University of Nottingham

What you'll study

This taught master's combines core theoretical foundations with practical methodological training to explore how language is learned, used and managed in social, educational and technological contexts. You will study topics such as language acquisition and development, discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, language assessment, corpus linguistics and language policy. The programme typically includes a mix of taught modules and a substantial research dissertation, allowing you to pursue an independent empirical project under academic supervision.

• Core topics: theories of applied linguistics, research design and methods, discourse and conversation analysis, second language acquisition.
• Optional and specialist modules: corpus-based approaches, language assessment and testing, multilingualism and language policy, language and identity, materials design and technology-enhanced language learning.
• Research dissertation: an extended piece of independent research (usually supervised by a specialist member of staff) that applies theoretical and methodological skills to a real-world question.
• Teaching and assessment: a combination of seminars, practical workshops, assessed essays, project work, presentations and the dissertation. You will gain hands-on experience with data collection and analysis methods commonly used in applied linguistics.

Entry requirements

Applicants are normally expected to hold a good undergraduate degree (UK upper second-class honours or equivalent) in linguistics, language-related studies, education, psychology or a related subject. Candidates with other academic backgrounds but with relevant professional experience (for example in language teaching, assessment, or language policy) are also welcome to apply.

Applicants whose first language is not English must meet the university's English language requirements, demonstrated by an approved qualification or test. You may be asked to submit a sample of written work and/or a personal statement outlining your academic interests and reasons for applying. References and evidence of relevant experience will strengthen an application.

Career prospects

Graduates of the MA in Applied Linguistics leave with transferable analytical, research and communication skills suited to a wide range of careers. Common destinations include:

• English language teaching and teacher education (including curriculum and materials development)
• Language assessment and test development
• Publishing, educational project management and materials editing
• Language planning, policy and community language work in public or non-governmental organisations
• Language technologies, localisation and corpus/data analysis roles in industry
• Further academic research, including progression to PhD study and careers in university teaching and research

Students also benefit from the university's careers service and departmental support to pursue internships, placements and networking opportunities in sectors that recruit applied linguistics graduates.

Why study at University of Nottingham

The University of Nottingham provides an interdisciplinary research environment in which applied linguistics is taught alongside related subjects such as English language, education and psychology. You will be taught by staff actively engaged in research and benefit from regular research seminars, workshops and opportunities to work with research-active groups.

Facilities include access to specialist language resources and software for corpus and discourse analysis, as well as university-wide support for research skills and professional development. The campus location and international community offer ample opportunities for collaboration, placements and engagement with language organisations both locally and globally.