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Overview
- Degree awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Duration
- 3 years [full-time], 6 years [part-time]
- Entry requirements
-
- A Bachelors (Honours) degree at 2:1 level or above (or its international equivalent) in a related subject; and
- A UK Master's degree with an overall average of 65% or higher, with a minimum of 65% in the dissertation and with no mark below 55% (or its international equivalent) in a related subject.
- Number of places/applicants
- There is no limit on the number of places available.
- How to apply
- Apply online
Programme options
| Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhD | Y | Y | N | N |
Programme description
Our PhD Linguistics programme enables you to carry out research in a field of linguistics that matches the interests of one of our members of staff.
The Department of Linguistics and English Language is an international centre for Linguistics, with 22 full-time members of staff and approximately 35 postgraduate research students.
We are virtually unique in the UK and beyond in the breadth of subject areas and theoretical approaches represented by our members, many of whom are internationally renowned scholars in their specialisms.
Our academics' areas of expertise include:
- phonetics and phonology
- morphology
- syntax (lexical-functional grammar, role and reference grammar, construction grammar, and minimalism)
- (formal) semantics
- pragmatics
- historical linguistics
- dialectology
- the linguistics of English
- language contact
- variationist sociolinguistics
- child language acquisition
- field linguistics and language documentation
- typology
- quantitative corpus-based approaches
- forensic linguistics.
In our research, we combine the advancement of theoretical approaches with a strong concern for their empirical and methodological foundations.
Each member of staff also has a special interest in particular languages and language families, including major European languages, as well as lesser known languages of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Australia.
WE DO NOT, HOWEVER, SUPERVISE PROJECTS WITH A FOCUS ON SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING.
Joint supervision arrangements for interdisciplinary projects are available.
Find out more about our Linguistics research , staff members , and what our current postgraduate research students are working on.
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 2021, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
PhD (full-time)
UK students (per annum): TBC
International, including EU, students (per annum): £19,500 -
PhD (part-time)
UK students (per annum): TBC
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
Please note for the majority of projects where experimentation requires further resource: higher fee bands (where quoted) will be charged rather than the base rate for supervision, administration and computational costs. The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive and, therefore, you will not be required to pay any additional bench fees or administration costs.
All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of the course 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 project.
Scholarships/sponsorships
The School offers a limited number of bursaries and studentships on a competitive basis, details of which can be found via the links below.
Please note that whilst we do not have closing dates for programme applications, all funding competitions have a specified deadline for submitting the funding application form and a separate (earlier) deadline for submitting the online programme application form, both of which will be stated in the funding competition details below:
- ESRC North West Social Science DTP (NWSSDTP) PhD Studentships in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures 2021-22
- AHRC North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership (NWCDTP) in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures 2021-22
- President's Doctoral Scholar (PDS) Awards in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures 2021-22
- School of Arts, Languages and Cultures PhD Studentships 2021-22
- China Scholarship Council - The University of Manchester Joint Scholarship for PhD Study in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures 2021-22
- Trudeau Doctoral Scholarships 2021-22
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
- Contact name
- Rachel Corbishley
- PhDSALC@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- http://www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/linguistics-and-english-language/research/postgraduate-research/
- School/Faculty
-
See: About us
Programmes in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of programmes in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
- A Bachelors (Honours) degree at 2:1 level or above (or its international equivalent) in a related subject; and
- A UK Master's degree with an overall average of 65% or higher, with a minimum of 65% in the dissertation and with no mark below 55% (or its international equivalent) in a related subject.
English language
Students whose first language is not English require one of the following:
- an overall IELTS score of 7.0 with 7.0 in the writing component, or
- a TOEFL score of 600 paper-based test or 100 internet-based test, or
- a Pearson Test of English (PTE) score of 70 overall with 70 in the writing component, or
- an overall Trinity Integrated Skills in English (ISE) III grade of Merit with Merit in the writing component.
English language test validity
Other international entry requirements
Other entry requirements
Application and selection
How to apply
Advice to applicants
We recommend all research applicants attempt to find a suitable supervisor here at Manchester by browsing the subject website and looking at the staff list .
Find out more on the how to apply page.
Interview requirements
The University requires an interview for all applicants to whom we consider making an offer.
Interviews will be conducted by two academics, usually the proposed main supervisor and the subject PGR Director (or an assigned representative).
The interview can be either face-to-face or via Skype, conference call or email.
The interview serves several purposes, allowing us to:
- get a better picture of your ability to carry out the proposed doctoral project than the research proposal on its own;
- tell you what the proposed supervisor(s) can bring to the project;
- discuss with you directly any potential problems with the practical aspects of your studies and explore solutions together.
Re-applications
Programme details
Programme description
Our PhD Linguistics programme enables you to carry out research in a field of linguistics that matches the interests of one of our members of staff.
The Department of Linguistics and English Language is an international centre for Linguistics, with 22 full-time members of staff and approximately 35 postgraduate research students.
We are virtually unique in the UK and beyond in the breadth of subject areas and theoretical approaches represented by our members, many of whom are internationally renowned scholars in their specialisms.
Our academics' areas of expertise include:
- phonetics and phonology
- morphology
- syntax (lexical-functional grammar, role and reference grammar, construction grammar, and minimalism)
- (formal) semantics
- pragmatics
- historical linguistics
- dialectology
- the linguistics of English
- language contact
- variationist sociolinguistics
- child language acquisition
- field linguistics and language documentation
- typology
- quantitative corpus-based approaches
- forensic linguistics.
In our research, we combine the advancement of theoretical approaches with a strong concern for their empirical and methodological foundations.
Each member of staff also has a special interest in particular languages and language families, including major European languages, as well as lesser known languages of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Australia.
WE DO NOT, HOWEVER, SUPERVISE PROJECTS WITH A FOCUS ON SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING.
Joint supervision arrangements for interdisciplinary projects are available.
Find out more about our Linguistics research , staff members , and what our current postgraduate research students are working on.
Special features
Graduate School
All of our postgraduate students become members of the Graduate School when you start at Manchester. It has dedicated facilities for students and offers opportunities to collaborate with other postgraduates.
Teaching and learning
Supervision will involve regular meetings with two supervisors, of which records will be kept.
Research Panels (consisting of at least three academic staff, including the supervisors) are held once per semester to monitor progress.
Supervisory arrangements at Manchester are governed by a Code of Practice .
In addition, you will be supported by a strong research culture in the department and excellent opportunities for research training, including general research methods in the arts, humanities and social sciences, as well as subject-specific masterclasses, reading groups and a PhD seminar series for the discussion of ongoing work, and an annual postgraduate conference in Linguistics.
Coursework and assessment
The PhD involves three years of full-time study or six years of part-time study, and the preparation of a thesis of not more than 80,000 words that makes a significant contribution to knowledge.
A satisfactory PhD topic is one that a suitably qualified and properly supervised student can bring to completion within the permitted timeframe.
Please note that the first year of the full-time programme and the first two years of the part-time programme are probationary. This means you will be required to show evidence of satisfactory progress to proceed with the programme.
Facilities
We have a Phonetics Laboratory with facilities for signal analysis, speech synthesis, laryngography and electropalatography, a large collection of specialist software and linguistic corpora, and, in The University of Manchester Library, one of the largest holdings in linguistics in the UK.
Manchester is home to one of the UK's five National Research Libraries - one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the UK and widely recognised as one of the world's greatest research libraries.
Find out more about libraries and study spaces for postgraduate research students at Manchester.
We also have one of the largest academic IT services in Europe - supporting world-class teaching and research. There are extensive computing facilities across campus, with access to standard office software as well as specialist programmes, all connected to the campus network and internet.
Every student is registered for email, file storage and internet access. If more demanding computer access is required, our specialist computing division can provide high-end and specialist computing services.
The Graduate School offers dedicated state of the art facilities to research students, including common rooms and workstations.
Find out more about facilities for Linguistics students.