phd in applied linguistics in new zealand

Doctor of Philosopy

Postgraduate degrees by research.

Linguistics is recognised as a subject for  MA and PhD Degrees. The Linguistics Programme in the English Department at the University of Otago has very active research programmes in cognitive linguistics, linguistic typology, second language acquisition, language teacher development, sociocultural theory, bilingual reading, and narrative. Staff members have been making significant contributions to these areas. Students will find the Department an ideal place in which to study and do research in what may be broadly characterised as a functional paradigm, which is polemically opposed to the generative paradigm. The members of staff have been invited to many international conferences and workshops in Australia, Germany, Japan and the United States. They are on the editorial boards of a number of international journals and monograph series. There has recently also been some interdisciplinary research cooperation with the Information Science Department on speech recognition.

For more information on postgraduate study at doctoral level please review the University's PhD Handbook and the Humanities Division webpage , which features links to information for postgraduate resources and support, including the application for Divisional PhD Conference funding.

Postgraduate Applications

Linguistics has a large, varied and successful postgraduate student population given the small size of its programme. It has an outstanding record in securing scholarships for both MA and PhD students. Both former and current students have presentations and publications in local and international outlets. A number of our former PhD students hold academic appointments both in New Zealand and abroad. Please see our postgraduate student profiles page and the topics of past theses .

There are two stages in a postgraduate application: preliminary and formal. The preliminary interest stage is conducted within the Linguistics Programme. It must be undertaken prior to the formal application stage. Proceeding to the formal application phase without having first completed the preliminary interest stage and having received an explicit agreement for supervision from a supervisor and the postgraduate coordinator will delay your application.

The Linguistics Programme (in the Department of English and Linguistics) at Otago regularly receives enquiries about MA and PhD study. It is therefore in your interests to ensure you provide sufficient information to assist the processing of your enquiry.

Please email your enquiry, along with all relevant information (see details below), to Dr Simon Overall:

Email [email protected]

Please select the appropriate link below and read the material there before submitting your enquiry, as the department will not be able to supervise you unless you are able to meet the general admission requirements.

Upon receipt of your email, the postgraduate coordinator will review your information and contact you.

Please consult the University website if you have not already done so. All applicants should consult the page on Postgraduate students . If you are an international student, also consult the International Students webpages.

Eligibility

Potential applicants to PhD study in Linguistics are expected to have *an MA with a research component (40,000-50,000 word thesis), *an overall GPA of B+ or better, *and a topic in an area of staff expertise and interest.

If you do not meet these requirements you are unlikely to receive a favorable reply to your enquiry. (For a PhD, exceptional students with a BA(Hons) with a research component and an A average working on a suitable topic may be considered. Typically, such students will have done their BA(Hons) at Otago or another New Zealand or Australian university and be personally known to staff.)

Consult staff webpages as a general guide to staff research interests. Staff may indicate many interests but prefer some topics, approaches, and methods to others. Consult their recent publications for more precise information about their current areas of interest.

Preliminary Interest Stage

Please provide evidence of meeting the above requirements when you initiate contact with Dr Simon Overall , the Linguistics Postgraduate Coordinator. Dr Overall will determine if anyone is interested in your topic and let you know the outcome of this preliminary step.

If a staff member expresses interest in your topic, you will be asked to provide (if you have not done so already)

• a CV with contact details for one to three academic referees, one of them being your MA thesis supervisor (do not provide letters),
• a copy of the transcript of your most recent degree, with certified translation provided if necessary (do not translate yourself),
• a copy of a recent IELTS or TOEFL test (see International Students pages on the university website for details) if your degree was not obtained in an English–speaking country,
• a referenced proposal situating your study in the theoretical and research literature, providing research questions, and describing the methodology of the study (for a PhD 2,500-3,000 words).
• If a staff member continues to express interest in your proposed study, you will be placed in contact with them for further discussion concerning your suitability. Staff members often request further clarification of the proposed study, revisions to the proposal, a Skype interview, or other ways of deciding whether they will offer supervision.

If a staff member explicitly agrees to supervise you, they will do so by an email copied to the postgraduate coordinator. If all documentation has been provided, the postgraduate coordinator will advise you to proceed to the formal stage of the application process, the online application.

Formal Stage

Please see the University website and click on Apply Online .

Please see the Linguistics Postgraduate Booklet for further information.

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PhD Applied Linguistics

Course code.

Qualifications are made up of courses. Some universities call these papers. Each course is numbered using six digits.

The fourth number of the course code shows the level of the course. For example, in course 219206, the fourth number is a 2, so it is a 200-level course (usually studied in the second year of full-time study).

Each course is worth a number of credits. You combine courses (credits) to meet the total number of credits needed for your qualification.

Course planning information

General progression requirements, assessments.

Assessment weightings can change up to the start of the semester the course is delivered in.

You may need to take more assessments depending on where, how, and when you choose to take this course.

Explanation of assessment types

Textbooks needed.

There are no set texts for this course.

Get more information

Ask an Academic Adviser for more information about this course.

Enrol in this course

You can enrol to study this course in the student portal if you have already been accepted to study at Massey. New students need to apply for admission to a qualification first.

If you want to study a course without completing a qualification, you can apply for a Certificate of Proficiency .

Useful planning information

• Find more courses or qualifications
• Planning your study
• Application process overview
• Semester dates
• Fees and funding
• Scholarships and awards search
• International students’ information

Doctor of Philosophy

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is awarded by the University for research carried out under the supervision of at least two staff members. A PhD can also be presented as a PhD with Publication or a PhD with a Creative Practice Component.

480 points, 3 years

Hamilton, Tauranga

Papers offered differ by location. Find a Paper for full location info.

• The University of Waikato (All areas)

School of Graduate Research

• Waikato Management School

The first day of any month from February to November

Why study the Doctor of Philosophy?

With a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), you become a deep expert in a specific area. The research you engage in empowers you not only with in-depth knowledge, but also the critical thinking and communication skills to engage in the most pressing social, political, and economic conversations of our time.

The research you undertake is written up as a thesis, which may include papers published, or intended to be published, contributing to your field of study. The thesis is required to present the research case; outlining the research conducted, findings, conclusions, and your original contribution to the field's knowledge. 

There is no coursework for this degree.

For those considering integrating creative work with their PhD research, download and read the Requirements for PhD with a Creative Practice Component .

Degree information

Choose a subject

Browse available subjects and choose one for more information.

Browse available subjects and choose one for more information

Candidates making enquiries about the PhD programme need sufficient information to make an informed choice about their study plans. The Graduate Advisor in the appropriate Faculty/School can be approached for initial advice on these matters. Our  Staff Profiles  are another useful resource.

View the PhD Regulations and the  Higher Research Degree Application Process .

Estimated fees

$6,800 - $7,221 per year

Domestic tuition fees

Approximate annual tuition fees and costs for domestic students enrolled in one year of full-time study.

Scholarships

Visit our Scholarship finder for more information about possible scholarships.

Relevant as of 20 February 2024.

All amounts are in New Zealand Dollars (NZD). Tuition fees shown are indicative only and may change. There are additional fees and charges related to enrolment. Please see the Table of Fees and Charges for more information. You will be sent an enrolment agreement which will confirm your fees. View information about fees free study .

$6,800 - $7,220 per year

International tuition fees

Approximate annual tuition fees and costs for international students enrolled in one year of full-time study.

All amounts are in New Zealand Dollars (NZD). Tuition fees shown are indicative only and may change. There are additional fees and charges related to enrolment. Please see the Table of Fees and Charges for more information. You will be sent an enrolment agreement which will confirm your fees. 

Other Higher Research Degrees

Doctor of musical arts, doctor of education, doctor of juridical science, master of philosophy, doctor of philosophy (phd) research opportunities.

Browse our available PhD or Doctoral opportunities, our research areas and potential supervisors.

• Find a PhD opportunity

What our Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students are saying

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Applied Linguistics

Applied Linguistics draws on a variety of disciplines to study language in real world contexts.

Subject overview

You can address issues such as multilingualism, the learning of foreign languages and the assessment of language proficiency.

Where can Applied Linguistics take you?

A Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics could lead to a senior position in language teaching, such as a director of studies or curriculum adviser, a career in language teacher education or language policy making, or academic research in the field of applied linguistics.

Career options with an Arts degree

Explore your study options in Applied Linguistics

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Doctorate Applied Linguistics Courses in New Zealand

New Zealand offers a host of amazing Doctorate Applied Linguistics courses to study. The one you’ll choose comes down to what type of institution is best for you, as well as the details of the course. Once you’ve completed your course, you’ll be qualified for an array of professional jobs, opening up the doors to a prosperous career. You’ll even get the opportunity to stay back in New Zealand with a post-study work visa.

Browse below and see what’s right for you.

Top 5 Doctorate Applied Linguistics universities in New Zealand

• Victoria University of Wellington
• University of Waikato
• University of Otago
• Massey University
• Lincoln University

Doctorate Applied Linguistics fees in New Zealand

You will be required to pay tuition fees when you enrol. How much these fees are varies depending on the institution.

If they seem too much, do make sure you check out scholarships that can help cover these costs.

Typically, however, you can expect tuition fees to range from:

• Minimum fees in Doctorate Applied Linguistics in New Zealand - £13,191
• Maximum fees Doctorate Applied Linguistics in New Zealand - £15,075

Student’s visa cost for studying Doctorate Applied Linguistics in New Zealand

Before moving to study in New Zealand you will need a student visa. You can apply for one on the government’s website. For costs, please see below.

Studying Doctorate Applied Linguistics in New Zealand eligibility criteria

You will need a set list of documents to be eligible to study in New Zealand. The exact documents you need will vary depending on the institution and the scores, but in general, you can expect to need the following.

• Academic transcripts
• Application form
• Letter of recommendation
• English language proficiency test scores
• Statement of purpose
• Admissions test results

Post-study work permit after completing Doctorate Applied Linguistics qualification in New Zealand

Once you’ve completed your studies in New Zealand you can apply for a post-study work visa. This will allow you to find a job in New Zealand and continue working and living there.

To apply, you will need to visit the government’s immigration website.

For how long you will be able to stay back, please see below.

Top Doctorate Applied Linguistics Courses in the New Zealand

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Is New Zealand good for Doctorate Applied Linguistics for international students?

Do international students get jobs in new zealand after doctorate applied linguistics, can we settle in new zealand after study doctorate applied linguistics, how much does it cost to do doctorate applied linguistics in new zealand.

• Postgraduate Applied Linguistics
• Doctorate Applied Linguistics

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BEST THESIS COMPETITION

Alanz invites masters and phd graduates who have completed and passed their thesis to enter the best thesis competition..

In order to reward excellence and provide greater visibility for new researchers, each year, ALANZ awards prizes for the best Master’s and PhD theses in Applied Linguistics examined and awarded in the previous year in New Zealand. Each university may nominate one candidate for each category. Nominations are called early in the year and a panel of judges from New Zealand universities will be appointed to choose the successful candidate. If you wish your thesis to be considered, please contact your supervisor, or the head of applied linguistics department in the university that awarded your degree.

The prize awarded is:

• Master’s Thesis – $200; one year’s membership for the Applied Linguistics Association of New Zealand; an invitation to submit an article for publication in New Zealand Studies in Applied Linguistics and to be mentored towards its eventual publication.
• PhD Thesis – $500; one year’s membership for the Applied Linguistics Association of New Zealand; an invitation to submit an article for publication in New Zealand Studies in Applied Linguistics and to be mentored towards its eventual publication.

Current Winners

Winners of the 2022 ALANZ Thesis Competition

PhD category : Chujie Dai (Massey University) Teacher agency in synchronous one-to-one Chinese online language teaching View Chujie’s presentation on YouTube .

The judges wrote:

This thesis explores the teacher agency of four one-to-one online Chinese language teachers. It contributes new and novel findings into teacher agency and teacher approaches.
 This thesis is beautifully written. It is clear, concise, and includes a detailed description of the case studies that were performed. The author’s inclusion of their own personal story, both within Chapter 1 and narrated throughout, shows a great passion for the research area and was a nice addition to the thesis.

Master’s category : John Goodall (Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington). Critical Pedagogy in a Chinese Transnational University: Challenges and Possibilities View John’s presentation on YouTube .

The thesis explores a transnational university context through a sophisticated combination of constructivist grounded theory, critical discourse analysis and Bakhtinian dialogism. It shines a light on the complex interplay of ideologies and power that frame critical EAP within this context, concluding that the main challenges to quality education are rooted outside the classroom and directly related to the financial imperative of the modern-day academy. Not only is the research thorough and convincing, but its message will surely resonate with readers far beyond the particular context examined.

Past Winners

Te Kura Tātari Reo

School of --> school of linguistics and applied language studies, current research students.

Find out about research currently being done by our postgraduate students in the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies.

Aimee Herubin

PhD student in Linguistics Prosodic Variation as a Function of Sexuality in Queer Women

Akihiro Kotoh

PhD student in Applied Linguistics L2 formulaic language acquisition and teaching applications

Angelicia Anthony Thane

PhD student in Applied Linguistics A critical genre analysis on digital news reporting. An Instagram perspective.

Helios Li He

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Metadiscursive verbs in academic writing

Hero Patrianto

PhD student in Linguistics Javanese complementation structure

PhD student in Applied Linguistics EMI Education in Vietnam

Jemima Agnew

MA Thesis student in Linguistics Towards a cross-linguistic model of speech rhythm perception: Tapping to the beat of different languages

Jennifer Manning

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Defining the role of English language programs through needs analysis in EMI HEIs

PhD student in Linguistics Spatial categorization and conceptual transfer: evidence from acquisition of English prepositions IN, ON and Mandarin postpositions LI, SHANG

PhD student in Linguistics Prosody and sentence processing

Kamal Heidari

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Looking into the Impact of Spaced Vs. Massed Practices and Deliberate Vs. Incidental Approaches on Learning English Idioms across Different Proficiency Levels

Lei (Stella) Xia

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Translanguaging for English Language Learning

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Technical vocabulary of computer science

Mahnaz Aliyar

PhD student in Applied Linguistics L2 incidental vocabulary acquisition

Margaret Connelly

PhD student in Applied Linguistics The professional experiences of heritage language teachers in New Zealand

Mojtaba Tadayonifar

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Contextual learning of novel multi-word expressions

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Pluricultural competence of English major ethnic minority students in EFL classroom

Nok Chin Lydia Chan

PhD student in Applied Linguistics How do L1 and L2 speakers of English comprehend and produce familiar constructions used ironically?

Phuong Nguyen

PhD student in Applied Linguistics A case study of EFL textbook implementation in urban and rural high schools in Vietnam from the perspective of task-based language teaching

Prapatsorn (Anne) Tiratanti

PhD student in Linguistics Prosodic Features of Prominence Marking in Conversational Thai

Reuben Sanderson

PhD student in Linguistics Workplace Collaboration Online: a Multimodal Analysis

Shiqiao Zhou

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Input-based tasks: Perspectives on teaching activities from an EFL textbook at a Chinese primary school in a rural area

Rizwan Sulehry

PhD student in Applied Linguistics News media and the discourse for justice in Pakistan

Stephanie Foxton

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Language, Gender and Sexuality in the Workplace

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Implementing the new English language curriculum: The case of Vietnamese EFL lower secondary school teachers in rural and mountainous areas

Tineke Jannink

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Simultaneous or consecutive interpreting in Court? What is currently occurring in Aotearoa New Zealand and where we want to be going

Tuan Ngoc Bui

PhD student in Applied Linguistics The incidental acquisition of grammatical features during reading: A comparative study on pedagogical approaches to reading

Tuong Thi Cat Phan

PhD student in Applied Linguistics A case study of Vietnamese teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding language learning and teaching beyond the classroom

Upeksha Jayasuriya

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Working title to be confirmed

Uswatun Khasanah

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Marking Contrastive Focus in Bahasa Indonesia and English - the Role of Targeted Intervention for EFL learners

Van Hong Tran

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Vocabulary in Mechanical Engineering

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Connecting Safe Speaking Environment and Foreign Language Enjoyment in EFL Classroom

Xiaohan (Christal) Guo

PhD student in Applied Linguistics A Study of Community Interpreter Training Practices in New Zealand

Xina (Hina) Jin

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Academic reading among ESOL students

Yoshie Nishikawa

PhD student in Applied Linguistics Understanding classroom dynamics and exploring use of oral communication tasks in a beginner-level Japanese language course

Zezhou Xing

PhD student in Linguistics Prosody knowledge affects EFL listening comprehension

Zhentong (Francis) Zhan

PhD in Applied Linguistics Semantic prosody: processing and learning

MSt in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics (Advanced Study)

• Entry Requirements
• Funding and Costs
• College Preference
• How to Apply

About the course

The MSt in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics (Advanced Study) is a nine-month taught course offering a range of options for those seeking a graduate qualification in language studies and wishing to specialise in general linguistics (including phonetics but not applied linguistics), in historical and comparative linguistics, or in the linguistics of a specific language. 

The MSt in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics (Advanced Study) is designed for applicants who have previously studied linguistics at an introductory level and are keen to familiarise themselves further with the discipline, but who have not studied linguistics to a more advanced level during their undergraduate degree.

If you have studied linguistics to a more advanced level during your undergraduate degree, you may wish to consider the  MSt in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics (Research Preparation)  instead.

Course structure

During their first term and into their second term, students will follow a Foundation Course in Linguistic Theory. This is a course of lectures and practical classes with extensive sets of compulsory exercises covering the main areas of linguistics and providing an overview of the field. In addition to the compulsory paper in linguistic theory, students will study for two option papers that are of particular interest to them. Options are chosen from those listed in Option B, Option C, or in Option D below. Those intending to study options chosen from C or D below should normally have, and may be required to demonstrate, some knowledge of the chosen (group of) language(s), and those intending to offer options chosen from C will normally be expected to be able to read secondary literature in French and German. If students would like to specialise fully in Indo-European comparative philology via Option C, they are strongly encouraged to apply for the MPhil in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics instead. There is also scope for some work in historical and comparative linguistics in the MSt via the module in Historical and Comparative Linguistics under Option B, and via options in the history and structure of specific languages. Please note that not all options may be offered every year, depending on the availability of teaching.

You will select two options from the following range:

• Phonetics and Phonology
• Semantics and Pragmatics
• Historical and Comparative Linguistics
• Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics 
• History and Structure of a Language.

You may also ask for one option in another subject in general linguistics; approval will be subject to the availability of proper instruction and provision for examination. There are two other Option B papers, which are not normally available to MSt students unless they have substantial training in that subject sufficient to begin work on these options from their first term on the course:

• Experimental Phonetics 
• Computational Linguistics. 

You will select two options from the following three subjects:

• The comparative grammar of two Indo-European languages or language groups
• The historical grammar of the two languages or language groups selected
• Translation from, and linguistic comment upon, texts in the languages selected.

You may select either ancient (eg Latin, Sanskrit) or modern languages (eg French, Italian, German, Slavic languages), for two of the following:

• The history of one language, or of two or more historically related languages
• The structure of the language or languages selected
• One of the following:
• translation from, and/or linguistic comment upon, texts in the language or languages selected
• any paper from B (above) except History and Structure of a Language
• a project on an aspect of the structure or history of the language, or family of related languages, studied.

The course is full-time and requires attendance in Oxford. Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements.

Resources to support your study

The Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics will be based in the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, a brand-new building at the University of Oxford, which will accommodate seven faculties, two institutes, a new library, a large number of well-equipped teaching and seminar rooms, and performance and arts venues. Each faculty will have its own centre and social hub within a building which will also facilitate interdisciplinary and collaborative work. At the heart of the building is a large atrium – called the Great Hall – which will be a beautiful space, bringing light into the building, and serving as a space for informal work, relaxation, meeting with friends, taking breaks, having refreshments – and much more.

The building will enable the recently-established Cultural Programme to flourish, with a 500-seat world class concert hall, a theatre, experimental performance venue, 100-seat cinema, and exhibition hall. Many of these venues will support academic and student-led activities, as well as performances and creative works by professional artists. The cultural programme will enrich the lives of students, and will also provide opportunities to get involved.

Phonetics Laboratory

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.

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. There is a common room 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 the largest spaces is the Behavioural Lab, where there is bespoke equipment and software to run experiments such as lexical decision tasks or timed forced choice experiments. Eight participants can currently run simultaneously at individually screened desks, or up to 16 participants with a projector setup. All of the 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.

There will be 340 general reader seats, and around 80 graduate study seats – with a further 320 formal and informal study seats throughout the building outside the library.

Open-shelf lending collections will be complemented by access to electronic resources, scan on demand, and material requested from the Bodleian’s Collections Storage Facility. As well as the Library’s extensive staffed hours, there will be a 24/7 study space, including smart lockers for self-collect of borrowable items out of hours. Subject support is provided by a team of subject librarians.

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. 

Most students have the opportunity to meet with their course supervisor at the beginning and end of each term to receive advice about useful lectures and seminars and to review the progress made.

Assessment will take place in the final term of your course. One of these assessments will be a compulsory general linguistics exam. The two other assessments, which will be exams and/or submissions, will be for the options that you have chosen.

Graduate destinations

It is anticipated that career destinations for MSt students may include publishing, secondary and further education, finance, and IT.

The MSt in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics (Advanced Study) is not intended to lead on to doctoral study at Oxford (although it is possible to apply to the DPhil in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics  via the readmission route ) and it may be a suitable foundation for further postgraduate study at other institutions.

Applicants who are hoping to pursue doctoral study following the master's are advised to consider applying for the  MPhil in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics  or the  MSt in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics (Research Preparation) . 

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 if a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency occurs. 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 2025-26

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 .

We know that factors such as socio-economic circumstances and school performance can make it difficult for students to demonstrate their full potential. This course is taking part in an initiative to use contextual data to help us to better understand your achievements in the context of your individual background. For further details, please refer to the information about improving access to graduate study in the How to apply section of this page.

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. Contextual data may also be used in the assessment of studentships. 

Degree-level qualifications

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

• a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours  in a relevant subject, for example in modern languages, classics, computer science, philosophy or mathematics.

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

For applicants with a bachelor's degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA that is normally required to meet the undergraduate-level requirement is 3.5 out of 4.0.  However, most successful applicants have a GPA of 3.7.

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. 

Further guidance

It is expected that applicants will have previously studied linguistics at an introductory level, but not to a more advanced level, during their undergraduate degree. They will not already have a solid background in all core areas of general linguistics, phonetics, phonology, syntax, and semantics.

Some modules require background knowledge that is difficult to acquire in nine months, and MSt students are advised to choose these modules only if they already have substantial previous training in relevant background subjects, such as experimental phonetics and computational linguistics.

In order to take options in the history and structure of a particular language, students will need to have a good grasp of the relevant language itself, even if they are new to linguistic study of the language. Option C is normally not feasible in the MSt.

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

Interviews are not normally held as part of the admissions process.

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.

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.

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.

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. Most graduate courses in linguistics and philology are held in the building.

The Phonetics Laboratory has excellent provision for research in speech physiology and acoustics, and outstanding computing facilities. 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; and
• functional phylogenetic and other statistical- computational methods of reconstructing speech from the past.

Languages of particular interest in the faculty's research projects are: Indian English and other languages in India and the diaspora; Italo Romance (especially Venetian); languages of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Research in the Language and Brain Laboratory covers all aspects of linguistics, including phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. The laboratory contains offices for postdoctoral researchers, research assistants and DPhil students working in Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics.

View all courses   View taught courses View research courses

For entry in the 2025-26 academic year, the collegiate University expects to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across a wide range of graduate courses.

If you apply by the January deadline shown on this page and receive a course offer, your application will then be considered for Oxford scholarships. For the majority of Oxford scholarships, your application will automatically be assessed against the eligibility criteria, without needing to make a separate application. There are further Oxford scholarships available which have additional eligibility criteria and where you are required to submit a separate application. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.

To ensure that you are considered for Oxford scholarships that require a separate application, for which you may be eligible,  use our fees, funding and scholarship search tool  to identify these opportunities and find out how to apply. Alongside Oxford scholarships, you should also consider other opportunities for which you may be eligible including  a range of external funding ,  loan schemes for postgraduate study  and any other scholarships which may also still be available after the January deadline as listed on  our fees, funding and scholarship search tool .

Details of college-specific funding opportunities can also be found on individual college websites:

Select from the list:

Please refer to the College preference section of this page to identify which of the colleges listed above accept students for this course.

For the majority of college scholarships, it doesn’t matter which college, if any, you state a preference for in your application. If another college is able to offer you a scholarship, your application can be moved to that college if you accept the scholarship. Some college scholarships may require you to state a preference for that college when you apply, so check the eligibility requirements carefully.

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

Annual fees for entry in 2025-26

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.

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

Depending on the student’s choice of options, and especially the choice of thesis project, some fieldwork or experimental work may be required. Some thesis options will require laboratory experiments, for which a budget of £75 is available to pay participants. Some may require overseas fieldwork, for which the Faculty has a budget of £500 towards travel and subsistence costs. The Faculty makes available some funding for language training, where relevant.

Living costs

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

Living costs for full-time study

For the 2025-26 academic year, the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student is between £1,425 and £2,035 for each month spent in Oxford. We provide the cost per month so you can multiply up by the number of months you expect to live in Oxford. Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to budget for the  costs of a student visa and immigration health surcharge and/or living costs for family members or other dependants that you plan to bring with you to Oxford (assuming that dependant visa eligibility criteria are met).

Further information about living costs

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. For study in Oxford beyond the 2025-26 academic year, it is suggested that you budget for potential increases in living expenses of around 4% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. For further information, please consult our more detailed information about living costs , which includes a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs.

College preference

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 . 

If you are a current Oxford student and you would like to remain at your current Oxford college, you should check whether it is listed below. If it is, you should indicate this preference when you apply. If not, you should contact your college office to ask whether they would be willing to make an exception. Further information about staying at your current college can be found in our Application Guide. 

The following colleges accept students on the MSt in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics (Advanced Study):

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

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 is important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under the 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 for each application to this course. 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.

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.

Improving access to graduate study

This course is taking part in initiatives to improve the selection procedure for graduate applications, to ensure that all candidates are evaluated fairly.

Socio-economic data (where it has been provided in the application form) will be used as part of an initiative to contextualise applications at the different stages of the selection process.

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.

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 degree, one of your referees should be your supervisor or course director on the 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.

Statement of purpose/personal statement: A maximum of 500 words

The statement should be written in English and be as specific as possible about your background in linguistics and study aims.

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

This will be assessed for:

• your reasons for applying
• evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study
• the ability to present a reasoned case in English
• commitment to the subject, beyond the requirements of the degree course
• capacity for sustained and intense work
• reasoning ability
• ability to absorb new ideas, often presented abstractly, at a rapid pace.

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

Academic essays or other writing samples written in English are required. Extracts of the requisite length from longer work are also permissible. Applicants with prior experience of study in linguistics or related subjects are encouraged to submit work in those areas. If you do not have any existing material that fits this requirement, we suggest that you critique an article or write a book review based on the course subject. The written work should be related to the course, and should be on two separate topics.

The word count does not need to include any bibliography or brief footnotes.

Written work will be assessed for comprehensive understanding of the subject area of the essay, understanding of problems in the subject area of the essay, ability to construct and defend an argument, powers of analysis, and powers of effective 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 .

Apply Continue application

After you've submitted your application

Your application (including the supporting documents outlined above) will be assessed against the entry requirements detailed on this course page. Whether or not you have secured funding will  not  be taken into consideration when your application is assessed. You can  find out more about our shortlisting and selection process  in our detailed guide to what happens next.

Find out how to manage your application after submission , using our Applicant Self-Service tool.

ADMISSION STATUS

Open to applications for entry in 2025-26

12:00 midday UK time on:

Tuesday 7 January 2025

Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships Final application deadline for entry in 2025-26

* Combined figure for all Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics MSt courses †Three-year average (applications for entry in 2022-23 to 2024-25)

Further information and enquiries

This course is offered by the Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and 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

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