Masters in Linguistics (M.Phil.)
Online applications for 2025/26 are open until 30 June 2025
Please note for this course we require a minimum Band C English proficiency as detailed here.
The extended deadline for providing all required documentation (e.g. final transcripts, English certification, references etc.) for 2024/25 applications is 10 August 2024.
All MPhil students are required to attend CLCS orientation sessions which will take place in the first week of September 2024 prior to the start of teaching in September.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr Craig Sailor
Applications Co-ordinator: Dr Elaine Uí Dhonnchadha
Full-time: one year, 6 to 8 hours per week of classes.
Part-time: two years, 2 to 6 hours per week of classes.
To apply please see: Postgraduate Taught Courses
Course Handbook 2024-25: PDF
Module Descriptions 2024-25: PDF
Frequently Asked Questions: PDF
Queries: please contact Prof Elaine Uí Dhonnchadha
The Master’s degree in Linguistics has been running for over 30 years. Our students -- who are not expected to have any background in linguistics -- have in some cases come from language professions (such as translating, interpreting, teaching, speech and language therapy, publishing), or directly from undergraduate degrees which include language-centred elements (for example, English, modern languages and literature, anthropology, classics, psychology, sociology). In other cases, they have simply been people who are intrigued by language and wish to study it in a more systematic fashion. In general, the M.Phil. in Linguistics is likely to appeal to students with a talent for careful, systematic argument, and who wish to understand the mysteries of language.
- Elite, tailor-made programme
- Flexible design shaped by your interests in Linguistics
- Small class size, taught by world-class experts
- Wide choice of elective modules offered every year
- Competitively-priced tuition
- The chance to study at a premier university in the heart of vibrant Dublin
- Two-year visa extension for non-EU M.Phil. in Linguistics graduates to seek employment in Ireland
Application Requirements
In keeping with Trinity College's admission requirements for postgraduate students (see here), applicants should have at least a 2.1 honors degree from an Irish university or an equivalent degree from another country (for example, a Bachelors degree with a GPA of at least 3.2). For overseas applicants, country-specific information regarding admission to Trinity College can be found here. Applicants whose first language is not English and who have not been educated through the medium of English must meet the College's requirements for English-language proficiency (see here). For this course the minimum acceptable IELTS score is 7.0 with no individual band below 6.5, or equivalent TOEFL/ Cambridge/ Pearson/ Duolingo (e.g. for Duolingo minimum overall score 130 and no individual score below 120), etc.
What does the programme look like?
You take four obligatory ‘core’ modules:
- Describing Grammar
- Describing Meaning
- Describing the Sounds of Languages
- Experimental Analysis of Sound Systems
...and choose two from among the following menu of elective modules:
- Corpus Linguistics
- Computer Assisted Language Learning
- Linguistic Pragmatics
- Multilingualism
- Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching
- Speech and Language Technology in Education
- Technology, Language, and Communication
The modules are taught in Michaelmas and Hilary terms, and students prepare and write a 15,000-word dissertation which is due on the 31st of August.
Further information
Read our Frequently Asked Questions on the M.Phil. in Linguistics and related M.Phil. programmes.
For a more in-depth insight into the shape and content of the programme, please consult our current course handbook. Note that the information provided in the handbook is subject to change from year to year.
Contact information
Telephone: +353-1-8961560
Email: clcs_mphil_info@tcd.ie