Program Overview
Skip to content Accessibility statement Home Study at York Postgraduate taught Courses 2026/27 Linguistics (MA) MA Linguistics Gain a thorough foundation and background in modern linguistics. Year of entry: 2026 (September) Overview Course content Fees and funding Teaching and assessment Careers Entry requirements Start date September 2026 View semester dates Length 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time School/department Department of Language and Linguistic Science Apply for this course Sign up for event invites Sign up for our postgraduate emails to get event invites straight to your inbox. Find out more Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The MA in Linguistics at York is perfect for those who want a strong, all-rounded grounding in linguistics and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. This course embraces the diversity of approaches to the study of language in our research.
Key Program Features
- Immersive On-Campus Experience: In-person seminars, laboratory sessions, and professional networking at University of York.
- Expert Faculty: Taught by research-active academics and practitioners with deep expertise in Humanities & Arts.
- Diverse International Cohort: Study alongside students from around the world, broadening your global professional network.
- Research-Informed Curriculum: Content grounded in the latest academic research and real-world industry practice.
- Dissertation / Capstone Project: Culminating independent project applying your expertise to an original research question or industry challenge.
- Dedicated Career Support: Access to career coaching, employer networking events, and job placement assistance.
- 12 months Duration: Part-time and accelerated options may be available — enquire with the admissions office.
Career Opportunities
Careers and skills
On successful completion of the course, you'll have gained a solid and detailed grounding in your new field of study, along with the practical and technical skills to carry out original research in this field, guided by some of the world’s foremost experts.
You'll develop your confidence and critical skills, equipping you to exercise independent learning in your future career. Our MA provides excellent training for doctoral research. Graduates are also well-equipped to undertake careers in a range of sectors including marketing, publishing, education, government administration, and journalism.
Linguists are also in increasingly high demand in industry because of the development of ever improving automatic speech recognition, more sophisticated search engines and artificial intelligence based on large language models. This means new avenues of career development are added to the more traditional list of opportunities for linguists, including:
Career opportunities
- linguist (in academia and industry)
- foreign languages teacher
- clinical and forensic linguist
- journalist
- teacher
- content developer
- data scientist
Transferable skills
- The capacity to analyse data and evaluate competing interpretations of evidence
- Development of a hypothesis from the predictions of a theory or model
- The ability to design a research project and present data
- Reflective independent learning and time management
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Problem solving
- Intercultural awareness
Program Curriculum
Course content
Our programme takes you on an exciting journey of discovery that begins with intensive training in linguistics. You'll take three modules per semester, plus write a dissertation. In semester one, you'll take core subjects and in semester two you can choose from a range of modules you want to specialise in. You will participate in research training seminars throughout the year. Together, with your course mates, you'll also present your work in our postgraduate summer conference.
By the end of your course, you'll be able to:
- Use current linguistic theories to analyse linguistic data
- Conduct and critically evaluate research in the field
- Communicate your work to specialist and non-specialist audiences
- Understand the increasing relevance of ethical considerations in conducting research
These learning outcomes encompass a range of knowledge, skills, and competencies that will prepare you for further academic study, research, or professional careers in linguistics and related fields.
Modules Dissertation Modules Core modules Language Variation and Change Syntax Phonetics and Phonology Directed Readings in Linguistics Option modules You will choose two option modules: Phonological Development Neurolinguistics: Language and the Brain Sociophonetics Advanced Topics in Language Variation and Change Advanced Topics in Syntax Semantics Language Development and Age Linguistic Computations: Real and Artificial Intelligence Multimodality: Language and the Body Quantitative Methods The full list of options available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course. For further information, please get in touch . If you have covered substantial parts of the taught MA programme in your undergraduate degree, please talk to us about whether our MSc Linguistics programme would be more suitable for you. Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning. Dissertation Dissertation You'll prepare and write a research dissertation of 9,000 to 12,000 words over Semester 2 and the summer. Then, you'll be asked to submit a dissertation proposal in the middle of Semester 2, which will be reviewed by academic staff. You will then be allocated a dissertation supervisor and should expect around 5 hours of supervision. You'll submit your dissertation in September. Topics have ranged from: A phonetic and acoustic analysis of English vowel realisations by a group of adult Hausa immigrants living in Britain Deaccenting in L2 An investigation into Long Distance Scrambling: Minimalism, Case and Labelling Argument/adjunct asymmetries in wh-questions in Mandarin Chinese A Probabilistic Semantics for Causality in Counterfactuals Comparative study of written and spoken code-switches in Malaysia Claiming identity in interaction: A discursive analysis Recent MA dissertation topics
Admission Requirements
Entry requirements
| Qualification | Typical offer |
| Undergraduate degree | 2:2 or equivalent |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
English language
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Qualification | Minimum requirement |
| IELTS (Academic and Indicator) | 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | B2 First: 176, with 169 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 7, minimum of 6 in each component |
| Oxford Test of English Advanced | 136, minimum 126 in each component |
| Duolingo | 120, minimum 105 in all other components |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | 70 with a minimum of 65 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 478-509, with 444-477 in all other components |
| Skills for English | B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component |
| PTE Academic | 61, minimum 55 in each component |
| TOEFL | 87, minimum of 21 in each component |
| Trinity ISE III | Merit in all requirements |
For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements .
If you haven't met our English language requirements You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses . These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer. The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements. After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York .
Tuition & Financial Information
Tuition Fee
GBP 16,290/year (international)
Fees and funding
Annual tuition fees for 2026/27
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
| Full-time (1 year) | £12,000 | £26,900 |
| Part-time (2 years) This is the year 1 fee. Fees for future years are subject to confirmation. | £6,000 | £13,450 |
Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.
For courses which are longer than one year , the tuition fees quoted are for the first year of study. UK (home) fees may increase in subsequent years (up to a maximum of 2%). International fees may increase in subsequent years in line with the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (up to a maximum of 10%).
Fees information
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status .
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
- Postgraduate taught fees and expenses
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Fees and funding
Annual tuition fees for 2026/27
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
| Full-time (1 year) | £12,000 | £26,900 |
| Part-time (2 years) This is the year 1 fee. Fees for future years are subject to confirmation. | £6,000 | £13,450 |
Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.
For courses which are longer than one year , the tuition fees quoted are for the first year of study. UK (home) fees may increase in subsequent years (up to a maximum of 2%). International fees may increase in subsequent years in line with the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (up to a maximum of 10%).
Fees information
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status .
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
- Postgraduate taught fees and expenses
About University of York
University of York
Heslington, United Kingdom
University of York is a distinguished institution of higher education committed to academic excellence, innovative research, and preparing students for leadership in their chosen fields. The...
University Profile- Application Deadline 2018-06-15
- Start Date 2018-09-24
- Language English
- Duration 12 months
- Credits 60 ECTS / 180 credits (1-year programme)