Masters Programme (MA)

The Department of Linguistics offers a 1-year Master’s degree program in Linguistics. For the 2023-24 admission we offer a full-time study option only.

We are inviting admission application for our full-time programme! (Application start date: 30 Sep 2022 noon) For online application, please click here. Application opens until 30 March 2023 noon.

Modern linguistics is the study of human languages in all aspects, ranging from structural to social, cognitive and educational concerns. Our students therefore engage in core courses such as grammatical description and phonetics, as well elective courses in psycholinguistics, bi- and multilingualism, linguistic typology, Cantonese linguistics, amongst others. A central aspect of our program is the dissertation component, which prepares students for future research work. Each student is individually supervised by one or more of our highly international faculty.

HKU Linguistics graduates are well-rounded linguists who combine a scientific approach to language with the humanities and social sciences. Whether you want to pursue a career in linguistic research, engage professionally with the language processing, computation or publishing, or aim for leading roles in education management, you will find our program an excellent platform to gain state-of-the art knowledge of the field. Our approach encourages participation in exciting debates with peers and senior researchers alike. A majority of our students are from overseas, creating a diverse and stimulating environment.

Programme structure and coursework

MA students are required to take 60 credits (including 7 courses plus a capstone research project) to fulfill their coursework requirements, to be completed in a year.

Students are assessed by a combination of coursework and examination. In the capstone component, students will carry out their research project and present it in our end-of-year Postgraduate Research Forum. Outstanding research proposals will be invited to write a dissertation.

The class schedule and course information for academic year 2023/24 is not available yet. Similar to current year, classes are scheduled in day-time on weekdays or weekends.

 

Application and admission

Academic requirement:

Applicants for the programme should be the holder of a good BA degree (honoured, Division 2 or above), preferably with a major in linguistics or a closely related subject from a recognised university.

Expected English standards:

Applicants with qualifications from a university or comparable institution outside HK where the language of teaching or examination is not English are required to obtain:

  • a score of 550 or above (paper based test) or 80 or above (internet-based test) in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), in which a score of 4 or above in the Test of Written English (TWE), or a score of 25 or above in the Writing section of the Internet-based TOEFL; or
  • a minimum overall band of 7 with no subtest lower than 5.5 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

Only TOEFL / IELTS score recorded in the two years before the date of application is considered for admission.

Application and interviews:

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview, and may be tested on subject knowledge. If you do not hear from us within 2 months of application, you may consider your application unsuccessful. Shortlisting is on a rolling basis as soon as application begins. Interested applicants are strongly advised to apply as soon as possible.

Successful applicants recommended for admission will begin the programme in September of 2023. A deposit equivalent to 1st instalment of tuition fees and caution money is required upon their acceptance of conditional offer.

Application is now open until 31 March 2023 noon. For application please click here.

 

Tuition fee

HKD $238,000 (provisional)

*According to the definition by the HKSAR Government adopted for education-related areas in the post-secondary education context, non-local students are:

Funding opportunities:

  • Professional Development Incentive Grant Scheme for Language Teachers
    MA in Linguistics programme is a recognized programme included in the Government of HKSAR’s Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) List of recognized English language major degree programmes. We are also included in the list of “Programmes Accepted for Grants under the Professional Development Incentive Grant Scheme for Language Teachers”. Relevant applicants may go to this page for more information of the subsidy

 

Students Evaluation in Teaching and Learning (2020/21) results could be viewed here: 2020-21_SLEQ-TPG Scale_MALing