This course is designed for people who want to know more about how foreign or second languages (particularly English) are learned, and how different kinds of classroom practice might affect proficiency. You also study different approaches to understanding language and language acquisition, and we teach you the methods that can be used to investigate language learning and teaching.

• MA Applied Linguistics (full-time)

Our course provides you with an in-depth investigation of the grammatical system and the sound system of English. In addition, our specialist options cover a wide range of topics related to English, including dialectal and social variation, language change, phonetics, pragmatics and conversation analysis. You have four compulsory modules and four optional modules.

• MA English Language and Linguistics (full-time)
• MA English Language and Linguistics (part-time)

This course allows you to develop your knowledge of the English language in conjunction with the study of contemporary literature. You acquire the skills needed to study the structure and use of English, and to deepen your understanding of literary texts. This course is very flexible, allowing you to take an equal balance of modules in language and literature, or to focus your studies on one area.

• MA English Language and Literature (full-time)
• MA English Language and Literature (part-time)

This course provides you with a formal and empirical grounding in all core areas of linguistics: phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. We review and evaluate the major theoretical approaches in these disciplines.

• MA Linguistics (full-time)
• MA Linguistics (part-time)

Like our MA Linguistics, this course offers postgraduate-level training in linguistics with a wide choice of modules. It can be taken full-time over one year, two years part-time or studied on a credit accumulation basis over a period of up to five years.

• MA Linguistic Studies (full-time)
• MA Linguistic Studies (part-time)

If you are interested in studying on a modular basis please contact our graduate administrator using our contact form indicating that you wish to study at postgraduate level.

This course provides you with a thorough grounding in research on human language processing, the representation of language in the brain, and language disorders. You investigate similarities and differences in the processing of sounds, words and sentences, look at different kinds of language impairment, and investigate the relevance of data from human language processing and language disorders to our understanding of the nature of language.

• MA Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics (full-time)
• MA Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics (part-time)

This course looks at current work in sociolinguistics. We familiarise you with the foundations of contemporary sociolinguistics (language variation and change, discourse, multilingualism, and ethnography of speaking) and offer modules in some of its most prominent sub-disciplines (variation theory, socio-pragmatics, conversation analysis, language contact, language and gender, and language rights).

• MA Sociolinguistics (full-time)
• MA Sociolinguistics (part-time)

In this course, you evaluate and understand current issues in Arabic sociolinguistics. This course will be of interest if you plan to pursue a doctorate on topics in Arabic linguistics. It could also lead to a career in areas such as academia, secondary school teaching, forensics and speech writing.

• MA Sociolinguistics of the Arab World (full-time)

This course offers written translation, oral interpreting, and film and video subtitling within a single Masters course. It builds on our internationally-recognised expertise in the teaching of practical foreign language skills. It will suit you if you want to build your language proficiency in Chinese and English, and further develop your professional translation and interpreting skills. Our course directly leads to a career in translation, interpreting and subtitling, in the media, business and tourism between the English-speaking world and China.

• MA Chinese-English Translation and Interpreting (full-time)

This course introduces you to the knowledge and skills required to work in translation and interpreting in the modern world. It can be taken as a stand-alone course over one year or as part of a two-year course where your second year is our MA Chinese-English Translation and Interpreting.

• Postgraduate Diploma Chinese-English Translation and Interpreting (full-time)

Answering your questions about the course

Professor Roger Hawkins and students Xiaoyao and Cora answer your questions on the PG Diploma Chinese-English Translation and Interpreting. We learn more about the course structure, what students should bring with them, the entry requirements, employment opportunities, and how academics at Essex inspire their students.

• Watch Answering your questions: PG Diploma Chinese-English Translation and Interpreting on Vimeo
• See more videos on our Language and Linguistics Vimeo channel

This course offers written translation, oral interpreting, and film and video subtitling within a single Masters course, building on our internationally-recognised expertise in the teaching of practical foreign language skills. It is for you if you are interested in becoming a professional translator or interpreter, or working in subtitling. It can lead to careers in these positions in tourism, business or in international organisations like the United Nations.

• MA Translation, Interpreting and Subtitling (full-time)
• Watch a video interview with one of our MA students. Alex discusses her time at Essex and her translation internship with TTC Language Services, who produced this video.

This course introduces you to the techniques of professional literary translation and develops your own personal translation skills, allowing you to translate literary works accurately from one language to another. It involves English and one of French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. You can be a native or near-native speaker of any of these languages, as you will learn to translate to and from both languages.

• MA Translation and Literature (full-time)
• MA Translation and Literature (part-time)

This course is for those who are enthusiastic about teaching English as a second language, and want to develop understanding, knowledge and skills. It offers you vocationally-relevant, research-led training of the highest quality, taught by academics known for their teaching excellence. If you have no or little previous teaching experience, you will get hands on practice throughout the course. If you have at least two year’s full-time teaching experience, then you undertake specialist study instead.

• MA Teaching English as a Foreign Language (full-time)
• MA Teaching English as a Foreign Language (part-time)

This course is administered by our International Academy. It is aimed at teachers of EFL at secondary school level and above, offering an opportunity to update and extend knowledge of current concepts and theories relating to the teaching of English to speakers of other languages.

• MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (full-time)
• MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (part-time)

Authenticity in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)

This sample lecture is intended for students who specialise in the teaching of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and is delivered as part of the MA TESOL and MA TEFL courses. It carefully examines an important concept related to materials development for English language teaching - 'authenticity'.

• Watch Authenticity in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) on Vimeo
• See more videos on our Language and Linguistics Vimeo channel

Administered by our International Academy, this is a 120 credit course which can be continued to Masters (180 credits) level.

• Postgraduate Diploma Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (full-time)

Administered by our International Academy, this is a 60 credit course which can be continued to Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits) and then to Masters (180 credits) level.

• Postgraduate Certificate Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (full-time)