Related courses

• MA English Language and Linguistics (Full-time)
• MA English Language and Linguistics (Part-time)
• MA Linguistics (Full-time)
• MA Linguistics (Part-time)
• PhD Linguistics (Full-time)
• PhD Linguistics (Full-time)
• PhD Linguistics (Part-time)
• MA Linguistic Studies (Full-time)
• MA Linguistic Studies (Part-time)
• MA Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics (Full-time)
• MA Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics (Part-time)
• MA Sociolinguistics (Full-time)
• MA Sociolinguistics (Part-time)
• MA Sociolinguistics of the Arab World (Full-time)
• MRes Analysing Language Use (Full-time)
• MRes Experimental Linguistics (Full-time)
• MRes Linguistics (Full-time)
• PhD Analysing Language Use (Full-time)
• PhD Analysing Language Use (Part-time)
• PhD Applied Linguistics (Full-time)
• PhD Applied Linguistics (Full-time)
• PhD Applied Linguistics (Part-time)
• PhD Experimental Linguistics (Full-time)
• PhD Experimental Linguistics (Part-time)
• PhD Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics (Full-time)
• PhD Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics (Full-time)
• PhD Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics (Part-time)
• PhD Sociolinguistics (Full-time)
• PhD Sociolinguistics (Full-time)
• PhD Sociolinguistics (Part-time)
• Graduate Diploma Applied Linguistics with English for Academic Purposes (Full-time)

Introduction

A Masters course is an academically rigorous programme during which you explore your subject in depth, reaching a high level of specialist knowledge. You draw on knowledge and skills from your undergraduate study or your professional life to produce work of a high academic standard, informed by current thinking and debate.

This course lasts twelve months (full-time), starting in October, and consists of taught modules during your autumn and spring terms and a dissertation to be submitted in September. Your dissertation counts for 60 credits and you will take 120 credits of modules, three compulsory modules and five optional modules. (If you are from the EU, then our Masters courses are regarded as ‘second-cycle’ qualifications under the Bologna Declaration and consist of 90 ECTS credits).

Stage 1 Modules

Compulsory: Applied Linguistics And Second Language Acquisition Research I
Compulsory: Assignment Writing And Dissertation Preparation
Core: Ma Dissertation

Introduction

Your postgraduate study at Essex gives you an opportunity to develop your own ideas and interests, and to engage with thinking at the leading edge of your subject as part of the research community in our Department of Language and Linguistics, and our wider academic and professional community.

As a student of linguistics your teaching mainly takes the form of lectures, practical demonstrations and teaching yourself.

Assessment for modules taught by the Department of Language and Linguistics is typically involves written coursework, class tests and practical testing. Most modules that you will take will involve only coursework as assessment. During the summer, you will work on a dissertation that’s included in your final grade.

Teaching methods and styles

Our courses are designed to provide you with an advanced knowledge of contemporary theory, develop your research skills and build practical skills. The modules you take employ a variety of teaching methods with lectures that inform you, demonstrations that teach you skills and learning by teaching to develop your skills you learned through demonstrations. Our courses include both compulsory and optional modules, so the course can be tailored to fit your interests and aspirations.

Your dissertation

If you are taking a Graduate or Postgraduate Diploma you do not need to do a dissertation.

If you are taking a Masters course, your 16,000-word dissertation allows you to focus in depth on your chosen topic from April onwards. This enables you to gain an in depth knowledge of an area that interests you, with close supervision by a member of staff within our Department.

Seminars and conferences

Our Department of Language and Linguistics has a strong research group culture. We run a weekly departmental seminar, attended by both staff and students. These give you exposure to cutting-edge research on topical issues, provide a role model for your own presentations and give you the opportunity to meet up with speakers and discuss your own research and ideas with them.

Career destinations

Given the breadth of our provision within our Department of Language and Linguistics, career prospects for our graduates vary depending on the study undertaken. For example, many of our MA courses connect you with careers in computing, language disorders/speech therapy and management.

From most of our taught courses there is a natural progression to PhD study, using the research training in your MA. Often the career destination is university lecturing or research. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the areas of linguistics we cover, this could be in departments of English, linguistics, education, sociology or even cognitive science. Other careers our postgraduates have gone on to, where the generic skills they acquired with us are also valued, include publishing, social work, administration, retail and public speaking.

Your employability and Essex

A postgraduate qualification is a major achievement and greatly valued by employers. Recent surveys show that higher degree graduates are more likely to obtain jobs at professional or managerial level and less likely to be unemployed. For some jobs a postgraduate qualification may be essential, for others it offers a competitive edge. Our graduates go into a variety of jobs, where the key employability skills and knowledge they have gained through postgraduate study are put to good use.

Our Languages for All programme lets you study a language, alongside your course, at no extra cost. You can take one of 50 taught language modules on a part-time day-time basis, or undertake flexible web-based learning, or opt for a language module taught in the evening. As employers can struggle to find graduates able to speak more than one language, Languages for All places Essex graduates in a very advantageous position.

If you achieve your Masters, you may wish to extend your knowledge with a research degree and many who graduate from Essex choose to stay here for research study. Some of our Masters may be taken as the first part of an Integrated PhD, leading to your PhD after a further three years of full-time study.

Support for postgraduates

Our University has a range of support services designed to help you to achieve your full potential and get the most out of your studies. These form a co-ordinated network of support, and are an important part of your overall student experience at Essex.

Our staff operate an 'open door' policy so are available to discuss any concerns with you throughout the year.

Research study opportunities

Within our Department of Language and Linguistics, we offer supervision for PhD and MPhil. Comprising 24 academic staff, we offer teaching and research supervision in: language acquisition, language learning and language teaching; culture and communication; psycholinguistics; language disorders; sociolinguistics; and theoretical and descriptive linguistics.