Introduction

This 180-point Master’s degree is an advanced programme offering specialised courses in linguistic analysis and a significant research component.

Master of Linguistics (MLing) students will analyse the relationship between a language and its 'social life'. In an Aotearoa New Zealand context, this means understanding how English has developed over time, and how it continues to change as a marker of Kiwi identity, as well as understanding the relationship, both past and present, between English and te reo Māori.

UC is ranked Top 100 in the world for Linguistics (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2024).

Entry requirements

Applicants for this degree need to have either:

• a bachelor’s degree with a major in Linguistics, with at least a B+ Grade Point Average in 60 points in Linguistics at 300-level; or
• any bachelor’s degree, and a Graduate Diploma in Arts in Linguistics, with at least a B+ Grade Point Average in 60 points in Linguistics at 300-level; or
• a bachelor’s degree with a major in Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy, Computer Science, a language, or a different major approved by the Head of Department of Linguistics, with at least a B+ Grade Point Average in 60 points of 300-level courses in the majoring subject, and achieved at least a B+ in LING400 English Structures (a distance-learning course which runs over the summer); or
• other approved qualifications of an equivalent standard.

In addition, all students must be approved to enrol.

If English is your additional language, you are also required to meet UC's English language requirements.

For the full entry requirements, see the Regulations for the Master of Linguistics or use the admission requirements checker.

English language courses offered in partnership with CCEL will prepare you for study at Foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate degree level. The English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses offered by CCEL are designed to provide you with the specific language and study skills you will need to succeed in academic study.

Further details and application form are available from the CCEL site.

Career opportunities

Graduates of the Master in Linguistics will be highly trained in the theories and contemporary methodologies of Linguistics and skillful in a range of complementary analytical, critical, and linguistic skills.

These will include an understanding of:

• the internal structure of language and languages, including knowledge of phonetics, phonology, and syntax
• the relationship between English and other languages, including te reo Māori
• key geographical and social determinants of variation in language
• the role of language in constructing individual and group identities
• how language produces and reflects cultural change and difference.