Master of Arts English Linguistics (1-Fach)

The English Linguistics Master’s degree program offers a unique combination of a clear focus on teaching students a broad range of methods in empirical linguistic research on the one hand (e.g. corpus linguistics, experimental linguistics, analyzing quantitative language data) and giving them the opportunity to explore the fascinating and multi-facetted topic of language variation on the other hand (social, regional, psycholinguistic, and diachronic variation). The program enables students to become proficient in the handling and analysis of data (data literacy) as well as to develop a keen sense of language.

Students take classes in linguistics (historical linguistics, psycho- and socio-linguistics, regional variation, semantics, pragmatics, English as a world language, English in the post-colonial world) that emphasize the application of field-specific empirical research methods (working with corpora, designing experiments and collecting experimental data, analyzing linguistic data). In addition to these, students can individually shape the course of their studies by choosing from a variety of electives in Anglophone Literatures and Media; Natural Language Processing; Digital Humanities; and Phonetics.

In the MA-program English Linguistics students acquire in-depth knowledge about the structure and use of the English language as well as the complex phenomena of language variation found in English and the models and theories used to explain them. In addition to this, they will learn to apply a wide range of empirical methods in the context of hands-on research projects. This will enable them to understand and discuss subject-specific literature and carry out their own research projects. Possible topics for projects include: intrusive /r/ in the spoken BNC, interpreting compounds in and out of context, cross-linguistic morphological processing. In addition to this, the degree program includes a research-based or vocational internship as well as opportunities to study abroad. Students can choose from four different electives to complement their studies in linguistics: Anglophone Literatures and Media; Natural Language Processing; Digital Humanities; Phonetics.

Get to know our instructors here: https://www.uni-trier.de/universitaet/fachbereiche-faecher/fachbereich-ii/faecher/anglistik/departmental-branches-fachteile/linguistics-/-sprachwissenschaft

For information on the module structure see here: “Study_Plan_MA_English_Linguistics.pdf”

The requirements for studying English Linguistics (single-subject Master’s degree) at Trier University are:

• Bachelor's degree in English Studies, American Studies, General Linguistics, or an equivalent degree. Equivalency is determined by the examination board (Prüfungsausschuss) in individual cases.
• Module with at least 10 CP from the area of English Linguistics
• Proof of English language proficiency in accordance with § 4 Abs. 2 of the current Einschreibeordnung (enrollment regulations) of Trier University.

For more information see here:  

Students complete a six-week full-time academic or professional intership in Module 6 during their third semester. The internship gives students the opportunity to apply and refine the skills they acquired during their studies, expand their network, and gain perspective on their future career options with a degree in linguistics. There is a broad variety of fields for students to complete their internships in, including: work in speech processing, academic publishers, university-level teaching in the form of “Tutoraten”, gaining experience in organizing academic conferences, preparing academic publications, participating in a research project at Trier University or a partner university, participating in summer schools or academic conferences with their own submissions.

Graduates of the English Linguistics Master’s Degree program have extensive training in empirical methods in (English) linguistics, which enable them to work in academic research as well as related fields such as AI, Speech Processing, and Technical Editing. The internship that students complete during their studies can open up opportunities for work in fields other than these as well. More generally, graduates of an English Linguistics program are able to work in all kinds of fields that require extraordinary linguistic and (inter-)cultural skills (in English) such as translation services, publishers, media, public relations work or marketing, education/teaching, theaters, libraries or museums.

You can find information on how to apply here