Linguistics MPhil

University College London

The UCL MPhil in Linguistics is the first research master's degree in the UK with the specific aim of training students to a level where they can produce impactful research in theoretical linguistics, through dedicated Research Seminars and a comprehensive range of research methods development. Students completing MPhil have sufficient depth and breadth of knowledge to progress to PhD research.

About this degree

The UCL Linguistics research department is known internationally for its outstanding work in all areas of theoretical linguistics and for its growing strength in experimental work. Our staff carry out research aimed at discovering the nature and origin of the principles and representations that characterise human language, its acquisition by children, its neural basis in the brain, and its use in communication. We encourage and facilitate cross-disciplinary interaction with psychologists, cognitive scientists and philosophers working on language and communication both at UCL and elsewhere. Undertaking a research degree in this department means you will be supervised by scholars who are leaders in their field with the expert up-to-date knowledge needed to guide you in shaping your own original research contribution.

What this course will give you

The two-year MPhil comprises graduate-level modules, including research seminars in syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and phonology, and a 20,000-word thesis. Students complete the majority of the coursework in year one, and focus on research in year two. The programme aims at breadth and depth of study, and the opportunity to develop independent ideas in a sustained piece of research. Students are assigned to a supervisory team in their first year. Projects begin only in the second year of the programme and decisions about the direction and content of projects will be made in consultation with supervisors going into the final year.

The foundation of your career

The range of modules included in MPhil Linguistics is unmatched by other linguistics programmes in the UK. This ensures that our students who enter doctoral work do so with a deep general understanding of the discipline. UCL Linguistics also has one of the largest groupings of experimental linguists in the UK and provides laboratory skills training. Together with generic training opportunities available within the division for statistics and other research methods, we have the most comprehensive training offer for the field. Students also receive training in transferable presentational skills, interview practice and teaching methods.

Employability

MPhil Linguistics is ideal for those who want to do linguistic research beyond their undergraduate or master's degree. Completing it enhances their chances of being successful in applying for PhD positions. Furthermore, this MPhil degree can satisfy the requirements of the MPhil phrase of the PhD programme in Linguistics at UCL, allowing one to obtain a PhD in two years (minimum). As for careers outside of academia, the combination of analytical and quantitative methods skills possessed by Linguistics research graduates provide the basis to progress to high-level positions including management consultancy, IT and government.