The master’s programme in Linguistics at Leiden University is by any measure among the best in Europe, offering linguistics expertise that covers all corners of the world and the choice of ten areas of specialisation.
Within the master’s programme in Linguistics, you may choose one of ten specialisations, each offering a wide range of courses. You will examine issues from a broad range of perspectives and diverse theoretical approaches, including descriptive, experimental, theoretical and applied. You have the opportunity to choose from the widest selection of languages offered by any institution in the region. With an unmatched curriculum and flexible programme design, at Leiden you can truly customise your qualification to match your interests and career goals.
Academics from the renowned Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL) teach in the master’s programme in Linguistics. During your studies, you will have access to a breadth and depth of expertise that is almost unmatched in Europe, as well as exceptional resources such as the famous collections at the Leiden University Library. All courses are taught by a diverse group of scholars, all of whom are engaged in international research, which is also part of the teaching syllabus. Their expertise incorporates the latest theoretical knowledge and practice-based skills, such as translation or text analysis.
At Leiden, our master’s students are considered valuable members of a close-knit academic community. Small classes, regular individual mentoring, and an informal, open-door policy, create an environment that is ideal for the exchange of ideas and the development of your knowledge and intellectual abilities. An important objective of the programme is to develop your aptitude for critical-thinking: in everything you do, from independent research to peer-to-peer feedback and in-class debates, you will learn to take a broad, investigative and critical approach to problem solving that can be applied to any future challenge, within any role.
This degree will give you a good grounding in major topics in linguistics – the study of how language is structured, represented in the mind and interpreted – and phonetics, the study of how speech sounds are physically produced.
Core modules will introduce you to key aspects of the discipline, such as syntax, phonetics and phonology. You’ll also develop your knowledge of research methods within and outside of the lab. You’ll then choose from optional modules to suit your interests or career plans, such as language acquisition or sociolinguistics.
Spanning the arts and sciences, linguistics is a challenging and rewarding discipline that allows you to gain a real understanding of human communication as well as a wide range of transferable skills. Taught by experts in top-class facilities and supported by the Language at Leeds research network, this programme will give you a good foundation in the subject informed by the very latest research.
Specialist resources
Leeds is a fantastic place to study linguistics and phonetics. Our tutors and research students are active members of the wider Language at Leeds network which brings together researchers from across the University. You’ll be able to enhance your learning with an array of research events throughout the year.
Postgraduates also have access to our extensive facilities, including the Human Communications Suite complete with a recording studio and lab space for psycholinguistics experiments. You can make use of our phonetics lab and the Language Zone, a state-of-the-art space where you can use a range of language-based teaching materials whenever you want.
This programme is suitable for people who have no prior knowledge of linguistics, or those who may have studied some during their first degree. However, if you do have a substantial background in linguistics or phonetics, you may prefer to study for an MA by Research.
This programme is also available to study part-time over 24 months.
Core modules will allow you to develop your knowledge of key aspects of linguistics and phonetics. You’ll study introductory modules in syntax and phonetics and phonology in Semester One, which you’ll build on in more advanced modules in the following semester. You’ll also take core modules to develop your academic and research skills in linguistics.
In addition, you’ll expand your understanding of areas that suit your interests when you choose from optional modules on topics such as pragmatics, sociolinguistics and language acquisition. By the end of the programme, you’ll be able to demonstrate the skills and knowledge you’ve gained when you complete an independently researched dissertation on a linguistics topic of your choice.
If you choose to study part-time, you’ll take fewer modules in each year so you can study over a longer period.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
For more information on typical modules, read Linguistics MA Full Time in the course catalogue
For more information on typical modules, read Linguistics MA Part Time in the course catalogue
We use diverse teaching and learning methods to help you benefit from our tutors’ expertise. They include seminars, lectures, online learning, tutorials and practicals. Independent study is also a vital element of the course. You’re also encouraged to sit in on classes in modules that you’re not taking, giving you a great opportunity to gain a broad base of knowledge in linguistics and phonetics.
Depending on the modules you choose, assessment methods will vary. However, they usually include coursework , essays and practicals, while core linguistics modules also include exams.
This programme will give you a sophisticated understanding of human communication, as well as valuable transferable skills in areas such as use of quantitative and qualitative data, research, interpretation, oral and written communication and analysis which are highly attractive to employers in a wide range of industries.
Graduates have pursued diverse careers as a result, in areas such as lexicography, journalism, editing, advertising, language education an even artificial intelligence. Many also pursue PhD level study and continue with research into linguistics, or further training in disciplines such as speech and language therapy.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Applied Linguistics at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
The Department of English Language and Literature welcomes applications from students wishing to pursue graduate level research at MA level in Applied Linguistics, particularly topics in second language acquisition, bilingualism, vocabulary learning, corpus linguistics and discourse analysis.
The MA by Research in Applied Linguistics would suit those wanting the freedom to explore a topic of their choosing under the close supervision of two experienced academics but without attending regular classes as required in taught programmes; an MA qualification in niche areas where taught programmes are not offered; the experience of a research degree without committing to a PhD at the outset. Research proposals are invited on any topic in Applied Linguistics for which staff can provide supervision. It is advisable to email a member of academic staff in the appropriate area before applying.
An MA by Research in Applied Linguistics gives you the chance to pursue a project inspired entirely by your own particular interests in Applied Linguistics. The qualification would be a good preparation for proceeding to doctoral work. Alternatively, the proven ability to conduct independent research in Applied Linguistics will boost employment prospects in the area of English language teaching, but also outside academia (for example, in the media, publishing, the Civil Service, or education).
As a student of the Applied Linguistics programme you will be closely supervised by two experienced academics in your field. Typically, you will meet them fortnightly in the first term and at regular intervals thereafter. Meetings are logged and goals agreed each time. All research students in Applied Linguistics are required to attend skills and training courses at College and Institutional level. They give presentations to other research students and staff at departmental seminars and the annual departmental postgraduate symposium in June and the College of Arts and Humanities conference in October. MA by Research in Applied Linguistics typically last from one year (full-time study) to two years (part-time study).
About 70 of the postgraduates currently studying at Swansea University’s Department of English Language and Literature [ELL] are researchers working on an MA, MPhil or PhD thesis. Each is supervised by two members of staff, 60% of whose own research publications were rated ‘internationally excellent’ or ‘world-leading’ in the 2008 REF exercise. We supervise interdisciplinary projects as well as traditional areas of the discipline - in language studies, creative writing, literature (from medieval to the present) and critical and cultural theory. If you have an idea for a research project in Applied Linguistics, do get in touch and discuss it with us informally before applying.
Postgraduates often join a research centre, e.g. the Centre for Research into Gender and Culture (GENCAS) or the Centre for Research into Welsh Writing in English (CREW) where they work alongside other students and staff in dedicated research rooms. As a student of the Applied Linguistics programme you will present your work in the friendly environment of our Research Institute’s annual postgraduate conference, ELL’s fortnightly research seminars, and the monthly workshop of the Creative Writing Programme. Our research environment was judged 100% ‘internationally excellent’ by the 2008 REF, and research students help staff organise a lively programme of conferences, readings and performances on campus and in the city’s arts centres. As well as being inducted into academic research and dissemination, doctoral students have the opportunity to undertake undergraduate teaching to prepare them for an academic career. We provide study stations with computers and postgraduate common-rooms, research training and the services of a research officer and subject librarian.
What the Research Excellence Framework 2014 had to say about Postgraduate research in the Swansea Department of English Language and Literature …
The environment in the Department is conducive to producing research of mostly at least internationally excellent and at its best world-leading quality’…
‘Arrangements for postgraduates were deemed of world-leading quality’
‘There is clear evidence of the development of a research culture into which research students are fully integrated’
‘Recruitment is strong’
‘There are excellent arrangements for support, training and employability’.
Summing up: ‘The unit makes an outstanding contribution to the health of the discipline’.
