Taught course

Evolution of Language and Cognition

Institution
University of Edinburgh · School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences
Qualifications
MSc

Entry requirements

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in linguistics, psychology, cognitive science, computer science or biology.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Joining our world-leading Language Evolution and Computation (LEC) research unit, you will investigate the origins and evolution of human language, tackling questions such as ‘what is it that makes us human’, ‘how did our brains evolve’ and ‘what are the origins of human language’.

The LEC is at the cutting edge of research in this area and one of the world’s biggest research groups working on language evolution. You will have the opportunity to become involved with the unit’s research effort, and to make your own contribution to this dynamic field through your dissertation.

The programme focuses on a treatment of language as a dynamic evolving system, bringing together origins, acquisition and change.

It provides a broad introduction to the field of language evolution and cognitive evolution, and can form the basis for further (typically PhD) study for those wishing to continue their research.

The programme draws on many disciplines in the University, including archaeology, biology, linguistics, neuroscience, informatics, philosophy and psychology.

Qualification, course duration and attendance options

  • MSc
    part time
    24 months
    • Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
    full time
    12 months
    • Campus-based learningis available for this qualification

Course contact details

Name
Programme Director, Professor Simon Kirby
Email
Simon.Kirby@ed.ac.uk
Phone
+44 (0) 131 651 5002