Bachelor

Bachelor of Arts (Major in Linguistics & Modern Languages)

Open to school leaver application

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Arts majoring in Linguistics and Modern Languages embraces Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Language Communication, Literacy, and Modern Languages including Tok-Pisin, Hiri Motu, Japanese, Bahasa Indonesia, and French. The program enables students to graduate with a certificate, diploma, or Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Linguistics.

Papua New Guinea is home to over 854 Austronesian and Papuan languages — the most linguistically diverse nation on Earth. The program prepares graduates and postgraduates in linguistics, trains quality language teachers, and exposes students to the full breadth of linguistic disciplines: descriptive, anthropological, socio-, psycho-, historical-comparative, computational linguistics, discourse analysis, pragmatics, and more. Graduates pursue careers in language teaching, translation, literacy development, government, and research.

Entry Requirements

Applicants must have successfully completed Grade 12 from a recognised institution. The following minimum grades are required for school leaver selection:

  • A grade of C or better in Language & Literature or Applied English (one subject).
  • A grade of B or better in General Mathematics or Advanced Mathematics (one subject).
  • A grade of B or better in three (3) subjects chosen from Economics, History, Geography, Physics, Chemistry or Biology.

Minimum GPA: 2.5, calculated across the subjects listed above (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0; subjects not taken are excluded from the calculation). Note that meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission — places are limited and competition is strong.

NOSS selection formula (2025): (COUNT_C[LL,AE]=1)&(COUNT_B[GM,AM]=1)&(COUNT_B[Ec,Hi,Gr,Ph,Ch,Bi]=3)&(GPA[LL,AE,AM,GM,Ec,Hi,Gr,Bi,Ch,Ph]>=2.5)

Course Structure

Year 1

Semester 1

  • 4.11401Language & Information
  • 4.11403Language, Power & Development
  • 4.11405Tokpisin / Hiri Motu Translation & Interpretation I
  • 4.11406Introduction to Linguistics
  • 4.11409Bahasa Indonesia I
  • 4.11410French I
  • 4.11411Japanese I

Semester 2

  • 4.11404Introduction to Sociolinguistics
  • 4.11407Language, Culture & History
  • 4.11415Skill in Community Awareness

Year 2

Semester 1

  • 4.21430Linguistics Analysis
  • 4.21431Literacy in PNG
  • 4.21440Dictionary Making
  • 4.21437Bahasa Indonesia II
  • 4.21438French II
  • 4.21439Japanese II

Semester 2

  • 4.21433Language, Mind & Society
  • 4.21436Public Speaking (Broadening Course)
  • 4.21453Tokpisin / Hiri Motu Translation & Interpretation II
  • 4.21459Tokpisin / Hiri Motu Writing

Year 3

Semester 1

  • 4.31451Linguistic Field Methods
  • 4.31456Bahasa Indonesia III
  • 4.31457French III
  • 4.31458Japanese III

Semester 2

  • 4.31420Semantics & Pragmatics
  • 4.31435Study & Description of PNG Language
  • 4.31445Structure of Tokpisin & Hiri Motu
  • 4.31452Literacy Practice

Year 4

Semester 1

  • 4.41472Discourse Analysis
  • 4.41476Readings in Development Linguistics
  • 4.41478Survey of Linguistics Theories
  • 4.41479Bahasa IV
  • 4.41480French IV
  • 4.41481Japanese IV

Semester 2

  • 4.41473Comparative Linguistics
  • 4.41474Psycholinguistics
  • 4.41477Readings in Sociolinguistics

Course codes shown are indicative. Please contact the School directly for official course codes and credit information.