MA Intercultural Communication

Year of entry: 2025

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Overview

Degree awarded: Master of Arts (MA)
Duration: 1 year
Entry requirements: We normally expect students to have a First or Upper Second class honours degree or its overseas equivalent in a humanities-based subject area.

Full entry requirements
How to apply: Apply online

Course options

	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time distance learning	Part-time distance learning
MA	Y	Y	N	N

Course overview

Study in a vibrant multicultural and multilingual city, where you can put what you learn into practice.
Learn about cutting-edge critical approaches in intercultural communication research.
Develop knowledge of intercultural communication training.
Take course units in foreign languages.

Discover our Master's in Intercultural Communication

Open days

Find out what it's like to study at Manchester by visiting us on one of our open days .

Fees

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2025, the tuition fees are as follows:

MA (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £13,000
International, including EU, students (per annum): £28,500
MA (part-time)
UK students (per annum): £6,500
International, including EU, students (per annum): £14,250

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.

All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Scholarships/sponsorships

For information on available funding, please visit the School's funding pages or search the University's postgraduate funding database .

Contact details

School/Faculty: School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
Contact name: PG Taught Admissions
Email: MASALC@manchester.ac.uk
Website: http://www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/translation-and-intercultural-studies/
School/Faculty: See: About us

Courses in related subject areas

Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview

We normally expect students to have a First or Upper Second class honours degree or its overseas equivalent in a humanities-based subject area.

English language

Candidates for whom English is not their first language must submit the following:

An overall grade of IELTS 7.0 with 7.0 in writing and no skill below 6.5 is required or 100+ in the TOEFL iBT with a minimum writing score of 25 and no skill below 22.

If you have obtained a different qualification, please check our English language requirements to ensure that it is accepted and equivalent to the above requirements.

Please note that due to the volume of applications received, we will only assess applications with an English language test result included.

English language test validity

Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

Other international entry requirements

We accept a range of qualifications from different countries. For these and general requirements including English language see entry requirements from your country .

Application and selection

How to apply

Apply online

Advice to applicants

As there is a high demand for our courses we operate a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year. Due to the competition for places and high quality of applications that we receive, we give preference to students from high ranking institutions and with grades above our minimum entry requirements.

Please ensure you submit all supporting documentation with your application before the application deadline to avoid a delay in processing.

Applications for 2024 entry:

Stage 1: Application received by 8th December 2023 ; Application update by 22nd February 2025

Stage 2: Application received by 3rd March 2024 ; Application update by 25th April 2024

Stage 3: Application received by 5th May 2024 ; Application update by 8th June 2024

Stage 4: Application received by 1st July 2024 ; Application update by 25th July 2024

Whilst we aim to give you a decision on your application by the deadline date, in some instances due to the competition for places and the volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next deadline date.

Applications received after our final selection deadline will be considered at our discretion if places are still available.

Please note: All places are subject to availability and if you apply at one of the later stages, some courses may already be reaching capacity or be closed to further applications. We, therefore, recommend that you apply early in the cycle to avoid disappointment.

Tuition fee deposits

If you are successful in receiving an offer, you will be required to pay a tuition fee deposit of £1,000 by the deadline stated in your offer letter to confirm your place. We ask for the deposit as competition for places is high and there is limited availability. The deposit amount is then deducted from your tuition fees when you register on the course.

How your application is considered

Applications are mainly considered on the basis of an assessment of past and predicted academic achievements, the academic reference(s) and any other supplementary evidence that supports the application. Once we have an application that is ready for a decision, the admissions tutor (often the Programme Director) will relay the decision to the admissions team, who will send you this decision.

Please note that your application is usually received by the School 24 to 48 hours after the time you submit it. If you have not provided documentation that allows the admissions tutor to make a decision, we will contact you.

Overseas (non-UK) applicants

The University will take into account the academic standing of a candidate's University, as advised by our international office using published world and country rankings.

Re-applications

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.If you are applying for a place for the same year of entry through UCAS Extra, you should provide additional evidence of your suitability for the course. If you are applying through clearing you are required to meet the clearing requirements. In both UCAS Extra and clearing the places will be subject to availability.

Course details

Course description

Our MA Intercultural Communication master's course brings together a wide range of expertise to explore the cultural complexities and diversity of our current times from a variety of conceptual, disciplinary and professional perspectives.

The degree is designed for students who are interested in intercultural matters. Some knowledge of a foreign language is preferable, although not a prerequisite.

You can choose from a range of course units covering subjects such as:

migration
memory
media
translation
language contact
English as a global language
communicative interaction
intercultural relations
intercultural competence.

It is also possible to study a foreign language.

For queries about academic content of the course, please contact the Programme Director, Dr Leonie Gaiser .

Aims

We have interests in intercultural studies, intercultural training, translation, communication, linguistics, and modern languages and cultures.

These interests allow us to offer a comprehensive course that aims to:

provide you with a cutting-edge critical approach to the field of intercultural communication;
offer a rich range of language and cultural studies-oriented options;
enhance your intercultural awareness and communication skills.

Teaching and learning

All course units are taught on a seminar basis, with group sizes varying depending on the course unit. Seminars offer opportunities for developing group work and presentation skills.

Coursework and assessment

Most course units are assessed by assignments and other marked work, rather than by written examination.

Course unit details

This course consists of core and optional course units and a dissertation.

Core units

Introduction to Intercultural Communication
Developing Researcher Competence in Intercultural Communication

Optional units

You will take five options, at least three of which must be taken from the electives the course offers, while two may be taken from certain other courses offered by the University.

Dissertation

You will undertake a 12,000-word dissertation during the summer, with individual supervision by staff members.

Your choice of course units and dissertation topic will enable you to specialise in areas such as intercultural relations, intercultural training, translation, language studies and migration, depending on your preferred career paths and/or research interests.

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
Introduction to Intercultural Communication	ICOM60001	15	Mandatory

Facilities

You will benefit from the facilities of the Graduate School, as well as the wider University of Manchester Library and cultural assets across campus and the wider city.

Find out more on the Facilities page.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk

Careers

Career opportunities

This course will enhance your opportunities to gain employment in fields where intercultural competence is valued, for example, many multinational companies and organisations, international projects and NGOs, and multicultural and immigrant communities.

The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability .

Find out more on the Careers and employability page.