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Course type
Masters degree
Credits
180

Credits

  • Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
  • One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
  • You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
  • For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
How long it takes
3 years part-time study*
Read more about how long it takes
Study method
Distance learning
Course cost
Postgraduate loan available
See Fees and funding
Entry requirements
Find out more about
Entry requirements

MA in Linguistics

Course code: F97

Interested in investigating language, its role in our everyday lives, or its connections to technology? Then this masters is for you. You'll start by exploring language and its building blocks, using various methods of linguistic analysis. You’ll then choose between the Applied Linguistics or Artificial Intelligence routes. The Applied Linguistics route focuses on knowledge of language as applied in professional and social contexts, while the AI route examines the relationship between language and technology, highlighting the challenges of applications. Throughout, you’ll develop analytical skills, apply linguistic knowledge in real-world contexts and reflect on the cultural and political dimensions of language.

  • Choose between specialising in applied linguistics or linguistics and artificial intelligence
  • Improve your professional practice by engaging with contemporary issues, concepts and debates that enrich your knowledge
  • Apply what you learn to the real world as you conduct a study that fits with your personal and/or professional circumstances
  • Become an independent and advanced scholar as you learn within and about your own context
Course type
Masters degree
Credits
180

Credits

  • Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
  • One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
  • You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
  • For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
How long it takes
3 years part-time study*
Read more about how long it takes
Study method
Distance learning
Course cost
Postgraduate loan available
See Fees and funding
Entry requirements
Find out more about
Entry requirements

How to register

Select the module you will study first, read the full description, and follow the instructions to register.

Modules

You’ll choose one of two specialisms:

Linguistics (Applied)

To gain this qualification, you require 180 credits from the following modules:

Stage 1 (60 credits)

Compulsory module Credits Next start
Core concepts in linguistics (L804)

This module introduces you to the foundations of linguistic study with a focus on real-world examples where language plays a critical role.

See full description

Register
 60 03 Oct 2026

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued module EE817.

Stage 2 (60 credits)

Compulsory module Credits Next start
Applying linguistics in society (L805)

Discover how to apply linguistics across various fields, analyse language and enhance your communication in this hands-on postgraduate module.

See full description

Register
 60  03 Oct 2026

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued module EE818.

Stage 3 (60 credits)

Compulsory module Credits Next start
Dissertation: language and linguistics (L807) PLANNED
 60 Oct 2026

Linguistics (Artificial Intelligence)

To gain this qualification, you require 180 credits from the following modules:

Stage 1 (60 credits)

Compulsory module Credits Next start
Core concepts in linguistics (L804)

This module introduces you to the foundations of linguistic study with a focus on real-world examples where language plays a critical role.

See full description

Register 
 60 03 Oct 2026

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued module EE817.

Stage 2 (60 credits)

Compulsory module Credits Next start
Language, society, and artificial intelligence (L806)

Explore the challenges of developing AI technologies that interact through language and gain critical skills in linguistics, ethics and in using Python for analysis.

See full description

 60 03 Oct 2026

Stage 3 (60 credits)

Compulsory module Credits Next start
Dissertation: language and linguistics (L807) PLANNED
 60 Oct 2026

You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 60 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.

Learning outcomes, teaching and assessment

The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:

  • Knowledge and understanding
  • Cognitive skills
  • Practical and professional skills
  • Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes.

Credit transfer

If you’ve successfully completed some relevant postgraduate study elsewhere, you may be able to count it towards Stage 1 of this qualification by applying for credit transfer, reducing the number of modules you need to study. Credit transfer will impact the time you have to complete this qualification, and the six-year time limit will start from the time the qualification submitted as credit transfer was completed. So, for example, if you use as credit transfer a qualification that you were awarded two years ago, you would need to complete the remaining 120 credits in four years.

You should apply for credit transfer as soon as possible, and before you register for your first module. For more details and an application form, visit our Credit Transfer website.

On completion

On successfully completing this course, we’ll award you our Master of Arts in Linguistics. Your degree title will reflect your chosen specialist route:

  • MA in Linguistics (Applied)
  • MA in Linguistics (Artificial Intelligence)

You’ll have the opportunity to attend a degree ceremony.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the qualification-specific regulations below and the academic regulations that are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website. 

We regularly review our curriculum; therefore, the qualification described on this page – including its availability, its structure, and available modules – may change over time. If we make changes to this qualification, we’ll update this page as soon as possible. Once you’ve registered or are studying this qualification, where practicable, we’ll inform you in good time of any upcoming changes. If you’d like to know more about the circumstances in which the University might make changes to the curriculum, see our Academic Regulations or contact us. This description was last updated on 18 March 2025.

To study for this masters degree course you must hold a bachelors degree from a UK university or another recognised degree-awarding body, or a qualification at an equivalent level.

As our modules are taught in English, your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study in the UK. If English is not your first language, we recommend that you will need a minimum score of 7 under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Please see their website for details.

If you are not sure whether your qualifications and experience are suitable, please contact us for advice.

How long it takes

Most students study the MA in Linguistics part-time, completing 60 credits a year over three years. Typically, this means 13–19 study hours each week.

You must complete the MA in Linguistics within six years.

*You can complete your studies part-time in three years. However, your last module, Linguistics dissertation (L807), is expected to begin in October 2026 and be 46 weeks in study length, so you’ll receive your final results in late October 2027 rather than in June/July.

Career relevance

Throughout the world, there is an increasing demand for professionals with a grasp of how language works and how such knowledge can be applied to all kinds of scenarios, from translation, teaching, and communication to the myriad ways in which language technology is impacting our daily lives. The skills and knowledge gained through the MA in linguistics, as well as the specialisms in Applied Linguistics and Artificial Intelligence, will enable you to participate in these exciting developments. You will be challenged to critically engage in the very latest ideas in these fields, while learning research techniques and skills for investigating your own project ideas. You’ll sharpen your IT, writing, and independent thinking skills and develop your ability to respond to feedback as well as demonstrating your time management. All of these are key skills in complex organisations, greatly sought after in the world beyond study – whether you’re already working, volunteering, or changing career.

This qualification is designed to enrich your knowledge and improve your professional practice. On completing your studies, you should be able to:

  • demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems at a professional or equivalent level
  • reflect critically and constructively, in the light of ideas and frameworks presented in the modules, on how these apply to your practice and organisational context.
  • develop and carry out research projects in the intersection of linguistics and the specialism you have chosen to pursue

You will also acquire qualities and transferable skills that are highly prized by employers within a range of fields overlapping with linguistics, applied linguistics and artificial intelligence, such as:

  • exercising initiative and personal responsibility
  • the ability to make decisions in complex and unpredictable situations
  • the ability to draw on appropriate research and ethical understanding
  • the capacity to produce reports/outputs for academic and professional purposes.

You will be guided through the materials and learn how you can recognise and acknowledge these additional skills.

Please note that this master’s degree does not qualify you for teacher registration in any country.

Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.

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