phd linguistics cambridge

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PhD in Linguistics: Theoretical and Applied Linguistics

University of cambridge, different course options.

• Key information

Course Summary

Tuition fees, entry requirements, similar courses at different universities, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

Subject areas

Linguistics

Course type

The Linguistics Section is unique in the UK in that it integrates theoretical and applied linguistics in a single section. The Section provides great variety and flexibility in course contents as well as subject-specific training and diversity of intellectual interactions. PhD topics in the range of research specialisms represented in the section and beyond the section in the Faculty of MMLL are accepted. Thus, students may choose to focus on a theoretically oriented study of the language sciences (eg interest in the syntactic organisation or sound structure of different languages), but may also be interested in a more applied direction of Linguistics (language acquisition, language processing, data mining of language corpora), or may choose to look at Linguistics from a specific language point of view (Italian linguistics).

In British universities, the PhD (Doctorate of Philosophy) is traditionally awarded solely on the basis of a thesis, a substantial piece of writing which reports original research into a closely defined area of enquiry. Within linguistics, some PhD students may do most of their work in libraries, or spend part of their time collecting and analysing data, or carry out experiments or fieldwork. The completion of the PhD thesis is generally expected to take three years, and most funding is based on this assumption. In addition to providing special supervision, both the Section and the Faculty run a programme of professional training for the benefit of all research students.

The programme includes seminars and workshops on library resources, giving conference papers, publishing, applications and interviews, teaching skills, specialist linguistic training, and film-making. The School of the Arts and Humanities runs a central programme covering a range of topics from PhD skills training, to language training and writing and editing skills. If you wish, you are likely to be given the opportunity of gaining experience in small group teaching for colleges. There may also be opportunities to gain some experience in language teaching in the Faculty.

UK fees Course fees for UK students

For this course (per year)

International fees Course fees for EU and international students

Applicants for this course should have achieved a UK Masters (Distinction). Ordinarily Applicants should hold a distinction or equivalent in a Master's degree, in addition to a strong honours degree in a relevant field, with clear evidence of research potential.

English Language and Linguistics MA

University of westminster, london, mphil/phd in modern languages and applied linguistics, manchester metropolitan university, master's by research in modern languages and applied linguistics, ma applied linguistics, space syntax: architecture and cities mres, ucl (university college london).

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Our academic staff are leaders in world-class scholarship and teaching, and conduct research in one or more of the following areas: linguistics, film and screen studies, history and thought, and literary and cultural studies.

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The University of Cambridge ranked first overall in the  Complete University Guide for 2024 , with Linguistics and all of the MMLL languages coming out on top in the subject league tables. 

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Latest news and events

PhD student in German wins book proposal prize

13 May 2024

We are delighted to announce that Katie Unwin has won a prize in the Oxford German Olympiad, presented in association with major publisher, Camden House.

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On Set With Megan Hunter. Screening of 'The End We Start From'. Thursday, May 16th, 6pm. Buckingham House, Murray Edwards College. After the film, Megan Hunter will be joined by Dr Laura McMahon for a Q&A session, followed by a wine reception. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/on-set-with-megan-hunter-...

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Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics

Adam nicholas, chloe patman, dimitrios kastanas, núria bosch, dr kane hafissatou, yury makarov, xinbing luo.

I am a first-year PhD student in the Phonetics Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, under the supervision of Prof Brechtje Post and Prof John Williams. My research centres on the implicit learning of tonal phonology and connectionist modelling. Prior to embarking on my doctoral study, I obtained an MPhil degree in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics from the University of Cambridge. My MPhil dissertation delved into the implicit learning of tone-segment associations. I also hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Daniel D. Lee

Based at the Phonetics Laboratory, Daniel D. Lee is a PhD Candidate in Computation, Cognition and Language. His doctoral research concerns the generation and detection of  spoofed speech  (also known as audio deepfake  or voice cloning ), which comprises both synthetic-based and imitation-based spoofing attacks. Undergirded by a 'four quadrant' approach (see figure below), the overarching objective is to investigate the acoustic, perceptual, and neurocognitive properties of spoofed speech.

Dr Petre Breazu

Dr anna tristram.

Cambridge Language Sciences is an Interdisciplinary Research Centre at the University of Cambridge. Our virtual network connects researchers from five schools across the university as well as other world-leading research institutions. Our aim is to strengthen research collaborations and knowledge transfer across disciplines in order to address large-scale multi-disciplinary research challenges relating to language research.

JOIN OUR NETWORK

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST

• 01 Jul UK and Ireland Speech Workshop 2024
• 12 Jul 10th Cambridge Conference on Language Endangerment
• 21 Nov Language Sciences Annual Symposium 2024: How can learning a second language be made effortless?

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linguistics

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Department of Linguistics

Harvard began offering higher degrees in "comparative philology," as historical linguistics was then called, as early as  the 1930's . By 1941, Harvard had a full-fledged Department of Comparative Philology, and a decade later this became the Department of Linguistics.

The department experienced rapid growth in the sixties, with the advent of transformational-generative grammar. We became  the first linguistics department in the Ivy League to organize its program along generative lines, while also  maintaining our traditional strength in historical linguistics.

Now, as then, the department fosters a culture of unity in diversity. Our students and faculty come from many different backgrounds and represent a wide range of interests, from purely theoretical to typological, historical, and experimental. What we share is a commitment to empirically grounded research and a respect for the rich traditions of the field.

• Courses 2023-24 AND Fall 2024
• Undergraduate
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Course Descriptions

Full course descriptions, fall 2024 courses are subject to change, fall 2024 courses, fall 2024 course schedule, fall 2024 asl course schedule, spring 2024 courses, spring 2024 course schedule, fall 2023 courses, fall 2023 course schedule, american sign language (asl) at harvard, graduate students in our department, clockwise from left-to-right: lauren, dorothy, alex, yujing, caitlin, chrissy, laine, edwin, louis, laurence.

DPhil in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics

• Entry requirements
• Funding and Costs

College preference

• How to Apply

About the course

The DPhil is an advanced research degree for qualified students who are ready to begin thesis work in the field of general linguistics (including phonetics but not applied linguistics), in historical and comparative philology and linguistics, or in the linguistics of a specific language.

The DPhil in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics is an advanced research degree, awarded on the basis of a thesis and an oral examination. The emphasis in the DPhil is on self-directed learning, with guidance from the supervisor and other faculty. You are expected to submit your thesis three, or at most four, years from the date of admission (six, or at most eight, years for part-time students).

You are encouraged to attend and to contribute to the wide range of research seminars, conferences and workshops organized by the faculty. You will also have access to specialist training courses offered by the Bodleian Library, Language Centre and IT services.

Linguistics at Oxford is an interdisciplinary subject, with most areas of general linguistics as well as Indo-European, Romance and Slavic historical and comparative linguistics being represented by one or several members of staff.

Current research falls into seven main areas:

• linguistic theory (morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics and their interfaces)
• Indo-European comparative philology (especially Greek, Italic/Latin, Indo-Iranian, Anatolian, Celtic, Slavic and Tocharian)
• phonetics and phonology (especially phonetics/phonology interface, speech perception, language comprehension)
• Romance philology (Research Centre on Romance Linguistics, especially diachronic morphology, syntax of Italo-Romance and phonetics of French)
• Psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics
• ancient grammatical thought in the Greco-Roman tradition.

A part-time DPhil student will be required to attend classes, seminars, supervision meetings and other obligations in Oxford for a minimum of 40 days each year. There will be some flexibility in the dates and pattern of attendance, which will be determined by mutual agreement with your supervisor. Typically, attendance will be required during term-time on at least two days in at least two terms, determined by mutual agreement with your supervisor. You will have the opportunity to tailor your part-time study in liaison with your supervisor and agree your pattern of attendance.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics.

You will be supported by a supervisor or supervisors who will help you develop a programme of research and writing. You will also benefit from the advice and support of other members of the faculty and can draw on the expertise of scholars and colleagues throughout the faculty and University.

Supervision meetings vary in frequency, from once weekly to once a month in term time, depending on the student's needs. In the summer vacation, meetings will be less frequent.

For students coming from Oxford's MPhil, there will be one internal viva voce (oral examination) known as confirmation, which will take place within two (or, if part-time, four) terms. For all other students, there will be two internal vivas (transfer and confirmation), which will usually take place in the third and eighth term after admission as a probationary DPhil student (with the appropriate adjustments for part-time students). These vivas are with two faculty members and discuss a sample of your work. You will be required to pass these vivas before proceeding.

Your thesis will be based on extensive original research and engagement with current scholarship. You will need to defend your thesis orally ( viva voce ) in front of two examiners, one of whom will be external to the University. You are expected to submit your thesis three, or at most four, years from the date of admission (six, or at most eight, years for part-time students).

Graduate destinations

Graduates follow career paths that include academia and higher education, research services, research and development, secondary and further education, industry and the civil service.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made in circumstances of a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2024-25

Proven and potential academic excellence.

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying. 

Degree-level qualifications

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

• a master's degree in a relevant subject with a very good result or a result close to distinction level; and
• a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours  in a relevant subject.

However, entrance is very competitive and most successful applicants have a first-class degree or the equivalent.

Applicants are expected to have a background in linguistics comparable to Oxford's MPhil degree in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics  or the research preparation strand of Oxford's MSt degree in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics .

Under exceptional circumstances substantial professional experience may be considered a substitute.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.5 out of 4.0.

If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.

GRE General Test scores

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience

• - Applicants are not expected to have publications already, but if they happen to have publications in a relevant area they are encouraged to submit them as their written work.
• In the case of mature students/intended career changes professional experience in cognate areas may compensate for shortcomings in the formal academic record. 
• Applicants should already have the knowledge and skills necessary to begin work on their chosen topic. This may include knowledge of the language to be studied, or for a computational thesis, relevant programming skills.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's  higher level . If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.

*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) † Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides  further information about the English language test requirement .

Declaring extenuating circumstances

If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Supporting documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Performance at interview

As part of the admissions process, you may be interviewed. Interviews are typically conducted online via Microsoft Teams (or, should it be possible and convenient, in person) by a minimum of two interviewers.

Please note that the faculty receives comparatively large numbers of applications for a small number of places.

How your application is assessed

Your application will be assessed purely on your proven and potential academic excellence and other entry requirements described under that heading.

References  and  supporting documents  submitted as part of your application, and your performance at interview (if interviews are held) will be considered as part of the assessment process. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed.

An overview of the shortlisting and selection process is provided below. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide  more information about how applications are assessed . 

Shortlisting and selection

Students are considered for shortlisting and selected for admission without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, sexual orientation, as well as other relevant circumstances including parental or caring responsibilities or social background. However, please note the following:

• socio-economic information may be taken into account in the selection of applicants and award of scholarships for courses that are part of  the University’s pilot selection procedure  and for  scholarships aimed at under-represented groups ;
• country of ordinary residence may be taken into account in the awarding of certain scholarships; and
• protected characteristics may be taken into account during shortlisting for interview or the award of scholarships where the University has approved a positive action case under the Equality Act 2010.

Processing your data for shortlisting and selection

Information about  processing special category data for the purposes of positive action  and  using your data to assess your eligibility for funding , can be found in our Postgraduate Applicant Privacy Policy.

Admissions panels and assessors

All recommendations to admit a student involve the judgement of at least two members of the academic staff with relevant experience and expertise, and must also be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or Admissions Committee (or equivalent within the department).

Admissions panels or committees will always include at least one member of academic staff who has undertaken appropriate training.

Other factors governing whether places can be offered

The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:

• the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the  About  section of this page;
• the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
• minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.

Offer conditions for successful applications

If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide more information about offers and conditions . 

In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:

Financial Declaration

If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a  Financial Declaration  in order to meet your financial condition of admission.

Disclosure of criminal convictions

In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any  relevant, unspent criminal convictions  before you can take up a place at Oxford.

Teaching and research in linguistic subjects is centred around the Centre for Linguistics and Philology, which occupies part of the former Clarendon Press Institute on Walton Street. Facilities for graduate students include a common room, computer workstations and printers and a photocopier. Most graduate courses in linguistics and philology are held in the building.

Phonetics Laboratory

The Phonetics Laboratory has excellent provision for research in speech physiology and acoustics, and outstanding computing facilities. The experimental area consists of a recording studio, an acoustics and speech processing laboratory, a physiological laboratory and a speech perception laboratory. Hardware for physiological study, available to students and staff, includes labial electromyography, oral/nasal aerometry (measurement of air pressures and flow) and ultrasound tongue imaging.

The studios, for recording and for running experiments, are equipped with high-quality microphones and digital recording equipment, and computer systems for the presentation of visual and/or auditory stimuli.

Currently, the Phonetics Laboratory's main areas of research are: prosody and speech timing, especially: contact phonetics and prosody; geolinguistic variation; multimodal analysis of gesture and prosody; functional phylogenetic and other statistical-computational methods of reconstructing speech from the past. Languages of particular interest in our research projects are: Indian English and other languages in India and the diaspora; Italo Romance (especially Venetan); languages of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Language and Brain Laboratory

The language and Brain Laboratory offers research staff and students bespoke facilities and specialist equipment to conduct a wide variety of behavioural, eye-tracking and neurolinguistics experiments. Our research covers all aspects of linguistics, including phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. In the lab we have offices for Postdoctoral researchers, Research Assistants and DPhil students working in Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics under the supervision of Prof. Aditi Lahiri and Prof. Matt Husband. Our common room is used for tutorials and meetings. The laboratory has separate spaces for Neurolinguistics, Eye-Tracking, Production, and Behavioural studies. We have two electronically shielded sound-proofed climate-controlled EEG booths for recording brain waves. EEG recordings are made using high-impedance (300 Mohms) active electrode systems: we are currently conducting experiments on two systems: BioSemi and Brain Vision. An additional soundproof room is used for high quality audio recordings and eye-tracking studies. Our state-of-the-art SR Research Eyelink1000 eye tracker can be used on its own, or in combination with our EEG equipment. One of our largest spaces is our Behavioural Lab, where we have bespoke equipment and software to run experiments such as lexical decision tasks or timed forced choice experiments. We can currently run 8 participants simultaneously at individually screened desks, or up to 16 participants with a projector setup. All of our testing rooms have an associated control room to monitor the experiments and analyse the results.

Library provision

Oxford's library provision in linguistics is one of the largest in the country. Oxford's libraries are superbly provided with material on theoretical linguistics, the structure and history of European languages, ancient Indo-European languages, and non-Indo-European as well as Indo-European languages of Asia.

Linguistics, Philology & Phonetics

Linguistics is the study of language in all its aspects. In British English, the word ‘philology’ denotes the historical study of language. Phonetics is the study of speech.

A hallmark of the Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics at Oxford is the marriage of theory with data, drawing on historical, philological and comparative linguistic data from ancient and modern languages, and on psycholinguistic and phonetic experimental data.

The faculty will provide you with an environment where a strong philological tradition is sustained while all core areas of linguistic theory are supported (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics), from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives.

The faculty also has a strong profile in teaching and research on psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics.

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The University expects to be able to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across the collegiate University in 2024-25. You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships , if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the relevant December or January deadline. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential. 

For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit our dedicated Funding pages, which contain information about how to apply for Oxford scholarships requiring an additional application, details of external funding, loan schemes and other funding sources.

Please ensure that you visit individual college websites for details of any college-specific funding opportunities using the links provided on our college pages or below:

Please note that not all the colleges listed above may accept students on this course. For details of those which do, please refer to the College preference section of this page.

Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the faculty's website.

Annual fees for entry in 2024-25

Full-time study.

Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.

Part-time study

Information about course fees.

Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges .

Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.

Continuation charges

Following the period of fee liability , you may also be required to pay a University continuation charge and a college continuation charge. The University and college continuation charges are shown on the Continuation charges page.

Where can I find further information about fees?

The Fees and Funding  section of this website provides further information about course fees , including information about fee status and eligibility  and your length of fee liability .

Additional information

The faculty makes available some funding for language training, where relevant, and for conducting experiments or carrying out fieldwork, where required by the students research activities. There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees (or, after fee liability ends, continuation charges) and living costs. However, please note that, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Please note that you are required to attend in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year, and you may incur additional travel and accommodation expenses for this. The faculty makes available some funding for language training, where relevant, and for conducting experiments or carrying out fieldwork, where required by the student’s research activities. There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees (or, after fee liability ends, continuation charges) and living costs. However, please note that, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Living costs

In addition to your course fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the range of likely living costs for full-time study is between c. £1,345 and £1,955 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our living costs page. The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. When planning your finances for any future years of study in Oxford beyond 2024-25, it is suggested that you allow for potential increases in living expenses of around 5% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. UK inflationary increases will be kept under review and this page updated.

If you are studying part-time your living costs may vary depending on your personal circumstances but you must still ensure that you will have sufficient funding to meet these costs for the duration of your course.

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs). 

If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief  introduction to the college system at Oxford  and our  advice about expressing a college preference . For some courses, the department may have provided some additional advice below to help you decide.

The following colleges accept students for full-time study on this course:

• Balliol College
• Blackfriars
• Campion Hall
• Christ Church
• Hertford College
• Jesus College
• Kellogg College
• Lady Margaret Hall
• Linacre College
• Magdalen College
• New College
• Oriel College
• Pembroke College
• Regent's Park College
• St Anne's College
• St Catherine's College
• St Cross College
• St Edmund Hall
• St Hilda's College
• St Hugh's College
• Somerville College
• Trinity College
• Wolfson College
• Worcester College
• Wycliffe Hall

The following colleges accept students for part-time study on this course:

Before you apply

Our  guide to getting started  provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

If it's important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under a December or January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance . Check the deadlines on this page and the  information about deadlines and when to apply  in our Application Guide.

Application fee waivers

An application fee of £75 is payable per course application. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:

• applicants from low-income countries;
• refugees and displaced persons; 
• UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and 
• applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.

You are encouraged to  check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver  before you apply.

Readmission for current Oxford graduate taught students

If you're currently studying for an Oxford graduate taught course and apply to this course with no break in your studies, you may be eligible to apply to this course as a readmission applicant. The application fee will be waived for an eligible application of this type. Check whether you're eligible to apply for readmission .

Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?

You do not need to make contact with the department before you apply but you are encouraged to visit the relevant departmental webpages to read any further information about your chosen course.

If you have any questions about the course, these can be directed to the course administrator via the contact details provided on this page. 

Completing your application

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents .

For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document. If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application .

If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.

Proposed field and title of research project

Under the 'Field and title of research project' please enter your proposed field or area of research if this is known. If the department has advertised a specific research project that you would like to be considered for, please enter the project title here instead.

You should not use this field to type out a full research proposal. You will be able to upload your research supporting materials separately if they are required (as described below).

Proposed supervisor

If known, under 'Proposed supervisor name' enter the name of the academic(s) who you would like to supervise your research. Otherwise, leave this field blank.

The faculty assigns a supervisor (or in some cases, two supervisors) to each successful applicant. If you suggest a supervisor, this will be taken into account when a supervisor is assigned, but for various reasons the assigned supervisor will not always be the one proposed in your application.

Referees: Three overall, academic preferred

Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.

All references should generally be academic. However, in the case of mature students or intended career changes, a professional reference may be submitted instead of one of the academic references.

If you are a current master’s student or have completed a master’s course, one of your referees should be your supervisor or course director on this master's programme. If you do not provide a reference from your master's supervisor or course director, the faculty will usually ask you to do so before completing the assessment of your application.

Your references will support intellectual ability, academic achievement, motivation, and ability to work in a group.

Official transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.

Research proposal: A maximum of 2,500 words

The research proposal should be written in English and the overall word count does not need to include any bibliography. It should include information about your background in linguistics and degree of preparation already achieved for the research, as well as an outline of your thesis and of the research you plan to conduct.

If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

This will be assessed for:

• your reasons for applying
• the coherence of the proposal
• the originality of the project
• evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study
• the ability to present a reasoned case in English
• the feasibility of successfully completing the project in the time available for the course (a maximum of four years)
• commitment to the subject, beyond the requirements of the degree course
• preliminary knowledge of research techniques
• capacity for sustained and intense work
• reasoning ability
• ability to absorb new ideas, often presented abstractly, at a rapid pace.

It will be normal for your ideas subsequently to change in some ways as you investigate the evidence and develop your project. You should nevertheless make the best effort you can to demonstrate the extent of your research question, sources and method at this moment.

Your statement should focus on the research itself rather than personal achievements, interests and aspirations.

Written work: Two essays, a maximum of 2,000 words each

Academic essays or other writing samples from your most recent qualification, written in English, are required. Extracts of the requisite length from longer work are also permissible.

The written work should demonstrate your competence in the proposed area of study. The word count does not need to include any bibliography or brief footnotes.

This will be assessed for comprehensive understanding of the subject area, understanding of problems in the area, ability to construct and defend an argument, powers of analysis, and powers of expression in English.

Start or continue your application

You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please  refer to the requirements above  and  consult our Application Guide for advice . You'll find the answers to most common queries in our FAQs.

Application Guide   Apply - Full time Apply - Part time

ADMISSION STATUS

Closed to applications for entry in 2024-25

Register to be notified via email when the next application cycle opens (for entry in 2025-26)

12:00 midday UK time on:

Friday 5 January 2024 Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships

Friday 1 March 2024 Final application deadline for entry in 2024-25

*Three-year average (applications for entry in 2021-22 to 2023-24 )

Further information and enquiries

This course is offered by the Faculty of Linguistics, Philology & Phonetics

• Course page on the faculty's website
• Funding information from the faculty
• Academic and research staff
• Faculty research
• Humanities Division
• Residence requirements for full-time courses
• Postgraduate applicant privacy policy

Course-related enquiries

Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page

✉ [email protected] ☎ +44 (0)1865 280405

Application-process enquiries

See the application guide

Other courses to consider

You may also wish to consider applying to other courses that are similar or related to this course:

View related courses

Visa eligibility for part-time study

We are unable to sponsor student visas for part-time study on this course. Part-time students may be able to attend on a visitor visa for short blocks of time only (and leave after each visit) and will need to remain based outside the UK.

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Postgraduate Study in Linguistics

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MPhils in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics

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Postgraduate Study in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics (TAL)

The Section very much welcomes postgraduate students, both at the level of M.Phil. (Master's) and at the level of Ph.D. (Doctorate). Please follow one of the links below or to the left for information relevant to the type of course you wish to follow, and their content and resources.

Ph.D. (Doctorate) 

Tal phd programmes, m.phil. (master's).

Please direct any enquiries regarding entry requirements and academic matters to the Postgraduate Secretary in the MMLL Postgraduate Office: [email protected] , and any enquiries regarding the technicalities of applying to the  Postgraduate Admissions Office . 

The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages and Linguistics also runs MPhils and PhD programmes in film and screen studies, history and thought, and literary and cultural studies. Researchers in the Faculty work on all these aspects of modern languages including French, German, Italian, Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Spanish, Catalan, and Portuguese, with medieval languages ranging from Occitan and Old English to Gothic and Old Church Slavonic. Please find more information on our main postgraduate study page .

All students will have access to Faculty Research Facilities .

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Ph.D. Programs

The Department of Linguistics offers four concentrations leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Linguistics (see list below). No matter the concentration, our faculty work closely with students, guiding their research and supporting their passions.

• Applied Linguistics
• Computational Linguistics
• Sociolinguistics
• Theoretical Linguistics

Applicants to the Ph.D. program are encouraged to identify prospective research advisors, at least one of whom should be in the concentration to which they apply.

After entering the program, Ph.D. students may elect to add a minor in a second one of these concentrations [new policy effective Spring 2023].

An interdisciplinary (second) concentration in Cognitive Science is also available to Ph.D. students.

Master’s in Passing

If, in their course of the Ph.D. program, a doctoral student meets all of the requirements of a M.S. degree in Linguistics, he or she may apply to receive a “Master’s in Passing.” Please consult section IV.D.3 of the Graduate School Bulletin for full details about the “in passing” or “terminal” Master’s degree.

UCL Psychology and Language Sciences

MPhil/PhD Linguistics

MPhil/PhD in Linguistics at UCL provides excellent training for anyone intending to pursue an academic career in research/lecturing in the dynamic field of linguistics (or adjacent areas within cognitive science). It gives students unparalleled contact with the top academics in the discipline and opportunities to participate in international conferences.

• UCL Linguistics is eminent for its work in theoretical linguistics, which has attracted significant AHRC funding.
• Our staff carry out research aimed at discovering the nature and origin of the abstract principles and representations that characterise the human language faculty and the ways in which this faculty interacts with other cognitive systems in communication (production and perception).
• Forming part of the UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, we are able to offer enhanced opportunities for cross-disciplinary research.
• We encourage and facilitate cross-disciplinary interaction among the full spectrum of UCL staff engaged in research on human language and communication, both theoretical and experimental, and we are involved in extensive collaboration with international research groups.

Full-time: 3 years, including the time registered as an MPhil student. If the thesis is not submitted within this time, students may register as Completing Research Students for 1 additional year.

Part time: 5 years, including the time registered as an MPhil student. If the thesis is not submitted within this time, students may register as Completing Research Students for 2 additional years.

In the first instance, you should check that we have staff who can supervise research in the specific academic field you are interested in.  You should make contact with a relevant member of academic staff via email, sending them a brief research proposal and a copy of your CV.

Once you have identified a supervisor and they have agreed to take you on as a PhD student you will need to submit a formal UCL application form through our UCL Prospectus page.

See Scholarships/Funding for all of the funding application deadlines.

Graduate Tutors: Yasu Sudo and Ad Neeleman

PhD Administrator:   Alina Konradt

A full list of staff (and their research interests) can be found online.

The first step in the application process is to decide on your research topic.  You may already have something in mind, but it is essential that before applying, you explore ways in which your own research idea fits in with the research topics offered by our staff.

There are five main research areas in the Linguistics department at UCL:

• Phonetics and Phonology
• Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics

For further information and for details of which academic staff members are interested in supervising students from these research areas we suggest you take a look at the Research page on the Linguistics departmental website . You can also view a full list of all the academics in the Linguistics department and find out more about their research interests and recent publications on the Linguistics departmental People web page .

Recent graduates have pursued careers in academic teaching and research in linguistics; high school teaching; the civil service; speech and language therapy (for children and adults); experimental work on children’s language development and artificial intelligence (human-machine interaction). 

Further details can be found here .

To be admitted as a research student, applicants usually obtain a source of funding from a recognised funding body. To be eligible for any funding opportunities it is essential that you have identified a research supervisor and have agreed a research project with them. Details of the main funding opportunities that are available are listed below. Graduate Research Scholarships (GRS and ORS)

UCL awards a small number of Graduate Research Scholarships on a competitive basis.  These Scholarships are open to UK/EU (GRS) and Overseas students (ORS).

The Graduate Research Scholarships cover the cost of UCL's tuition fees and provide a maintenance stipend (2020/21: £17,432) for full-time study. The scholarship also includes an allowance for additional research costs of up to £1,200 per year for the stated duration of the programme.

Further information about the Graduate Research Scholarships and other UCL scholarship opportunities can be found here . ESRC - Economic and Social Research Council The ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership invites applications for studentships in language sciences (e.g., speech, language and communication; experimental phonetics, linguistics and pragmatics; developmental and acquired disorders; and hearing impairments). The funding can be for three years (+3) of PhD study, or include funding for a masters degree year (1+3).

The preliminary application form and full details about this funding including the eligibility requirements can be found on the UCL, Bloomsbury and East London (UBEL) ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership website . AHRC - Arts and Humanities Research Council

The AHRC funded London Arts & Humanities Doctoral Training Partnership (LAHP) will be awarding studentships to UK and EU research students studying arts and humanities disciplines. Candidates should be aware that the LAHP studentship competition is a twin-track process, and you will need to apply for a place of study on your chosen PhD programme and to LAHP for a studentship. Please go to the LAHP website here to find the application form and further information on the application process and eligibility requirements.  

Demonstratorships

The Division often awards a number of Demonstratorships/Teaching Assistantships. These posts involve a set number of hours of teaching or other work each term but  allow time for the completion of a MPhil/PhD programme over 4 years. These awards include a maintenance stipend and the payment of UCL's tuition fees. They are only available to students from the UK.     

Individual members of academic staff may sometimes be able to support students with the help of research funds that they have obtained from the Research Councils, various charities or other funding bodies.  You should ask your prospective supervisor if they have any other funding options available.  

There are several sources of funding available specifically for overseas students to undertake graduate training in the UK. Some funding is awarded on a competitive basis by UCL to students nominated by their Departments (e.g. UCL Graduate School Scholarships above). Other sources of funding require students to apply independently, (e.g. British Council, Commonwealth, Chevening, WHO and NATO Scholarships, Government or Employers' Schemes). It is important to make early inquiries about these independent schemes (up to a year in advance).

It is possible for students to self-fund their PhD studies,  either as a full-time or part time student.  However, students will only be admitted on a full-time basis if they can provide evidence that they will have sufficient funds to support themselves for a minimum of three years. English resident UK students will have the option of a PhD government loan from 2018 onwards.  Further information about the loans can be found on findaphd.com .

Self funded students should submit an application form by 30 June 2022 in order to start in September 2022.

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