Language and Communication

Entry requirements

A First or Upper Second class UK honours degree, or equivalent is normally required, in a suitable field (such as Linguistics, Communication, Media Studies, Languages, some Social Sciences, English Literature and Humanities).

Successful applicants to the programme will also have demonstrated a strong performance at Master’s level in a subject related to linguistics, will have completed a course in research methods, and will have some experience of conducting empirical research (possibly as part of the master’s degree).

All PhD candidates are required to have adequate research training. If lacking such training, they will be considered for the MA in Language and Communication Research with progression to the 3-year PhD programme. During the MA year, in order to progress to the PhD programme, students are required to obtain a minimum overall mark of 60 or above for the taught stage of the MA. If you are uncertain whether you would be eligible to be considered for direct entry onto the PhD programme, please see the flow chart.

Months of entry

January, April, October

Course content

Our students’ interests are wide-ranging and we welcome applications from capable candidates who want to investigate topics across language and communication. The PhD programme empowers candidates both to produce innovative research and to develop themselves as independent and intellectually creative scholars.

The PhD in Language and Communication is a three-year (FT), 5-year (PT) degree which offers candidates the opportunity to research a topic that interests and excites them and falls within the expertise of staff in the Centre for Language and Communication Research.

Information for international students

For non-native speakers of English, an IELTS overall score of 7.5 with at least 7.0 in each sub score is essential.