Course description
Our MA Linguistics master's course is a flexible programme that aims to explore the breadth and the depth of linguistics.
It builds on the widest range of teaching and research expertise, covering all aspects of theoretical and descriptive linguistics, including:
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phonetics
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phonology
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morphology
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syntax
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semantics
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pragmatics
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discourse and conversation analysis
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typology
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historical linguistics
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sociolinguistics
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cognitive linguistics and psycholinguistics
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computational and corpus linguistics
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field linguistics
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the documentation and description of endangered languages.
Our teaching staff work on various practical applications of linguistics (eg language codification and language policy, institutional language, language in the community, forensic linguistics).
Our internationally-recognised expertise encompasses a breadth of languages, including English and other Germanic languages, Romance languages, Polish, Amerindian languages, languages of South Asia, indigenous languages of Australia and historical languages such as Old English.
You will receive a solid foundation for linguistic study in four out of five core units:
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Grammatical Theory (compulsory);
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Phonetics and Phonology (compulsory);
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Semantics and Pragmatics;
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Sociolinguistics;
- Psycholinguistics.
The remainder of the course allows you to make the most of what our staff have to offer.
You can take a variety of course units in different areas, including Forensic Linguistics, Computational Linguistics, Language Development, Language Policy.
Aims
We aim to:
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give you a grounding in breadth and depth in Linguistics, by exploring the central features of linguistic theory: its history, objectives, principal theoretical frameworks, methodologies, contested areas and uncontested results;
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give you an excellent teaching and learning experience at an advanced level, in an environment that is also home to world-leading research in Linguistics.
Teaching and learning
You will learn through a variety of teaching methods.
Course units are typically taught as seminars combining content-delivery with discussion and application, or as a combination of separate lectures and seminars. Many units also have practical tutorials that will help you prepare for individual research projects.
The aim across all teaching forms is to create the opportunity for intensive scholarly work, with areas of focus determined by students and your individual interests, which can be investigated in considerable depth.
Linguistics staff
You can see a list of our academic staff on the Linguistics and English Language website .
Coursework and assessment
Course units are assessed at the end of the semester during which they are offered.
Most course units are assessed by examined coursework.
All course units include formative assessments to ensure interim feedback during the semester.
Course unit details
A master’s degree is formed of 180 credits.
120 of these credits are made up by a mix of mandatory and optional course units, with 60 credits taken in each semester.
The availability of individual course units may be subject to change. Information that is sent to you in August about registration onto the course will clearly state the course units that are available in the academic year ahead.
The remaining 60 credits are awarded through a compulsory research component in the form of a dissertation. Your dissertation must be within the area of one of the course units you have chosen and you will be assigned an academic dissertation-advisor who is experienced in your chosen field.
This MA consists of the following elements:
- mandatory core course units - Research Methods (15 credits); Introduction to Grammatical Theory (15 credits), Phonetics and Phonology (15 credits),
- and at least two of the following core course units: Semantics and Pragmatics (15 credits), Psycholinguistics (15 credits) and The Sociolinguistics of English (15 credits).
- optional course units (45 credits altogether);
- dissertation (60 credits).
Subject to Programme Director approval at the beginning of the academic year, it might be possible to waive some of the mandatory course unit requirements and replace them with optional units, if you can provide evidence of relevant previous knowledge and competencies. In borderline cases, you may be asked to take a proficiency test in Welcome Week.
One or two optional course units may be taken from a list of enhanced Level 3 undergraduate course units in Linguistics and English Language, which supplement the MA-specific course units on offer or from a list of MA course units available in other related subject areas. Some optional course units may take the form of Directed Reading units, which are individual or small group seminars about set readings on a particular topic. These are available after consultation with an appropriate member of staff and the Programme Director. Please note that individual optional units that are part of our programme may not be available in any given year.
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Methods I (Linguistics) | LELA60001 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Research Methods II (Linguistics) | LELA60002 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Dissertation | LELA70000 | 60 | Mandatory |
| Introduction to Grammatical Theory | LELA70041 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Phonetics and Phonology I | LELA70061 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Psycholinguistics | LELA60082 | 15 | Optional |
| Topics in Child Language Development | LELA60672 | 15 | Optional |
| Language Policy and Planning | LELA60751 | 15 | Optional |
| Romance Linguistics | LELA62002 | 15 | Optional |
| Semantics and Pragmatics | LELA62021 | 15 | Optional |
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Facilities
You will have access to innovative resources, including our psycholinguistics and phonetics laboratories, with facilities for signal analysis, speech synthesis, laryngography and electropalatography, computing facilities for speech analysis and one of the largest collections of linguistics texts in the UK.
Find out more on the Facilities page.