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UCL Psychology and Language Sciences

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MSc Language Sciences

applications FOR 2021 ENTRY ARE CLOSED AND WILL REOPEN FOR 2022 IN OCTOBER 2021

Key Information

Programme starts

27 September 2021

Modes and duration
Full time: 1 year
Part time: 2 years

The programme runs over the course of 12 months (full-time) or 24 months (part-time).

Tuition Fees (2021/22)
UK:
£12,500 (FT) £6,250 (PT)
Overseas:
£31,200 (FT) £15,600 (PT)
Application deadlines
All applicants
Open: October 2021
Close: Currently closed for 2021 entry.

Note on fees: The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. See the UCL Current Students website for more information.

Location: London, Bloomsbury
Entry requirements

Normally a minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor's degree or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard in a language-related area such as linguistics, speech sciences, English language, psychology, cognitive science, or a cognate discipline.

Country-specific information, including details of international equivalence and when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

English Language Requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Good

For applicants assessed by IETS, this will mean an overall score of at least 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each of the subtests. Information on other accepted qualifications can be found on our English language requirements page.

The Programme

MSc Language Sciences provides an opportunity for in-depth study in one or more areas of the language sciences. It is an umbrella degree with four separate specialised routes. Each route follows a common structure, enabling students to tailor the degree to their own interests. 

All students take a core set of modules, forming a basis from which to study and undertake research in diverse areas of language science. You will then tailor the degree to your own interests through choosing specialised modules, developing and building upon your existing research interests.

As a student on the MSc Language Sciences you’ll join a group of talented individuals from around the world, and a department and Division which is virtually unmatched in the world in terms of its breadth of expertise in teaching and research across the language sciences. You’ll also benefit from access to state-of-the-art research facilities and an active research culture; students are very much encouraged to attend research seminars and reading groups as part of their studies.

In 2021/22 MSc Language Sciences will be offered with four routes:

Language Development

Study how we acquire one of the fundamental yet most complex skills that mark us out as human beings – the ability to communicate through talk. Through a range of modules, you’ll learn about different aspects of first language acquisition (syntax, semantics & pragmatics, speech perception & production), how we acquire a second language and to study development in typical and atypical (e.g., dyslexic, autistic) populations.

Neuroscience, Language & Communication

Explore the neural mechanisms involved in speech production, speech perception and language processing. You’ll learn about a broad range of topics, including neurophysiological approaches to the study of speech (fMRI, EEG & TMS) and modelling techniques. You’ll also have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience of collecting and analysing data.

Sign Language & Deaf Studies

Study language, cognition and the brain from the unique perspective of deafness and deaf communication. This pathway is unique amongst existing Masters degrees in including components in the psychology, linguistics and neuroscience of deafness and sign language, and is taught by staff at the world-leading Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre. 

Speech Sciences

Study the theories and methods behind the science of talk to understand how we perceive and produce speech, how we design our talk for others and how we acquire the sounds of our language(s). Throughout, the emphasis is on developing research skills alongside theoretical knowledge: you’ll have the opportunity to learn about and use specialist  methods, including acoustic analysis, behavioural experiments, EEG, ultrasound & modelling.

Staff

Programme Director: Dr Chris Carignan

The programme director has overall responsibility for the programme, it's students and teaching.  Each specialisation also has a Strand Coordinator who is the member of academic staff you are likely to interact with most often.  Strand Coordinators are responsible for the students and teaching on each of the individual specialisations.

The flexibility of the programme means that modules are taught by academic staff drawn from across the Division of Psychology & Language Sciences.

In addition, we can call on the support of visiting lecturers, Teaching Fellows and Postgraduate Teaching Assistants.

Teaching Administrator: tbc

Careers

The majority of students who graduate from MSc Language Sciences programmes go on to further study or research.  Recent graduates have gone on to PhD study in UCL, other UK institutions and prestigious overseas universities. Other students have gone on to diverse roles related to Language Sciences such as audiology, education and speech and hearing technology.

Many students, especially studying Neuroscience and Communication are already working as Speech and Language Therapists and see MSc Language Sciences as an opportunity to deepen their knowledge in a specific area and gain research skills.

We also have a number of students who see the value of having a postgraduate degree when looking for employment and want to study something they find interesting, while not necessarily related to their field of work.

UCL provides advice, guidance and workshops on Careers and Employability through its Careers service.

Funding

Postgraduate loan for master's degrees (UK/EU students)

Eligible Students starting a postgraduate degree can apply for a postgraduate loan of up to £11,222 to help with programme fees and living costs.
You can find more information on the UK Government website:
https://www.gov.uk/studentfinancesteps

MSc Language Sciences Departmental Scholarships

Up to four departmental scholarships of £2,400 will be available for students applying for the MSc in Language Sciences. Candidates holding an offer of admission to UCL for the MSc Language Sciences by 1 June in the year of entry will be considered for these awards. It is therefore strongly recommended that applications for admission to UCL are submitted as early as possible, and certainly no later than six weeks before the 1 June scholarship deadline. These scholarships will be primarily awarded on the basis of academic merit rather than according to financial need. Successful applicants will be students with outstanding academic potential and will have achieved excellent results in the qualifications already obtained. Please note that these scholarships cannot be held in conjunction with other scholarship/studentship funding.

UCL Scholarships

For information on general scholarship opportunities, please select the link below:

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/scholarships/graduate

Application

You are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines. 

Who can apply?

This programme is designed for students with a background in a related discipline who wish to deepen their knowledge of language sciences. The degree is ideal preparation for those interested in applying for a research degree in language development/speech sciences/neuroscience (delete as applicable), linguistics or a related discipline and will also appeal to individuals currently working in areas such as education, speech and language therapy, audiology and speech technology. 

Successful applicants will normally hold, or be progressing towards, a minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard in a language-related area such as Linguistics, Speech Sciences, English Language, Psychology or Cognitive Science. We also warmly welcome applications from those with degrees in a cognate discipline such as Computational Science.
 
Your application will be evaluated on the basis of the quality of your degree and degree institution; the quality of your references; your relevant skills and experience; the quality of your personal statement and the suitability of your career plans.

What to include in your personal statement:

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

When we assess your personal statement, we would like to learn:

• why you want to study Language Sciences at graduate level,
• why you want to study Language Sciences at UCL,
• why you have applied to your chosen strand (Language Development, Neuroscience Language & Communication, Speech Sciences, Sign Language & Deaf Studies),
• which module(s) on the strand interest you most and why,
• if there is a particular research area, research question, or research project you would like to work on; if there is a specific staff member you would like to work with, we encourage you to include this,
• how your academic and professional background have prepared you for the programme,
• how studying for the MSc will enable you to meet your short- and long-term career goals.

Application deadlines

All applicants
Applications for UK home students in 2021/22 entry are open until 30th July.

For more information see our Applications page.

Apply now

Contact us

Teaching Administrator