Applied Linguistics (Taught)

This Masters focuses on how linguistic research can help solve language-related problems in professional practice and public life. It is designed for you to become a research-led specialist in areas such as language and education, intercultural communication, language and politics and professional discourse. You will design and undertake your own applied research project as part of this degree.

WHY THIS PROGRAMME

• This programme allows you to supplement specialist courses in Applied Linguistics with a wide range of topics of your choosing, including discourse analysis, name studies, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, phonetics, and more.

• Our facilities include an outstanding provision of linguistic laboratories, including digital humanities, corpus resources and phonetics.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

Teaching is delivered across two semesters, followed by your own in-depth research-led dissertation in Applied Linguistics. You will undertake two core courses and optional courses in areas such as Systemic Functional Linguistics, Language Learning and Teaching, and Forensic Linguistics.

Alongside optional courses in Applied Linguistics, the programme also offers a range of optional courses from linguistics, English, and other disciplines, enabling you to create your own Masters programme. The programme allows you to work in an interdisciplinary capacity, selecting courses from across the College of Arts, according to personal interests. The programme convenor will work with you to construct a good portfolio of courses according to your personal aims and objectives.

Semester One
In semester one, you will take one core course and two optional courses.

Core Course:
Research Training Course 1: Introduction to Research

Semester Two
In semester two, you will take one core course and two optional courses.

Core Course:
Research Training Course 2: Dissertation Preparation
Applying Linguistics in Social and Professional Life

Dissertation:
Applied Linguistics Dissertation

Optional Courses:
Students will take four optional courses over the two semesters.
We would advise students with an interest in educational applications to choose at least two courses from the following selection:
Language and the Global Campus: Linguistic Issues in the Internationalisation of Higher Education
Social and Individual Variables in Language Learning and Teaching
Systemic Functional Linguistics and its Applications

We would advise students with an interest in social applications to choose at least two courses from the following selection:
Forensic Linguistics
Multilingualism: Individuals, Institutions and Society

Remaining options can be taken from the courses listed above or from among the 20-credit courses listed under the ELL and TESOL pathways, subject to availability and capacity.

Optional courses that would be particularly relevant to the Applied Linguistics programme include:
Corpus Linguistics (PGT)
Experimental Design and Data Analysis
Qualitative Sociolinguistics
Approaches to Scots in Speech and Text

With the convenor’s permission, you may also take optional courses from elsewhere in the College of Arts & Humanities and beyond.

In addition, you will have the opportunity to take a bespoke 10-credit course (Advancing English for Applied Linguistics) which will help you develop your academic writing skills relevant for the discipline. This is an optional course which you can take in addition to the courses we offer as part of the programme.