure not only from our lecturers, who are all native-speakers of the languages they teach, but also from incoming students and international guest lecturers. And by spending a semester abroad at one of our partner universities, you can broaden your horizons and gain further intercultural experience.

The specialisation you choose for the second and third years of the programme allows you to individualise your study profile. Do you see yourself working in event management and social media communication? Do subtitling and respeaking appeal to you? Or do you find single-source publishing and localisation an interesting option? Choosing one of our three specialisations, in Multilingual Communication, Multimodal Communication or Technical Communication, gives you the chance to focus on your specific interests and on areas where you see your professional future. And it also paves the way for you to study for a Master’s degree.

You study three languages: your primary language (usually your mother tongue), a first foreign language and a second foreign language. During your studies, you focus more intensively on your first (stronger) foreign language than on your second.
Different combinations of languages are possible, depending on the specialisation you choose. English is compulsory for all students and must be selected as a first or second foreign language.

German and English are compulsory for all students: German must be selected as either the primary language or first foreign language, English as a first or second foreign language.

Third foreign language

From your 3rd semester on, you can choose to study a third foreign language as an elective module. The languages offered are:

French, Italian, Spanish (approx. C1 level; students must pass the aptitude test to be admitted)

Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish. These languages are offered only if enough students enrol and if they have a basic knowledge of the language concerned. Students interested in studying one of these languages are recommended to attend a course in their first year before enrolling for this elective. They are responsible for organising and paying for this themselves.

The career opportunities for graduates with a BA in Applied Languages are very diverse and arise wherever communication takes place across linguistic, cultural or domain-specific borders. Potential employers include NGOs, communications agencies, language service providers, industrial companies and hotels with an international clientele and a multicultural team.

Graduates also have an increasing number of options if they want to continue their studies by taking a Master’s degree, specialising in Professional Translation, Conference Interpreting or Organisational Communication, for example.