Postgraduate study
Edinburgh: Extraordinary futures await.

Applied Linguistics MSc

Awards: MSc

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

This programme offers a linguistic perspective on real-world problems of language in use, with a strong emphasis on developing skills and knowledge that can be applied in a wide range of professional settings.

In Applied Linguistics, we draw on knowledge about language, how it works and how it is used in order to contribute to real-life issues.

We:

  • examine language and other communicative modes in a variety of social settings such as everyday conversation, educational settings, medical settings, digital and social media
  • focus on language variability; for example, bilingualism, accents, and dialects versus social diversity (such as gender, class, ethnicity)
  • consider how knowledge about language as it is actually used in real social settings can impact people's lives

Key research areas

This programme will help you gain intellectual and practical skills to engage in applied linguistics research, either for its own sake or as part of inter-disciplinary research.

This highly flexible MSc draws on the University of Edinburgh’s unparalleled research expertise in Linguistics. Linguistics and English Language at Edinburgh has access to a wide breadth of research themes, with the greatest theoretical depth that you will find anywhere. This programme gives you the flexibility to choose courses and research topics to suit your academic interests and goals.

The department has multiple overlapping research groups, covering everything from meaning and grammar to language evolution. This programme is unique in allowing you the freedom to draw on these resources.

Linguistics & English Language is rated 3rd in the UK by Times Higher Education for the quality and breadth of the research using the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021).

What will I learn

You will:

  • explore how language and other communicative modes are used in a variety of social situations - for example, in everyday conversation, in educational settings, or on digital and social media
  • compare language variability - for example, bilingualism, accents, dialects - with social diversity such as gender, class, or ethnicity
  • examine how knowledge and uses of language can impact people’s lives

You can also take advantage of the interdisciplinary department and draw on teaching and research both elsewhere in the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences and within other relevant Schools.

Is this MSc for me?

This programme provides and enhances your skills to engage in applied linguistic research. It provides an excellent preparation for further research and knowledge as an applied linguistics specialist, whether you choose to pursue this further in academic research or in a professional career.

Please note, unlike other programmes in applied linguistics, one topic that we do not concentrate on is teaching pedagogy. If you are primarily interested in the teaching side of applied linguistics, please see:

Similarly, this MSc programme focuses on linguistics, not English language. If you are primarily interested in English language, please see:

Reputation, relevance and employability

The programme benefits from a long and respected academic tradition. Edinburgh was the first UK university to offer a programme in Applied Linguistics. You will be taught by world-leading experts. Our Linguistics and English Language department is home to academics leading research into a wide range of topics.

You will benefit from the breadth and strength of the interdisciplinary academic community at Edinburgh, having the opportunity to select option courses and attend research seminars across different disciplines.

Our students’ research projects are often published in academic or professional journals.

We have an excellent reputation amongst employers and further research opportunities. Many of our graduates have gone onto PhD training and we have a high academic job placement record.

Find out more about our community

The School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences is home to a large, supportive and active student community, hosting events and activities throughout the year which you can join. As a postgraduate student, you will have access to a range of research resources, state-of-the-art facilities research seminars and reading groups.

This programme contains two semesters of taught core courses and optional courses followed by a dissertation.

The taught courses and their assessments take place between September to December (Semester 1) and January to April (Semester 2). Planning for the dissertation will take place until April and carried out between April and August.

Core Courses

Core courses provide a solid foundation in the fundamentals of applied linguistics. These are:

  • Issues in Applied Linguistics

  • Discourse Analysis

  • Language Variation and Change

  • Sociolinguistic Research Design

Optional Courses

The optional courses offer you the opportunity to explore areas of your interest. Examples of optional courses are:

  • Pragmatics
  • Cognitive Linguistics
  • Introduction to Phonology and Phonetics
  • Introduction to Syntax
  • Introduction to Multimodality
  • Guided Research in Linguistics and English Language
  • Online experiments for language scientists
  • Or any other course available to MSc students subject to approval from the programme director

Dissertation

The dissertation involves writing a research project in close collaboration with an expert supervisor.

You will produce a written report, similar to an academic journal article; indeed, some dissertations are published as journal articles.

The empirical work and writing take place between April and August and will be due in August.

Past examples of dissertation topics include:

  • Style-Shifting in Safe and Non-Safe Spaces: A Study of Gay Speech in Singapore
  • Dialect Loss and Variation Amongst Kedahans of Different Generations
  • The Use of Sajiao in Chinese Gay Communities: Identity Construction in Digital Communication
  • A Case Study of Indigenous Minority Languages in France
  • Negotiating Professional Identities and Knowledge on YouTube: Skincare Influencers
  • Avatar: The last Airbender is (not) an anime: A study on Genre Bending of Japanese Visual Language in America

How will I learn?

Most courses are taught through a combination of lectures and seminars/tutorials. The number of contact hours and the teaching format will depend to some extent on the option courses chosen.

After classes finish in April, you will spend all your time working independently on coursework, exam revision and on your dissertation. When you carry out your supervised dissertation research, you will receive guidance from your supervisor through one-to-one meetings, comments on written work and email communication.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
MScApplied Linguistics1 YearFull-timeProgramme structure 2023/24

At the end of the programme, you will be able to discuss issues of language description and use the knowledge you have acquired to address real-life problems. This might include the teaching of languages and the use of language in specific institutional contexts.

The programme aims to:

  • develop your relevant critical and analytical skills
  • prepare you for employment in the various spheres of social life where linguistics knowledge and skills play a significant part
  • help you develop interest and skills in working at the interface between linguistics and other disciplines
  • prepare you for further study (PhD) in applied linguistics
  • develop your transferable skills in written and verbal communication, group and teamwork, computing, programming and numeracy, time and project management
  • develop your ability to work as an independent researcher and as part of a team

This is the ideal programme for deepening your involvement in linguistics, giving you a grounding in further study (PhD) or developing an academic career in linguistics.

The programmes also teach a broad range of transferable skills applicable to a wide range of modern jobs, such as:

  • Marketing, communications and PR
  • Speech synthesis (such as Amazon and Google)
  • Interpreting and translation

Our graduates

The analytical skills you develop and the research training you receive will be valuable in a wide range of careers. In addition to a number of our graduates going onto further academic research opportunities, some recent roles they have progressed to are:

  • Language Examiner
  • Research Assistant
  • Project Manager
  • English Language Teacher
  • Editor
  • Linguistic Content & Market Manager
  • Social Media Marketing
  • MA Modern Languages

Careers Service

Our award-winning Careers Service plays an essential part in your wider student experience at the University, providing:

  • tailored advice
  • individual guidance and personal assistance
  • internships and networking opportunities (with employers from local organisations to top multinationals)
  • access to the experience of our worldwide alumni network

We invest in your future beyond the end of your degree. Studying at the University of Edinburgh will lay the foundations for your future success, whatever shape that takes.

Your application and personal statement allow us to make sure that you and your chosen MSc are good matches for each other, and that you will have a productive and successful year at Edinburgh.

We strongly recommend you apply as early as possible. Specific details about your application and personal statement, alongside deadlines and dates can be found in 'Application Deadlines' and 'How to apply' on this page.

You should avoid applying to more than one degree. Applicants who can demonstrate their understanding and commitment to a specific programme are preferred.

Personal statements

When applying you should include a personal statement detailing your academic abilities and your reasons for applying for the programme

The personal statement helps us decide whether you are right for the MSc programme you have selected, but just as importantly, it helps us decide whether the MSc programme is right for you.

Your personal statement should include:

  • What makes this particular MSc programme interesting for you?
  • What are the most important things you want to gain from the MSc programme?
  • What are the key courses you have taken and that are relevant for this specific programme and what are your academic abilities?
  • Any other information which you feel will help us ensure that you are a good match to your intended MSc programme.

A good personal statement can make a big difference to the admissions process as it may be the only opportunity to explain why you are an ideal candidate for the programme.

References

You will be asked to add contact details for your referees. We will email them with information on how to upload their reference directly to your online application. Alternatively, they can email their comments to:

pplspgoffice@ed.ac.uk

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in linguistics. We may also consider students without a linguistics degree if you if you have substantial practical experience as a language professional.

Entry to this programme is extremely competitive.

Students from China

This degree is Band B.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 62 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
MScApplied Linguistics1 YearFull-timeTuition fees
MScApplied Linguistics2 YearsPart-timeTuition fees

There are a number of highly competitive scholarships and funding options available to MSc students.

Deadlines for funding applications vary for each funding source - please make sure to check the specific deadlines for the funding opportunities you wish to apply for and make sure that you submit your application in good time.

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

  • your programme
  • the duration of your studies
  • your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

  • PPLS Postgraduate Office
  • Dugald Stewart Building
  • 3 Charles Street
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9AD

MSc Applied Linguistics operates a gathered field approach to applications.

You may submit your application at any time. All complete applications that satisfy our minimum entry requirements will be held until the deadline, at which point applications will be ranked and offers made to the top candidates.

Applications are processed in batches:

Round Application deadline Places awarded
1 30 November 2023 01 February 2024
2 04 March 2024 30 April 2024
3 01 May 2024 26 June 2024

You must submit one reference with your application.

Please read through the ‘Important application information’ section on this page before applying.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Further information

  • PPLS Postgraduate Office
  • Dugald Stewart Building
  • 3 Charles Street
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9AD