Degrees offered

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
• Master of Applied Linguistics (Research)
• Master of Linguistics (Research)
• Master of Applied Linguistics
• Master of Linguistics
• Master of Translation
• Graduate Certificate in Linguistics

Graduate studies in linguistics at ANU draws upon the expertise of the largest concentration of linguists in the southern hemisphere. For more than 20 years research in linguistics at ANU has focused on the descriptive and comparative study of the languages of Australia, Papua-New Guinea, the Pacific Islands, Indonesia and China. We offer teaching in field and formal linguistics and research across more languages than any other Australian University.

Linguistics

Linguistics involves studying the nature of human language, from a scientific point of view. It seeks to understand the nature of language as a universal human faculty and means of communication. Graduate courses in Linguistics are designed to cater for the needs of students who are specialising in the study of a particular language or language family; want to help extend the frontiers of what is known about the nature of human language; or have an interest in meaning, communication and cognitive studies.

Applied Linguistics

ANU has a strong and vibrant Applied Linguistics program. Whereas many other Applied Linguistics programs focus primarily on the teaching and learning of languages, specifically through their TESOL offerings, the ANU does not limit itself to Applied Linguistics in this traditional sense.

This program is in close contact with the Linguistics program, the Translation program, the European languages programs (French, Spanish, German, Italian), and Applied Linguistics within the College of Asia & the Pacific (Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indonesian). This means that students studying Applied Linguistics at the ANU can draw on the expertise of a variety of researchers who are working within very different, yet related, fields.

Master of Linguistics

Master of Linguistics (Research)

Graduate Certificate in Linguistics

The linguistics degrees focus on the nature and structure of language. You will learn about the description and explanation of particular languages and human linguistic capabilities in general.

Typical courses

• Child Language Acquisition
• Chinese Linguistics
• Conversation Analysis
• Cross Cultural Communication
• Dictionaries and Dictionary-Making
• Field Methods
• Graduate Reading Course (Linguistics)
• Introduction to Syntax
• Introduction to the Study of Language
• Language, Culture and Translation
• Language and Society
• Language Change
• Language in Indigenous Australian Society
• Language Planning and Language Politics
• Language Power and Identity
• Languages in Contact
• Morphology
• Phonetics: Sounds of the World’s Languages
• Phonological Analysis
• Readings in Applied Linguistics
• Research Design in (Applied) Linguistics
• Second Language Acquisition
• Semantics
• Seminar on Semantics
• Special Topics in Linguistics
• Study of a Language Family
• Syntactic Theory
• The History of the English Language
• The Structure of English

Entry

Graduate Certificate in Linguistics
Applicants should have a three year Bachelors degree from an Australian tertiary institution or its international equivalent. Applicants without a first degree, but with relevant professional experience and appropriate prior learning, will be eligible for admission into the Graduate Certificate in Linguistics.

Master of Linguistics
Applicants should have a four year Bachelor degree either as Honours or a combined degree in a cognate area from an Australia tertiary institution or its international equivalent.  Equivalence may be met by the completion of the Graduate Certificate in Linguistics.

Master of Linguistics (Research)
Applicants must have completed the Master of Linguistics with a minimum 70% course average.

Attendance

On campus

Duration

Graduate Certificate in Linguistics 0.5 years full-time (courses to the value of 24 units)
Master of Linguistics 1 year full-time (courses to the value of 48 units)
Master of Linguistics (Research) 1.5 years full-time (courses to the value of 72 units)

Full Program Information

Graduate Certificate in Linguistics on ANU Studyat
Master of Linguistics on ANU Studyat
Master of Linguistics (Research) on ANU Studyat

Master of Applied Linguistics

Master of Applied Linguistics (Research)

The applied linguistics degrees provide you with the opportunity to study the nature of language. You will study first and second language acquisition, second language teaching and literacy, language and classroom education across the curriculum, language policy and planning. Studies of applied linguistics also allow you to explore the use of language in university academic contexts, intercultural communication, language and the law, forensic speaker identification, speech pathology, translation and advertising. This will develop your knowledge of how languages work within different applied settings. You can also select subjects to specialise in applied Japanese linguistics.

The degrees will particularly benefit you if you are interested in working as a foreign language teacher, translator, editor, speech pathologist, audiologist or in language policy areas.

Typical courses

• Child Language Acquisition
• Conversation Analysis
• Cross Cultural Communication
• Dictionaries and Dictionary-Making
• Graduate Reading Course (Linguistics)
• Language and Culture
• Language and Society
• Language in Indigenous Australian Society
• Language Policy and Language Politics
• Language Power and Identity
• Readings in Applied Linguistics
• Research Design in (Applied) Linguistics
• Second Language Acquisition
• Teaching Languages
• The Structure of English
• Translation across Languages: Specialised Materials
• Translation across Languages: The Translation of
• Literary Texts
• TESOL (offered through other universities)

Entry

Master of Applied Linguistics
Applicants should have a four year Bachelors degree either as Honours or a combined degree in a cognate area ie Linguistics or Applied Linguistics from an Australian tertiary institution or its international equivalent. Equivalence may be met by the completion of the Graduate Certificate in Linguistics.

Master of Applied Linguistics (Research)
Applicants must have completed the Master of Applied Linguistics with a minimum 70% course average.

Attendance

On campus

Duration

Master of Applied Linguistics 1 year full-time (courses to the value of 48 units)
Master of Applied Linguistics (Research) 1.5 years full-time (courses to the value of 72 units)

Full Program Information

Master of Applied Linguistics on ANU Studyat
Master of Applied Linguistics (Research) on ANU Studyat

Master of Translation

The Master of Translation is jointly offered by the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific and the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences. The program is designed to provide students with a focused qualification in the practice of literary translation. It gives students an understanding of the history of translation, and an appreciation of a number of critical issues in the field. This program is particularly useful for those working in the field of translation.

Master of Translation students specialise in translating between English and any of the languages taught at ANU. These language specialisations include: Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, Classical Latin and Greek, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Indonesian, Japanese, Javanese, Korean, Pacific Pidgins, Persian, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tetum, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

Typical courses

• Advanced French
• Advanced German
• Advanced Spanish
• Case studies in translation (Chinese/English)
• Critical readings for translators
• Italian studies: Advanced Italian
• Japanese-English translation
• Language, culture and translation
• Readings in Southeast Asian culture
• Semantics
• Toolkit for Chinese studies and translation
• Translation across languages: The translation of literary texts
• Translation across languages: Specialised material
• Translation from Indonesian

Entry

Applicants should have obtained an Australian Bachelors degree with Honours (four years) or an overseas equivalent; a three year Bachelor (pass) degree with either a relevant Graduate Certificate or Diploma ie Graduate Certificate in Linguistics or a three year Bachelor degree and relevant work experience. All applicants must meet the University’s minimum English language requirements and have advanced competency in a second language.

Attendance

On campus

Duration

1 year full-time (courses to the value of 48 units)

Full Program Information

Master of Translation on ANU Studyat