Course details

Summary

This 180-point master’s degree is an advanced programme offering specialized 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 a New Zealand context, this means understanding how English has developed over time, and how it continues to change as a marker of NZ identity, as well as understanding the relationship, both past and present, between English and Te Reo 毛利.

Qualification structure and duration

The MLing is a 180-point programme that consists of:

three 30-point courses (spread between Semesters 1 and 2, according to course choice)

a compulsory thesis, worth 90 points.

Full-time students who commence their studies in February must complete within one year. Part-time students must complete the degree within two years.

Subjects and courses

There are no restrictions on which taught courses a student can take, but they must take no more than two taught courses in a given semester. Students are free to choose any 30-point 400 or 600 level Linguistics course.

Further study

Students can study a Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics.

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 毛利
• 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.

Entry criteria

A candidate for this master's needs to have either:

• qualified for a Bachelor's degree with a major in Linguistics, with at least a B+ average in 60 points in Linguistics at 300 level; OR
• qualified for a Bachelor's degree and completed a Graduate Diploma in Arts in Linguistics with at least a B+ average in 60 points in Linguistics at 300 level; OR
• qualified for 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+ average or better 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
• been admitted under the Regulations for admission ad eundem statum as entitled to enrol for the Degree of Master of Linguistics.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 575 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum B+ grade; CAE or CPE score of 176 with a minimum of 169 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 64 and no PTE communicative skills score below 58.