Gain a thorough foundation and background in modern linguistics.
Year of entry: 2025 (September)
1 year full-time,
2 years part-time
September 2025 (semester dates)
Join us online on Tuesday 10 June to uncover what postgraduate study at York is all about.
Find out moreLinguistics 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. These are some of the questions we ask:
You will harness your existing knowledge, applying it critically to linguistic analysis, while gaining transferable skills that can be applied to any field you choose to pursue.
Studying phonetics allows me to appreciate the fine details of human speech: the rhythms, intonations, sudden stops and breathy starts. It trains your ear to identify sounds you’ve always heard, yet never really heard before. It equips you with the skills to transcribe these sounds and share them with others. Believe me: after taking phonetics, you'll never view conversation in the same way again.Daniel, MA LinguisticsRead more on what our students say about us.
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:
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.
You will choose three option modules:
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.
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:
Every course at York is built on a distinctive set of learning outcomes. These will give you a clear understanding of what you will be able to accomplish at the end of the course and help you explain what you can offer employers. Our academics identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need upon graduation and then design the course to get you there.
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time (1 year) | £11,200 | £25,900 |
| Part-time (2 years) This is the year 1 fee. Fees for future years are subject to confirmation. |
£5,600 | £12,950 |
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) 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.
Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2025/26 throughout the year.
If you've successfully completed an undergraduate degree at York you could be eligible for a 10% Masters fee discount.
We are pleased to work with Chevening Scholars to offer funding for our Masters programmes. Chevening Scholarships provide one year of fully-funded postgraduate study in the UK for international (including EU) students. The scholarships are open to early and mid-career professionals who have the potential to become future leaders.
Find out more about funding specific to Language and Linguistic Science.
You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.
You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace.
The best way to learn linguistics is to do linguistics. This is why the course involves a mix of lectures, seminars, workshops and practical training. We'll support your learning with weekly exercises, individual and group work as well as in-class practicals. Research training opportunities will abound through the year, on a variety of topics, ranging from technical software training in phonetic analysis to academic writing seminars. Research skills training will be embedded in your course and provided throughout the academic year.
All modules offer developmental (formative) assessments that don't contribute to your final mark. These provide a chance to practice your skills and gain useful feedback on your progress and understanding, before you take the final assessments. A member of staff will act as your supervisor throughout the degree, to help guide your studies and monitor progress. You'll be also be assigned a dissertation supervisor when you write your dissertation.
All of our modules have Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) websites where all crucial materials—reading lists, handouts, discussion boards—are accessible.
We have our own departmental e-Lab for the teaching and study time of our students. Here you will have access to a variety of resources, including specialist linguistics software, corpora of different varieties, and online language-learning materials.
You will be based in the Department of Language and Linguistic Science on Campus West. Some of your contact hours will be in or close to Vanbrugh College, and all of your teaching will be on Campus West.
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
A range of summative and formative assessment formats are used, including exercises, essays and exams. You'll also be offered exercises and assignments which do not contribute to your final grade that will give you useful feedback on your progression.
You will complete a research dissertation of up to 12,000 words. You'll also complete exercises and assignments which do not contribute to your final grade that will give you useful feedback on your progression.
The support from the staff, especially those lecturers who I have had contact with, has been excellent. I have always been welcomed into their offices to talk about both academic and personal aspects. During the masters degree, I constantly asked myself a question: and now? what's next? Staff in the department have given me excellent advice and encouraged me to trust myself.Eloi, MA LinguisticsRead more on what our students say about us.
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:
| Typical offer | |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate degree | 2:2 or equivalent |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| 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.
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.
Get in touch if you have any questions
If you are new to the field or have only minimal prior background:
If you have considerable prior background:
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