BA (Honors) in English Studies
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Lingnan’s BA (Honors) is designed to provide students with a thorough introduction to the core areas of English studies, ranging from sociolinguistics to modern literature. Our aim is to produce graduates with a strong background in both literary and linguistic analysis, and therefore particularly well positioned to understand how various forms of textual production, from novels to social media, shape the culture and society around us. Our students are critical readers, simultaneously well-versed in linguistics, literary and cultural history and equipped to engage the realities of our increasingly digitized world.
In addition to mastering disciplinary knowledge, in our BA Programme you will acquire a high level of English proficiency and intercultural competence, develop the skills of independent critical thinking and analysis, and learn how to deploy your familiarity with language and literature in broader social and workplace contexts.
The Lingnan Advantage
Unique among its Hong Kong peers, the BA Programme in English at Lingnan combines the feel of a small liberal arts college with the resources of a research university. Thanks to our low student to faculty ratio, we are able to offer seminar-style classes while providing our students with access to world-class international faculty. Our students also routinely benefit from extensive exchange opportunities within an international network of partner institutions, making Lingnan education a truly global experience.
Our BA Programme in English at Lingnan combines the feel of a small liberal arts college with the resources of a research university.
Career Prospects
Given the emphasis our program puts on written communication, critical analysis, and cultural competencies, our graduates are well prepared for a range of professional tasks, as well as for further studies. Most of our students quickly find employment in education, government, and business services, while a significant number chooses to pursue postgraduate qualifications. You can learn more about some of our alumni here.
Admissions Requirements & Financial Aid
Our programme welcomes applications from local and non-local students, including those from the Chinese Mainland and holders of international high school degrees. Lingnan recognizes over eighty national curricula from around the world as well as major international qualifications and standardized tests (IB, SAT, ACT, among others). Detailed admission information is available for local JUPAS applicants, Mainland GAOKAO students, and holders of various international degrees.
In addition to university-wide merit scholarship, the most qualified applicants are eligible for the Department's entry scholarships.
We focus on linguistic, literary, and social trends, stressing that where we are now stems from where we were, that history and context matter!
Our curriculum exposes you to recent works alongside classics to show you how perceptions and interpretations of texts differ across times and spaces
We teach you the importance of questioning what historically may have been taken for granted, such as who could and could not be a writer or which language or national literature was ‘superior’. We work to dissolve those boundaries and to widen representation by focusing on global literatures and media in English
Our programme emphasizes adaptation and re-evaluating accepted norms, which continue to shift and evolve in our increasingly interconnected world
OUR PROGRAMME AIMS
- To stimulate student awareness of the linguistic, literary and cultural aspects of contemporary English.
- To develop in students a high level of proficiency in the English language.
- To give students an understanding of language study and of the ways this may meet a number of needs in society.
- To give students a background in the different genres of contemporary literatures in English and develop the sensitivity to appreciate them.
- To develop the skills of independent critical thinking and analysis.
- To develop a perspective from which to appraise personal, professional and social issues.
To prepare students for the use of computer technology in communication.
OUR PROGRAMME LEARNING OUTCOMES
Scholarship: Students will recognise the intertwining roles of language, media, and culture in modern societies and be able to apply conceptual knowledge and analytical tools to a diversity of texts in real life.
Communication & Creativity: Students will be able to communicate effectively in English across a range of written and spoken styles, media and contexts, and will have the confidence to make use of the creative potential of language.
Research Skills & Academic Literacy: Students will have developed and strengthened the skills of academic research, including the formulation of critical questions, the location and synthesis of information, and the communication of research findings, making appropriate use of IT software and tools and being aware of ethical issues.
Intercultural & Global Awareness: Students will be able to reflect critically on the cultural worlds that have shaped them and have strengthened their awareness of other cultures and wider global issues.
Interdisciplinary Knowledge & Application: Students will be able to investigate and analyse issues in literature and language studies, and combine different perspectives to consolidate their knowledge, gain new insights, and express a well-informed stance on interdisciplinary and cross-cultural issues.
Teamwork & Employability: Students will develop the capacity to work independently and with others, make observations, solve problems creatively, organise and present ideas, and discuss and negotiate effectively with supervisors and peers.
Programme Structure for 2026-27 Intake (4-year curriculum)