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 you are studying a non-science subject, then your teaching mainly takes the form of lectures and classes.
Your assessment is a combination of written coursework, end-of-term tests, practical and laboratory work (where appropriate) and end-of-year exams. During the summer, you will work on a dissertation or individual project 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.