Linguistics

SOAS’s MA Linguistics programme is unique in its focus on the languages of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as the communities who speak them and are working to support and revitalise them.

With its unrivalled concentration of expertise in the languages of these regions, the SOAS MA Linguistics programme offers students a thorough grounding in linguistic research methods, along with a rich variety of optional modules ranging from core theoretical topics in phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics, to historical and typological linguistics, to sociolinguistics, language planning and language revitalisation.

The modular nature of the programme means that it is suitable both for those with little or no previous linguistic training, and those with a degree in linguistics who wish to extend their knowledge into the linguistics and sociolinguistics of Asian, African, and Middle Eastern languages.

Why study Linguistics at SOAS?

• SOAS is ranked 11th in the UK for Linguistics (QS World University Rankings 2025)
• Modern Languages and Linguistics at SOAS has been ranked 10th in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021
• We are ranked 4th for research environment - with 100% of our research ranked as 'internationally excellent' and 85% as 'world-leading' - and 8th for research outputs in the REF 2021