Linguistics

Overview

The Linguistics Postgraduate Diploma programme at QUB enables you to acquire the research skills and subject-specific knowledge that are essential for driving forward your interest in language-focused research. Our Programme is based in the School of Arts, English and Languages and will be taught by specialists who work on English, French, Irish, Breton and community languages. You are welcome to follow either a broad-based programme encompassing, for example, structural and formal aspects of linguistic organisation (e.g. phonetics/phonology, morpho-syntax, lexis, discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, variation and change) and their effects on communication; or you may choose to concentrate on areas such as particular linguistic features in English, French, Irish or Breton, or the role of language policies in relation to minoritised languages or particular types of speech.



You will undertake training in research methods so that you can make informed and judicious choices about how to identify, select, capture and analyse linguistic data, and you will learn how to make sense of your data and the results of your analysis. You will choose modules which address key variables in language organisation from theoretical and practical perspectives, and you will have the option to choose modules which complement and enhance your own emerging interests.



Throughout the Programme, you will have access to scholars who are experts in their respective fields and whose work is internationally recognised in research rankings and impact, and who work collaboratively to provide you with the academic support and guidance to help you make a success of your work with us. The Linguistics Postgraduate Diploma programme from QUB will equip you with a range of subject-specific and transferable skills which enable you to consider employment in diverse areas, including research in speech and language, education, language policy and heritage, marketing and communication, journalism, translation and interpreting and law.



Course Structure

Postgraduate Diploma students take the two core taught research methods modules (not the dissertation) and 4 x 20 CATS optional modules and exit the programme by successfully completing 120 CATS points from taught modules.

The information below is intended as an example only, featuring module details for the current year of study (2024/25). Modules are reviewed on an annual basis and may be subject to future changes – revised details will be published through Programme Specifications ahead of each academic year.



Year 1

Core Modules

• Research Methods 2: Skills in Linguistic Research and Data Analysis (20 credits)

• Research Methods 1: Research Design in Linguistics (20 credits)



Optional Modules

• Syntax: Theory and Analysis (20 credits)

• Corpus Linguistics (20 credits)

• Discourse Analysis: traditional to digital (20 credits)

• Phonetics and Phonology: Concepts and Practices (20 credits)

• Discourses of Crime and Deviance (20 credits)

Graduate

Normally a 2.1 Honours degree or above (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) in English, French or Irish Language and/or Linguistics or related discipline.



The University's Recognition of Prior Learning Policy provides guidance on the assessment of experiential learning (RPEL). Please visit http://go.qub.ac.uk/RPLpolicy for more information.



International Students

Please see International Student's link below.

Applicants are advised to apply as early as possible and ideally no later than 15th August 2025 for courses which commence in late September.



In the event that any programme receives a high number of applications, the University reserves the right to close the application portal prior to the deadline stated on course finder.



Notifications to this effect will appear on the application portal against the programme application page.

2 years (Part-time)

1 year (Full-time)



Contact Teaching Hours

Small Group Teaching/Personal Tutorial

6 (hours maximum)

6 hours per week (seminar-based)



Teaching Times

Teaching times are distributed throughout the working week.

Entry Year: 2025/26

Career Prospects

Introduction

Those who graduate from Linguistics programmes routinely enter careers in academia, school-teaching, speech and language therapy, translation, forensic linguistics, language planning and policy, government administration, and museums, cultural and heritage organisations. This programme will equip you with the knowledge and skills required for a successful career in these areas, and for further study in your preferred area within linguistics.



Employment after the Course

The Postgraduate Diploma in Linguistics from QUB will equip you with a range of subject-specific and transferable skills which enable you to consider employment in diverse areas, including research in speech and language, education, language policy and heritage, marketing and communication, journalism, translation and interpreting and law.