The Masters in Intercultural Communication with International Business combines linguistic studies, cultural studies, international business components and training in research methods.
You will take six compulsory modules, two optional modules and write a dissertation where you have the opportunity to specialise according to your personal interests. The programme includes numerous opportunities to apply and develop your skills through practical tasks.
The programme is ideal for business professionals who wish to enhance their profile with a postgraduate qualification; and for graduates of humanities, English language or business disciplines who would like to deepen their insight into business across linguistic and cultural boundaries.
This programme is studied full-time over one academic year and part-time over two academic years. It consists of eight taught modules and a dissertation.
Example module listing
The following modules are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that not all modules described are compulsory and may be subject to teaching availability and/or student demand.
This degree will prepare you for a career in the areas of communication and intercultural consultancy, particularly, though not exclusively, where the use of English is required.
More specifically, the programme will appeal if you are seeking to work in multinational and international business, in particular in the fields of intercultural training, human resource management, and communication and marketing.
It will provide valuable preparation for careers in government overseas agencies and international diplomatic organisations, the voluntary sector, local government community initiatives and business consultancies, as well as in the communication industries.
Many of our graduates go on to find employment in a wide range of international organisations and businesses; others choose to take research degrees in their subject.
As a student of the School of Literature and Languages, you will benefit from the expertise of a vibrant, multidisciplinary group of academics. You will also have access to a number of conferences, seminars and workshops hosted throughout the year.
These events cover a range of topics to broaden your thinking in the fields of literature, language and linguistics, cultural studies and creative writing.
The business component of the programme will also allow you to benefit from the close affiliation with the Surrey Business School, a leading provider of internationally recognised postgraduate vocational management degrees.
The School has strong links with industry and has established a number of high-profile partnerships with multinational organisations. You will be supported by a team of international staff with a wealth of global experience and specialist expertise.
Programmes available to all students include:
The overall purpose of the programme is to:
Knowledge and understanding
Students will be able to demonstrate:
Intellectual / cognitive skills
Students will be able to:
Professional practical skills
Students will have the skills to:
Key / transferable skills
Students will be able to demonstrate:
We often give our students the opportunity to acquire international experience during their degrees by taking advantage of our exchange agreements with overseas universities.
In addition to the hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience, time spent abroad adds a distinctive element to your CV.
Learn more about opportunities that might be available for this particular programme by using our student exchanges search tool.
Surrey Business School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and by the Association of MBAs (AMBA).
The world is becoming an ever ‘smaller place’. We are increasingly brought into contact with different languages and cultures. Through multicultural societies, international organisations and online connections. Communication has become an international – and therefore an intercultural – matter. The importance of understanding cultural parameters and mutual perceptions is rapidly increasing in fields such as business, education, conflict resolution, and more.
The Intercultural Communication Master’s programme teaches you how to approach and promote linguistic and cultural diversity in various international contexts.The interdisciplinary and multilingual programme will equip you with the tools to apply theory to international practice. After graduation, your skills as a multilingual and intercultural expert will contribute to mutual understanding within Europe or abroad and to the strong worldwide relationships that are so important in our era of globalisation.
Over the course of one year, this Master’s programme will prepare you for an international career. You will learn to analyse communication products and processes in the multilingual contexts of international organisations. Through rigorous interdisciplinary methods, you will gain experience in communication from linguistic, communicative, cultural, anthropological and management perspectives.
The Master’s programme in Intercultural Communication is a joint programme that incorporates expertise from German, English, French, Italian, Dutch and Spanish researchers and lecturers. You can choose your own study path in the form of a language-specific programme that includes a high level of second/international language training in one of the language mentioned above. Alternatively, you can pursue a non-language-specific multilingual programme, in which you analyse communication processes within different languages and cultures. All tracks are open to international students who want to increase their intercultural and multilingual competencies in an international context. Read more about the different tracks.
Communications professionals can improve their career options and promotion opportunities by following the Master’s programme in Intercultural Communication. Whether you plan to take a sabbatical from work or are an independent professional seeking to broaden your opportunities in internationalisation, this Master offers you a number of possibilities. This programme will increase your employability and enrich your CV. You can also enrol in individual courses as time permits.
After graduation from the Master’s programme in Intercultural Communication you will:
After successfully completing your studies, you will be ready for various positions where intercultural communication processes in organisational and cultural contexts are vital. You will also be able to design and implement practice-oriented language and communication research. For example, you may advise companies and organisations on communication processes for migrants and expats (communicative auditing). Read more about possible career prospects.
The MA Intercultural Communication and Education develops critical understanding of education and intercultural communication in the context of global movements of people and the internationalisation of education. The programme provides students, educators, and policy makers with resources for reflecting on and responding to the growing need for intercultural education and communication in an increasingly intercultural/international world. This programme is available for part-time and full-time students through the academic year.
Core Modules
Optional Modules
You must select 30 credits from a list of optional modules which have previously included:
The above are examples of modules that we have run in previous years. Modules are continually developed in response to student feedback and interests, as well as to reflect the changing nature of academic research within the department.
You will also do a 15,000 word dissertation within the field of intercultural education and internationalisation. This is a supervised piece of work working with specialists in the field.
In all of our postgraduate taught programmes we place an emphasis on empowering students to be autonomous, independent learners. The taught modules provide an introduction to module content which is then developed and extended through our use of online resources, key reading and independent study and research. We consider the development of independent learning and research skills to be one of the key elements of our curriculum and one which helps our students cultivate initiative, originality and critical thinking.
On the MA Intercultural Communication and Education programme you will take compulsory core modules worth a total of 90 credits plus one optional module worth 30 credits. Modules are delivered either mid-week or at weekends which provides flexible study options. Modules are delivered using a combination of lectures, seminars workshops and tutorials. The core modules are designed to provide students with a critical understanding of theories, research and issues relevant to their chosen programme of study. Outside timetabled contact hours, students are also expected to devote significant amounts of time to reading, discussing and preparing for classes, assignments and project work.
In addition to the taught core and option modules all postgraduate taught students following a Masters programme will undertake a 60 credit dissertation. This crucial piece of work is a significant piece of independent research that constitutes a synthesis of theory, method and practice in education and is supported by an individual supervisor, specialist dissertation workshops and the Dissertation Coordinator.
Throughout the programme, all students meet regularly with an Academic Advisor, who provides academic support and guidance. In addition programme leads have regular office hours where they meet students to discuss any issues. Module staff are also happy to meet with students to discuss module specific issues as needed.
In term time, the department also has an extensive programme of departmental and research group seminars which postgraduate students are encouraged to attend.
Before the academic year starts, we provide information on preparation for the course. On arrival we have induction sessions and social events, headed by the Director of Postgraduate Studies and attended by both academic and administrative staff.
Career opportunities in education are wide and include classroom teaching, educational leadership and management, administration and policy development.
We’ll cover the main theories of intercultural communication, including best practice for effective communication at work. This will enable you to connect theory with real-life situations.
If you want to work in an international, multicultural environment, and develop advanced intercultural competence and communication skills in more than one language, this course is for you.
Our reputation for excellence means your MA will be highly respected by employers. You’ll develop the skills to work in translation, culture and communication internationally or in the UK. Recent graduates have gone on to work for employers such as SDL, Transact, The Big Word, Kaplan, the University of Leeds, the State University – Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Centre for French and Francophone Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University and as International Projects Director at a South Yorkshire College.
You may also choose to follow in the footsteps of students who have continued to PhD and have been awarded highly prestigious grants for PhD study such as Wolfson and WRoCAH scholarships.
We constantly review and revise our degrees to make sure you keep on top of the latest developments in the field. You’ll learn academic theory and practical skills – and how to relate the two.
Sheffield is at the forefront of modern languages research. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) ranks us among the top ten Russell Group universities for impact in this field. Recent projects include e-learning and knowledge exchange with industry, and three initiatives looking at language teaching and learning.
You can practise your English, French, German, Italian or Spanish with native speakers at our Modern Languages Teaching Centre. Our specially designed building has modern spaces for teaching and research. We’re right next to the other arts and humanities departments, and there are lots of opportunities to share ideas.
A range including:
Teaching takes place through lectures, seminars, small-group work and workshops. You’ll be assessed by essays, presentations, practical translation technologies projects, translation assignments, a translation exam and a dissertation.
Learn to communicate effectively in an intercultural workplace. Advance your knowledge of language and cultural theory, as well as your business and professional communication skills, in a community of students from all over the world. You’ll even have the chance to spend a semester on a European campus.
Course duration: 12 months full-time or 24 months part-time (September starts); 16 months full-time or 33 months part-time (January starts).
Full time: Semesters 1 and 2: Monday 6-8pm and Thursday 6-8pm
Part time: Semesters 1 and 2: Monday 6-8pm or Thursday 6-8pm (depending on choice of module)
In our increasingly global world, contact between cultures is of vital economic and sociocultural importance. Our Master’s course will give you the skills and knowledge to build a successful career in an intercultural environment.
You’ll gain an understanding of how cultural differences impact on human interaction in both the workplace and society. With modules that focus on topics like migration, identity and cultural relations, you’ll advance your theoretical knowledge at the same time as improving your business and professional communication skills.
You’ll also learn to use different methodological tools that will help you understand language and communication, as well as sharpen your analytical skills. This will give you the confidence to think independently and innovatively around the interdisciplinary, and often multinational, challenges of the modern world of work.
As a full-time student, you can choose to spend one semester at a European university (the Eurocampus). At the Eurocampus, your studies will be equivalent to those of Cambridge-based students, and you’ll still work in English.
On both our Cambridge campus and the Eurocampus, you’ll be working alongside students from all over the world, including the USA, Canada, Germany, France, China, Japan, Taiwan, Spain, Italy, Finland, Turkey and Lithuania. This will give you additional experience and understanding of intercultural environments to support your academic studies.
See the website http://www.anglia.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/intercultural-communication
Our MA Intercultural Communication will prepare you for many different roles with international companies, local government and European institutions. Past graduates now enjoy careers in intercultural training (e.g. for Communicaid), work with Non-Governmental Organisations such as UNESCO and UNICEF, intercultural mediation in educational or social contexts, language teaching, translation/interpretation services, international property sales and business, education or embassy administration.
One of our recent students, Stephen Trinder, began an assistant professorship position teaching English at Silla University, South Korea immediately after graduating. In 2014, he was appointed to a lectureship position at The Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, heading their Intercultural Studies course. Stephen is now continuing to study for his PhD with us.
After you graduate, you might also decide to move on to a research degree, such as ourPhD English Language and Intercultural Communication.
Core modules:
Major Project
Optional modules:
Discourse and Identity
Impacts of Migration
Eurocampus
Language, Identity and Policy
Intercultural Relations and Communication
Independent Learning Module
Our course gives you the option to spend one semester at a European university, or study in Cambridge only.
On the Cambridge-only route, you’ll show your progress through written coursework: 6,000-word essays for all modules except Impacts of Migration, which requires a 5,000-word essay and a presentation. You'll also complete a 15,000-word dissertation.
On the 'Eurocampus' route, you’ll be assessed through a combination of methods depending on the institution.
By taking this course, you’ll be studying on a programme that has twice been awarded the UK Trade and Investment National Languages for Export award (for the Eastern region in the UK), in the category 'Innovative courses in adult, further and higher education which prepare students for working in, or with, people from non-English-speaking markets'.
The Eurocampus takes place every year during the September semester at one of the following institutions: Universität Bayreuth, Germany; Anglia Ruskin University, UK; University of Jyväskylä, Finland; Universidade Aberta, Portugal; Università della Svizzera Italiana, Switzerland; Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales, France; University of Tartu, Estonia; University of Utrecht, Netherlands.
The Eurocampus location for the next two years will be:
The Eurocampus placement must be full-time, but the Cambridge deliver can still be taken part-time.
The deadline for Eurocampus applications is 1 April for September starters. There is no deadline for January starters, as the Eurocampus placement will begin the following September.
"Taking part in the Eurocampus was an unforgettable experience for me that prepared me very well for my working life. After finishing my studies, I moved back to Germany to start work as a personnel consultant. Each day, I guarantee that companies receive suitable candidates. My intercultural knowledge, acquired at the Eurocampus, is critical for the success of companies as well as for my own career as a personnel consultant." Annka, MA Intercultural Communication
Our Research Unit for Intercultural and Transcultural Studies (RUITS) organises regular talks and seminars by visiting scholars that you can attend during each Semester.
This course is designed to produce international developers with advanced intercultural communication skills – it’s taught by the School of Languages and Cultures and the Department of Geography. A module on international project management integrates the two subjects and there are communication seminars designed for developers.
Fieldwork is important. The course includes a compulsory field class in the global south. Recent field classes were in the West Pokot region of Kenya and the suburbs of Cairo.
In a global society based on fairness, everyone’s voice should be heard. The world needs developers who can communicate across cultural boundaries and bring people together. As a graduate of this course, you’ll be well placed to make a difference.
Our reputation for excellence means your MA will be highly respected by employers. You’ll develop the skills to work in translation, culture and communication internationally or in the UK. Recent graduates have gone on to work for employers such as SDL, Transact, The Big Word, Kaplan, the University of Leeds, the State University – Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Centre for French and Francophone Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University and as International Projects Director at a South Yorkshire College.
You may also choose to follow in the footsteps of students who have continued to PhD and have been awarded highly prestigious grants for PhD study such as Wolfson and WRoCAH scholarships.
We constantly review and revise our degrees to make sure you keep on top of the latest developments in the field. You’ll learn academic theory and practical skills – and how to relate the two.
Sheffield is at the forefront of modern languages research. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) ranks us among the top ten Russell Group universities for impact in this field. Recent projects include e-learning and knowledge exchange with industry, and three initiatives looking at language teaching and learning.
You can practise your English, French, German, Italian or Spanish with native speakers at our Modern Languages Teaching Centre. Our specially designed building has modern spaces for teaching and research. We’re right next to the other arts and humanities departments, and there are lots of opportunities to share ideas.
You’ll also take a ten-day field class overseas. There is an extra charge for overseas trips but it’s great experience and value for money.
Lectures, seminars, small-group work and workshops. You’re assessed on coursework and a dissertation. The dissertation involves a work placement (often undertaken in the global south) with a development organisation.
The global era has stimulated transnational cultural flows (of people, practices and products) and local cultural complexities that were inconceivable even a generation ago. Nowadays, it is necessary to function effectively in culturally-diverse contexts ranging from organisations and workplaces, to neighbourhoods and cities, and to societies and regions. As a consequence, intercultural awareness and communication skills are an advantage in many areas of employment. This MA programme run by the School of Arts, Languages & Cultures explores the cultural diversity of our current times, inviting students to further develop their intercultural awareness and skills. The degree is designed for a broad range of students who are interested in intercultural matters, both international and UK / EU students. Some knowledge of a foreign language is preferable although not a prerequisite. Those successfully graduating from the degree should find that it enhances their opportunities to gain employment in fields where intercultural competence is valued, for example in many multinational organisations, in international projects and NGOs, and in multicultural and immigrant communities. Here are some examples of posts obtained by MAIC alumni: officials in the United Nations agencies UNEP and UNHCR, university study abroad administrators, and administrative officers in cultural organizations with an international outlook.
Staff research comprises a wide range of areas of relevance for this degree. In the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures we have interests in intercultural studies, intercultural training, translation, communication, linguistics, and modern languages and cultures. These interests allow us to offer a comprehensive programme whose chief aims are to provide students with a cutting-edge critical approach to the field of intercultural communication, to provide a rich range of language and cultural studies oriented options, and to enhance students' intercultural awareness and communication skills. Participation in the programme is, in itself, a valuable intercultural experience.
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.
Most course units are assessed by assignments and other marked work, rather than by written examination.
The programme consists of core and optional course units and a dissertation:
Core modules
Optional Modules
Students take five options, at least three of which must be taken from the electives the programme offers, whilst two may be taken from the wider menu offered in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures.
Dissertation
Through their choice of course unit options available on the programme and their choice of dissertation topic students will be able to undertake specializations in areas such as intercultural relations, intercultural training, translation, language studies and migration, depending on their preferred career paths and/or research interests.
For enquiries about the programme content, please contact the programme director, Dr Siobhan Brownlie, [email protected]
All postgraduate students on this programme can make use of the purpose-designed Centre for Graduate Studies within the Ellen Wilkinson Building. The Centre is located in one of the University's most interesting architectural spaces, highlighted in Pevsner's guide to Manchester for its `Corbusian external stairs and a curving rooftop pavilion ... the interior of which is an exciting space with big circular rooflights and very narrow window slits on one side only.' Care was taken to enhance those features while providing state-of-the-art facilities for postgraduate study. These include 30 computers (several with dedicated translation studies software), LaserJet printers, `hot-desk' facilities for around 50 students (including workstation facilities for students with disabilities), and 132 secure lockers. The Centre also houses a collection of past theses and dissertations from all subjects studied in the School at PhD, MPhil and MA level, which students can access to inform their own research and writing.
In addition to the Centre for Graduate Studies, the University has five major computer clusters, together with many smaller clusters. In total there are more than 10,000 PCs and workstations across the campus. All provide access to standard office software as well as specialist programs, and all are 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 Manchester Computing can provide high-end and specialist computing services.
The University Library is one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the UK and is widely recognised as one of the world's greatest research libraries. We also have one of the largest academic IT services in Europe - supporting world-class teaching and research.
Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: [email protected]
This brand new MA is perfect for multilingual students who want a career in the creative industries.
In our cosmopolitan global culture talented people with multilingual skills are increasingly sought after by the creative industries. In this trailblazing MA you will have the opportunity to combine your language and translation skills with the study of London’s vibrant creative industries.
On the programme you will use your language skills and first-hand experience of different cultures to explore new territory in and around the use of languages. You will reach beyond the traditional role of translation and localisation by studying how these disciplines are applied in the creative industries, paying particular attention to the practical application of these skills in a professional environment.
You will be introduced to the emerging area of transcreation, which refers to the creative process of altering messages so they are suitable for the target local market, while maintaining its original intent, tone, style and context, and how this is used within creative industries such as arts, advertising, entertainment and marketing.
London’s rich cultural scene is central to this MA and a series of visits to festivals, studios, cinemas and galleries are incorporated into the programme, giving you the opportunity to engage first hand with the many different cultural institutions the capital has to offer. There is also the opportunity to undertake a work placement, meaning you can build a strong CV and make vital industry contacts.
In addition you will be able to study modules from a wide range of creative disciplines from the Department of Media, Culture and Languages, including audiovisual translation, film, media and journalism.
In the module Think, Create, Translate: Transcreation and the Creative Industries, you will analyse different examples of translation and transcreation which you will compile into a portfolio of work (which you can use as part of your CV) and discuss how multilingualism and multiculturalism are put into practice in a creative environment. You will combine a series of lectures, workshops and group projects with visits to many of London’s cultural institutions including festivals, studios, cinemas and galleries.
In the Cultural Adaptation in the Creative Industries module, you will explore the theory and concepts that underpin practices of transcreation and localisation, drawing on multiple disciplines, including linguistics and audiovisual translation, film, game and television studies, media management and advertising. For instance, you may be analysing localised popular entertainment shows, consider regionalisation in video games and marketing campaigns, or explore localisation from an audience perspective.
There is also a wide variety of options modules on offer on a range of subjects including translation-related fields such as subtitling and videogame localisation, as well as media and communications, project management, and social media and data journalism. You can also choose between undertaking a research based dissertation and working with a cultural institution as part of a work placement.
Here are some examples of modules you may study as part of this programme:
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
Compulsory module (MA students only)
Compulsory and Required modules
Compulsory and/or required modules may change when we review and update programmes. Above is a list of modules offered this academic year.
Optional modules
Optional modules, when offered as part of a programme, may vary from year to year and are subject to viability.
This courses provides vocational training for those interested in working in global multimedia, and the cultural and creative industries. However, it will also provide you with a working knowledge of translation, a skill highly-valued by employers in a variety of industries.
The programme is organised by the Centre of Language Studies. Within this research institute, language and communication specialists from Radboud University and the University of Tilburg work closely together. You will also be able to follow a number of lectures in Tilburg. Our programme is known to be challenging, but it also offers students a very large degree of choice.
Whenever we use language we are involved in communicating. How does this work and why is there miscommunication? How does language fit together and how do we learn to understand each other's language? This is the central theme of this unique programme. It is unique because language and communication are treated as a single unit with each field complementing the other. The programme is also special because it focuses strongly on empirical research. You will be studying real language in real-life situations and you will use your observation skills to develop possible theories. Later, you will test these theories against everyday reality. In this way you will discover the richness of both language and communication.
As a Master’s student in Language and Communication you will find yourself in a challenging research environment. The university has experts in topics such as language variation and language diversity, language technology, sign language, intercultural communication, persuasive communication, optimal communication and the ways in which language can be processed. These specialists work closely with colleagues in the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (MPI) and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (FI BCB). As a result, Nijmegen can provide you with an exceptional opportunity to explore new avenues of knowledge and the chance to work alongside specialists who are leaders in their field internationally.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/language
3. Strong motivation
You have to be able to demonstrate your motivation for and affinity with international academic research. A selection committee will evaluate the motivation of each applicant separately.
The primary goal of the programme is academic training, which makes it ideal for those wishing to embark on a research career, for example by taking a PhD. But it also caters for the growing demand from the public and private sectors for people with academic insight and research skills. Many graduates will join research groups in the public and private sector. These may address a wide range of topics such as advanced Internet and enhancing professional communication in an international context.
Whenever we use language we are involved in communication with others - to persuade, to inform and to exchange ideas. How does this work and why is there miscommunication? How does language fit together in spoken language and non-verbal cues such as eye-contact or facial expression and how do we learn to understand each other's language? This is the central theme of this unique programme.
It is unique because language and communication are treated as a single unit with each field complementing the other. The programme is also special because it focuses strongly on empirical research. We invite you to discover exciting new areas of research, where language and communication are illuminated by developments in information and communication technology. You will be studying real language in real-life situations and you will use your observations to develop possible theories. Later, you will test these theories against everyday reality. In this way you will discover the richness of both language and communication.
As a Master’s student in Language and Communication you will find yourself in a challenging research environment. The university has experts in language variation and language diversity, language technology, sign language, intercultural communication, persuasive communication, optimal communication and the ways in which language can be processed. These specialists work closely with colleagues in the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (MPI) and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (FI BCB). As a result, Nijmegen can provide you with an exceptional opportunity to explore new avenues of knowledge and the chance to work alongside specialists who are leaders in their field internationally.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/language
