MA Linguistics
London, United Kingdom
MA
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 25,320 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for overseas student fees | home student fees: GBP 12,220 per year
Key Summary
About: SOAS MA Linguistics focuses on languages of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and on the speaker communities working to revitalise them. The programme also provides grounding in linguistic research methods and modules in phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, historical and typological linguistics, sociolinguistics, language planning and revitalisation. The modular structure suits those with little prior training and linguistics graduates seeking regional specialisation.
Career Outcomes: Graduates develop communication, analysis and problem-solving skills. Career opportunities include roles in NGOs, media, government, international organisations, academia and private sector. Recent employers include Amnesty International, BBC World Service, Google, UNHCR, Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
SOAS’s MA Linguistics programme is unique in its focus on the languages of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as the communities who speak them and are working to support and revitalise them.
With its unrivalled concentration of expertise in the languages of these regions, the SOAS MA Linguistics programme offers students a thorough grounding in linguistic research methods, along with a rich variety of optional modules ranging from core theoretical topics in phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics, to historical and typological linguistics, to sociolinguistics, language planning and language revitalisation.
The modular nature of the programme means that it is suitable both for those with little or no previous linguistic training, and those with a degree in linguistics who wish to extend their knowledge into the linguistics and sociolinguistics of Asian, African, and Middle Eastern languages.
Students in the MA Linguistics take 180 credits, 60 credits are from a dissertation and 120 credits from taught modules.
Students may choose 30 credits from the list of approved language open options.
Core
- Research Methods in Linguistics 1
Compulsory
- Dissertation in Linguistics
Guided Options List A
- Language, Society and Communication (Masters)
- Linguistic Typology (Masters)
- Historical Linguistics (Masters)
- Language Planning and Policy
- Language Support and Revitalisation
- Translation Technology
- Approaches to Syntax
- Approaches to Phonology
- Meaning and Interpretation (PG)
- Introduction to the Study of Language in Use
Teaching and Learning
The MA Linguistics programme can be taken full-time over one calendar year or part-time over two or three years (daytime only). The taught part of the programme consists of core lectures which introduce basic concepts, theory and methodology; and additional seminars which extend the core material into other areas. A 10,000-word dissertation written over the summer offers students the opportunity to develop original research in an area of special interest.
Knowledge
- Acquiring a solid foundation in the ‘core’ areas of theoretical linguistics, syntax, phonology, and semantics
- Familiarity with the basic concepts and assumptions of different theoretical frameworks in the discipline, and the ability to critically question and evaluate these assumptions
- Familiarity with the relevant conventions and methodology applicable to work with both raw linguistic data and linguistic descriptions
- Opportunity to specialize in the area of interest
- The student will have the opportunity to gain knowledge or further knowledge of one or more Asian, Middle Eastern, and African languages.
Intellectual (Thinking) Skills
- The ability to formulate appropriate linguistic problems, propose and evaluate analyses, and present evidence (for and/or against) these analyses
- Knowledge of how to assess data and evidence critically from the literature and sources, how to formulate analyses and arguments within the system of concepts and assumptions in the discipline, and how to solve problems of conflicting sources and conflicting interpretations.
Subject-Based Practical Skills
- Practicing research techniques in specialized research libraries and through consultant work
- Retrieving and selecting information from a variety of linguistic sources such as specialized papers and reference grammar
- Students will have strong practical language skills which will help them in any context where the language is used and which will also be of benefit if they need to learn another language in the future.
Transferrable Skills
- Training in locating materials and using research sources (library holdings, ‘raw’ language data, periodicals, internet).
- Structuring and communicating ideas effectively in writing
- Questioning, understanding, and evaluating competing proposals.
Graduates of the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics leave SOAS not only with linguistic and cultural expertise but also with skills in written and oral communication, analysis and problem-solving.
Recent graduates have been hired by:
- Africa Matters
- Amnesty International
- Arab British Chamber of Commerce
- BBC World Service
- British High Commission
- Council for British Research in the Levant
- Department for International Development
- Edelman
- Embassy of Jordan
- Ernst & Young
- Foreign & Commonwealth Office
- Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
- Middle East Eye
- Saïd Foundation
- TalkAbout Speech Therapy
- The Black Curriculum
- The Telegraph
- United Nations Development Programme
- UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
- Wall Street Journal