Bachelor: Planning One's First Year

There are three mandatory introductory modules in the Bachelor programs in English Literature and Linguistics (Major and Minor):

• Introduction to English Linguistics (IntroLing; 9 ECTS)
• English Literature: Textual Analysis (TA; 9 ECTS)
• Language Skills and Culture: Introduction (LSC; 12 ECTS)

All three of these two-semester introductory modules start in the fall semester only. (Students wishing to start their studies in the spring semester can find more information below.)

• For the Bachelor Major (120 ECTS), full-time students are strongly recommended to book all three compulsory modules.
• For the Bachelor Minor (60 ECTS), full-time students are recommended to book all three compulsory modules, unless the recommended workload for their Major exceeds 15 ECTS in the first and/or second semester of their studies (in which case they may choose to postpone either IntroLing or TA).
• Part-time students can consult the sample timetables for further suggestions:
  • Sample timetables Major (120 ECTS)
  • Sample timetables Minor (60 ECTS)

If in doubt, you can contact the Advisor of Studies at englishstudies@es.uzh.ch.

As all three introductory modules are mandatory modules, there will always be some open slots in at least some of the seminar groups. However, when booking your modules you may still want to act fast because some of the seminar groups might clash with other modules that you need to attend (e.g. for your other study program).

For more information on how to book modules, including booking and cancelation deadlines, you can consult the UZH Module Booking page as well as English Department's Module Booking subsection.

For students of the Bachelor Minor who wish to start their studies in the spring semester, there are no suitable modules (or, more precisely, there are no suitable modules offered in the spring semester that they will be able to count toward the program, as there is no elective component in the Bachelor Minor).

By contrast, students of the Bachelor Major who wish to start their studies in the spring semester will be able to take some suitable modules. Specifically, they can complete some of their elective requirements (e.g. elective lectures; cf. the detailed program requirements for the Bachelor Major).

In addition, there is a broad range of modules in the module group "Transferable Skills" that can also be taken to cover part of the elective component (max. 12 ECTS). For example, all the courses offered by the UZH's Language Center (Sprachenzentrum) are cross-linked into the "Transferable Skills" module group: https://www.sprachenzentrum.uzh.ch/en.html.

The full program requirements are available in the section for advanced students. However, it is of course a good idea to consult them early on in your studies, once you have completed your timetable and booked all the modules for your first semester.

Requirements for the Bachelor Major (120 ECTS)

PDF Checklist Bachelor Major (120 ECTS) (PDF, 223 KB)

Requirements for the Bachelor Minor (60 ECTS)

PDF Checklist Bachelor Minor (60 ECTS) (PDF, 283 KB)

We strongly recommend that you read the "Stay Abroad" section for Bachelor students in your very first semester, to ensure that you are informed about all available options as early as possible.