Linguistics

About

Based within the School of Communication & Media, the programme is distinctive in its breadth, offering modules in core theoretical generative linguistics as well as modules in conversation and discourse analysis with special focus on the study of English. The programme team includes experts in the various areas of linguistic research with PhDs from top universities in the world. The members of the team are all actively involved in research on a variety of topics. Language acquisition and multilingualism are core overlapping research interests of the group as a whole. The team also benefits from links to research groups in other universities in the UK, EU and US and holds a series of research seminars which bring in speakers from around the world. The programme team has strong links within the university with speech and language therapy, psychology, education and computing, and several of the team members are involved in research across these disciplines.



The programme will thus be particularly relevant to:

- students with an undergraduate background in language and linguistics who are interested in progressing to a Masters and/or PhD level;



- students with an interest in the theoretical study of the English language and human language more generally;



- teachers of English as a Foreign Language who wish to gain a Masters level qualification for career development and enhancement;



- language professionals, such as speech and language therapists, who wish to specialise in theoretical linguistics and develop their analytical and research skills in language and linguistics.

Full-Time Programme

Year One

Theoretical Perspectives on the Phonetics and Phonology of English

English & Comparative Syntax

Language Acquisition

Semantics and Pragmatics

Spoken Discourse

Research methods in linguistics

Dissertation



Optional Modules

Linguistics Interfaces

Multilingualism

Formal pragmatics

Sociolinguistics



Part-Time Programme

Year One

Theoretical Perspectives on the Phonetics and Phonology of English

English & Comparative Syntax

Spoken Discourse

Linguistics Interfaces - This module is optional

Multilingualism - This module is optional

Formal pragmatics - This module is optional



Year Two

Language Acquisition

Semantics and Pragmatics

Research methods in linguistics

Sociolinguistics - This module is optional



Year Three

Dissertation

A successfully completed undergraduate Honours degree with a final classification of 2:2 or higher.



English Language Requirements

English language requirements for international applicants

The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.



Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.

Attendance

The course is taught during the day and it normally requires attendance to classes over 2 or 3 days a week. The timetable changes every year and the course director can be contacted to gain more information about this.

Start Date: September 2025.

Career options

The programme develops students knowledge in the study of language and can hence lead to the following career options:

• PhD in Linguistics

• Publishing

• Teaching

Many of our past graduates have chosen this course as a first stepping stone towards a career in Speech and Langauge Therapy.



There are also other generic and transferable skills that the student will develop from studying a linguistics degree. They include:

• the ability to construct and manage an argument;

• working as a team to achieve common goals;

• the ability to recognise and solve problems;

• using initiative and working independently;

• self-management with the ability to carry out personal reflection;

• time management and organisation skills.