In this module, you’ll develop and carry out your own research project in applied linguistics or artificial intelligence, focusing on language and linguistics. The module is organised into four blocks that guide you step by step through the research process.
In Block 1, you’ll begin developing your project. You’ll learn key terms, concepts and theories relating to research in linguistics, reflect on how to frame your research problem, and consider what it means to be a researcher. You’ll also be guided to choose your area of study, engage with relevant literature and explore the conventions of academic writing.
Block 2 introduces the practicalities of designing your project. You’ll develop your research questions and select appropriate research methods. You’ll explore different approaches to data collection, such as interviews, observations and focus groups. You’ll consider the types of data these methods generate and evaluate which approaches are most appropriate for answering your research questions.
Block 3 focuses on how you’ll deal with your data once it’s collected. You’ll learn about good data management, including how to store, organise and prepare your data for analysis. You’ll explore different ways of analysing qualitative and quantitative data, whether collected from participants or drawn from naturally occurring sources, while reflecting on the ethical responsibilities involved in research.
In the final block, Block 4, you’ll focus on writing your dissertation and communicating your findings. You’ll explore ways to present and visualise quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods data clearly and effectively. Finally, you’ll reflect on the life of your research beyond the dissertation, considering how your findings might be shared more widely and how your work could contribute to positive change in the world.
Your research project can be shaped around topics and questions that interest you or connect with your professional or personal context. You might investigate areas such as language learning, intercultural communication, machine translation, language policy or the use of AI technologies in fields such as healthcare, business, education or the arts.
Depending on your focus, you may draw on a range of research approaches and analytical frameworks, including conversation analysis, discourse analysis, corpus linguistics, thematic analysis or evaluation methods from natural language processing. Your data might come from sources such as questionnaires, interviews, observations, interactional data, chatbot logs or user studies.
The taught study materials finish around the start of April each year, giving you time and space to develop, carry out and write up your research project as you complete your qualification.
You’ll learn how to apply academic concepts and findings to contexts you are familiar with, demonstrating your understanding of complex ideas and your ability to use them to analyse real-world issues. You’ll learn how to use a variety of research approaches and methods, including interviews, surveys, field observations and document analysis, and explore how to visualise and discuss complex qualitative and quantitative findings. You’ll also be supported to produce a piece of extended writing in the form of a dissertation, developing your skills in structure, linguistic conventions and writing for an academic audience.
This module equips you to carry out small-scale research projects in professional or vocational contexts. You’ll learn how to identify questions or challenges arising in your workplace or field of interest and investigate them using systematic research approaches. You’ll gain experience collecting and analysing evidence and communicating your findings clearly to different audiences. By the end of the module, you’ll have developed a practical toolkit for investigating and understanding a range of professional challenges.
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You’ll have access to a module website, which includes:
L807 is a compulsory module in our:
Dissertation: language and linguistics starts once a year – in October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2026.
We expect it to start for the last time in October 2040.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
To study for this course, you must hold an undergraduate degree from a UK university or another recognised degree-awarding body, or a qualification at an equivalent level.
As this is the final module of the MA in Linguistics (F97), you must also have successfully completed the Stage 1 module Core concepts in linguistics (L804) (or its predecessor EE817, or an equivalent module from another university) and one of the Stage 2 modules: Applying linguistics in society (L805) (or its predecessor EE818) or Language, society, and artificial intelligence (L806).
To help you prepare for this module, we recommend the following activities:
Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader (and, where applicable, musical notation and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way). Other alternative formats of the module materials may be available in the future.
Further information will be available via the Student Support Team to help you make a decision on your ability to study the module before registering.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact an adviser or visit our disability support pages.
| Start | End | Register by | England fee |
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| 03 Oct 2026 | 31 Oct 2027 | 10 Sep 2026 | Not yet available* |
| *This start date is open for pre-booking, which means you can reserve your place ahead of the fees being confirmed. We’ll publish updated 2026/27 fees and funding information on the 25th of March. |
There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
If your income is not more than £25,000 or you receive a qualifying benefit, you might be eligible for help with some of these costs after your module has started.
There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to support your study costs. To find out more, see Postgraduate loans in England.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to help with your tuition fees. To find out more, see Postgraduate tuition fee loans in Northern Ireland.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to help with your tuition fees. To find out more, see Postgraduate loans in Scotland.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to support your study costs. To find out more, see Postgraduate loans in Wales.
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Please note: your permanent address/domicile will affect your fee status and, therefore, the fees you are charged and any financial support available to you. The fee information provided here is valid for modules starting before 31 July 2026. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
