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University of Essex homepage Departments Language and Linguistics Research degrees
Department of Language and Linguistics

Research degrees

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World-class supervision

We offer an outstanding teaching and research environment. You're taught, supported and supervised by staff with an international reputation for being at the forefront of research.

You’ll work at the heart of our well-connected graduate research community, with world-class supervision and training opportunities. We pride ourselves on our strong Departmental research group culture. We want you to engage with other researchers, professionals, practitioners and research users and we also hold weekly seminars featuring eminent external speakers.

At Essex, you have access to our great facilities, including a state-of-the-art interpreting lab with equipment matching that of the UN.

Many of our graduates work in higher education institutions around the world, as teachers or academic researchers, or a wide range of other careers including publishing, social work, administration and retail.


 Explore our postgraduate research degrees 
Why choose us?
  • 3rd in UK for modern languages and linguistics for research quality (Grade Point Average, Research Excellence Framework 2021)
  • Access to our great facilities, including a state-of-the-art interpreting lab with equipment matching that of the UN
  • We offer five routes to a research degree and expert supervision across many topics
"All the research skills I learnt throughout my course have enabled me to work in very different environments. I wouldn't be able to do my job now without that solid grounding."
Claire Jones ba, ma and phd language and linguistics
Gertrude Grumah
Class of 2025: Gertrude Grumah

Her passion for preserving and promoting the indigenous languages of Ghana and investigating how they are changing in the modern world led Gertrude Grumah to study for a PhD in Sociolinguistics in the Department of Language and Linguistics at the University of Essex.

Read Gertrude's story
How to apply
Applying to study your PhD at Essex is simple. Our online application takes about 20 minutes and our Graduate Admissions team offer advice on what you'll need and what happens after you apply.
Fees and funding
We have a range of scholarships and bursaries available to support talented students from all backgrounds achieve their doctoral study ambitions.
Also see
Subject area: English language
Subject area: English language teaching
Subject area: Linguistics
Subject area: Modern languages
Subject area: Translation and interpreting
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