This page is a summary of what I wish I had known before I enroled in the MA Linguistics programme at UCL. The following information is here to (i) help you decide if the programme is a good fit and (ii) give you an idea of what to expect if you are admitted.
Disclaimers:
- The following is just my perspective. I enjoyed the programme enough to want to do a PhD, but your mileage may vary. You will have to decide if the MA Linguistics programme is a good fit for you.
- I continued working in theoretical linguistics after my MA, so my experience may be different from those of my classmates who carried on doing more experimental work.
- Some of this information may be outdated. Requirements change, professors change, modules get revised. Be sure to check whether this information is still valid.
Why enrol in UCL’s MA Linguistics programme?
For me, the unique selling point of UCL’s MA Linguistics programme was that it was a conversion course for those with no background in linguistics. This was exactly what I was looking for. Although I’d always been interested in languages, I did not have any formal qualifications in linguistics at that point.
Another draw for me was that the programme offered a broad overview of linguistics, including the three traditional subfields of phonetics/phonology, syntax and semantics/pragmatics, as well as other subfields of my choice. This gave me exposure to different subfields before having to choose a topic for my dissertation.
The programme also had a dissertation component where you work on a research question with one-on-one supervision from a faculty member. At first, I had my doubts about the dissertation, but it turned out to be a great way to figure out whether I enjoyed doing research enough to pursue a PhD.
What is the structure of UCL’s MA Linguistics programme?
When I was in the UCL’s MA Linguistics programme, we were required to take four compulsory modules in the first term and four elective modules in the second term. Terms 1 and 2 ran for 10 weeks each, with a one-week break (“reading week”) between weeks 5 and 6.
The compulsory modules I took were:
- Foundations of linguistics: We discussed what it means to study language as a cognitive science, with an emphasis on how children learn language. The module also doubled as a module on writing and presentation skills.
- Phonetics: We learned to transcribe sounds using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and interpret spectrograms.
- Syntax: We spent the first half of the module learning about constituency and drawing trees, then spend the second half on assorted topics like argument structure, Case theory, etc.
- Semantics and pragmatics: The semantics component focused on set theory and propositional logic, while the pragmatics component focused on Grice’s maxims and implicatures.
For my elective modules, I chose:
- Phonology: Building on the compulsory phonetics module in Term 1, we learned how to think about the sounds of language in terms of abstract features and rules.
- Semantics and pragmatics: This was a continuation of the compulsory module on semantics and pragmatics.
- Chinese syntax: We discussed a range of topics including argument structure and certain structures specific to Mandarin like the bǎ (把) and bèi (被) constructions.
- Sociolinguistics: We learned how language variation (particularly in speech production) was affected by factors like geography, age, gender and social class.
The electives I took tended to be more on the theoretical side of linguistics, but I believe that it was possible to design a course with a bit more emphasis on experimental linguistics.
Many modules were graded based on a final essay or a take-home exam. In general, there were no graded homework assignments every week. There was a bit of a crunch point at the start of Term 2 when we started new modules but still had to deal with assessments from Term 1 at the same time.
After the exams in Term 3 (which was a very short term with no classes, just exams), I spent the remainder of the year writing a dissertation. My dissertation was on the syntax of locative inversion in Mandarin Chinese, and was supervised by Hans van de Koot, who had taught both my syntax modules. I had no prior experience working with a professor on a one-on-one basis, but I enjoyed the experience very much. Towards the end of the MA, I asked Hans if he would supervise my PhD and he said yes!
Advice for prospective MA Linguistics students
Choose your course wisely
UCL offers many master’s courses covering related areas but with slightly different emphases. It is important to find one that is a good fit for you.
I would say that the MA Linguistics programme can get quite technical, which could be a surprise for some people coming from a background of literature or translation studies. Some (but not all) students with a background in philosophy, maths, science and engineering may actually have an advantage in some areas, e.g. set theory in semantics.
The MA Linguistics programme is designed as an introduction to the study of language as a cognitive science. A consistent and recurrent theme across all modules was how human minds could produce and interpret an infinite number of sentences from a finite number of building blocks. There are of course many other valid ways to study language, but you should be open to this particular approach to language. You should be comfortable with references to generative grammar and Noam Chomsky, although our professors were not dogmatic about things.
The Linguistics department was but one of three departments located in Chandler House, which also housed Language & Cognition (LangCog) and Speech, Hearing & Phonetic Sciences (SHaPS). These other departments also offer their own MA programmes, some of which I believe had a greater emphasis on statistics and experimentation. (As an aside, these departments organised a lot of interesting talks on language acquisition, language disorders, etc. that were open to all.)
Even within the Linguistics department, there was an option to do an MA with a specialisation in syntax, for example. This would have been more appropriate if I had some prior background in linguistics.
The bottom line is to look carefully at the specific modules required for your master’s course before making a decision.
Manage your expectations
Given the range of topics covered in the required modules, it is not possible for everyone to excel in every module. It is inevitable that different students like different modules. This is the flip side of a programme that offers a broad overview of linguistics as a field. Some students resented having to take a module that they weren’t good at, but ultimately, we had some flexibility to pick electives in topics we were more interested in.
Be prepared
The MA Linguistics programme goes by very quickly, and there is a limit to what you can realistically achieve within 20 weeks of classroom time. Depending on your background, there may be a lot of new material to cover.
It would help if you did some preparation before starting the programme. At the minimum, consider doing the following:
- Learn how to transcribe sounds using the International Phonetic Alphabet. Depending on what languages you speak, you might have trouble hearing the difference between voiced and voiceless aspirated stops (e.g. /b/ vs /p/) or between different tones (high, low, rising, falling).
- Learn how to draw a basic syntactic tree.
- Learn basic set theory and propositional logic.
Learning the material above would make the first five weeks feel a bit less intimidating.