Linguistics

Entry requirements

A completed Bachelor's degree in Linguistics or Languages
In order to be admitted to this Master's you’ll need a completed Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics. Students with a Bachelor’s degree in a specific language such as German or Dutch, or with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Information Studies can also apply, provided they have taken at least 60 EC worth of courses in the field of linguistics.

Proficiency in English
In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English.This requirement has been satisfied when the student meets the conditions, listed on our website.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Learning to become a competent linguist who has an understanding of a wide array of topics ranging from how people learn and use language to how the brain processes language and how language and people influence each other.

Radboud University is renowned for its research and teaching in the field of linguistics. The Master's programme in Linguistics is closely connected with the dedicated research institute Centre for Language Studies (CLS) and also works closely with the Max Planck Institute and Donders Institute. You can choose from a wide range of advanced topics in fields as diverse as psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, language description, language testing and linguistic diversity. There is also a range of combined courses that allow students to learn about the very latest findings in interdisciplinary areas such as cognitive neuroscience.

All our courses offer a nice mix of theoretical and practical knowledge: courses situate insights from linguistic and language acquisition theory within the context of everyday communication and contemporary language use.

Career prospects

Graduates from this programme can find positions in a variety of different organisations, companies or other institutes:

• Editor
• Communication consultant
• Educational developer
• Teacher
• Translator
• Researcher

Specialisations within Linguistics

Within the Master's programme in Linguistics, you can choose from the following English-taught specialisations:

Language Variation and Multilingualism

In this Master's specialisation, you learn to become a competent linguist who has an understanding of language variation and multilingualism, two central and interrelated topics within linguistics.

Learn more via the Radboud University contact form.

Information for international students

Application deadlines

Non-EU/EEA students

• The deadline for non-EU/EEA students who wish to apply for a scholarship is 31 January prior to the September intake. For the requirements and selection procedure for scholarships, please check our scholarship overview.
• The deadline for those not applying for a scholarship is 1 April for non-EU/EEA nationals for the September 2026 intake. You can apply for the September 2026 intake from 1 October 2025.

EU/EEA students

• The application deadline for EU/EEA students with housing assistance for the September 2026 intake is 1 May, and the deadline without housing assistance is 1 July. You can apply from 1 October onward for the 2026/2027 academic year.

The application deadlines for Master’s starting in February are 1 November for non-EU/EEA citizens and 1 December for EU/EEA citizens.

Fees and funding

Radboud University offers 3 different scholarships that are open to prospective Master's students from non-EU/EEA countries and who want to follow an English-taught Master's programme.

Radboud Scholarship Programme

The Radboud Scholarship Programme offers talented, highly motivated, non-EU/EEA students with outstanding study results the opportunity to be awarded a partial scholarship for an English-taught Master’s programme.

NL Scholarship (for prospective students)

The NL Scholarship (formerly known as Holland Scholarship) is a partial scholarship for non-EU/EEA students who want to do their Master’s in the Netherlands.

Fulbright-Radboud Scholarships

The Fulbright Commission, sponsored by Radboud University, is offering scholarships for talented American students to study at Radboud University.