Master's Degree Programme
| About the programme Language: English (See language requirements) | Place of study: Aarhus | Commencement: August / September (no winter intake) |
Linguists study language in its most general and fundamental sense. In our daily lives, we are surrounded by language, and linguists seek to understand how humans use sound, writing, sign and gesture to encode and convey meaning. They develop descriptions of and theories explaining the structure, use, and evolution of language, and they investigate language in its interpersonal and cultural contexts. Linguists conduct research on the cognitive, social and neurobiological processes involved in producing and understanding language; on the development of these processes in childhood; on clinical disruptions to these processes; on the historical and cultural processes involved in the evolution and use of language; on the role language and dialect play in society and cultural identity; and on the structural characteristics that distinguish the world’s languages. Increasingly, linguists also contribute to the development of language technologies such as speech recognition, machine translation, and automatic text parsing.
On the linguistics MA, you will complete courses on linguistic theory, on language in use, on universals and typology, on experimental and statistical methods for studying language, and on computational methods (including programming). The MA also includes the opportunity to complete a project placement related to linguistics with an external organization, and to conduct your own research in a Masters thesis.
Graduates with an MA degree in Linguistics have a well-defined, yet broad set of opportunities for finding employment and contributing to society. These opportunities can be grouped under three main career trajectories: Traditional language services, Social language services, and Computational language services (see below for examples).
To prepare students for work in these areas, the MA program includes courses on linguistic theory and practice, including courses on grammatical theory, interactional linguistics, typology, psycho/neurolinguistics, and computational linguistics. Students also complete a research topic, and gain real world experience by completing a project placement. The program concludes with a research thesis, in which students conduct independent research in a particular area within linguistics. In addition to working together with the thesis advisor, theses may also be completed in collaboration with an external organization.
In this section you can learn more about the admission requirements relevant to the master's degree programme in Linguistics. Depending on your educational background and your qualifications, there are different ways to meet the admission requirements:
This section is relevant for you, if you have:
The two sections listed below are relevant only for students with a bachelor's degree from a Danish institution:
Below you will also be able to learn more about language requirements and find out whether or not this master's degree programme has a limited intake.
If you have an international educational background, you must meet both the general admission requirement and the specific admission requirements:
You must have a bachelor's degree or equivalent that is comparable to a Danish bachelor's degree in both level and duration (180 ECTS).
For more information about how your bachelor's degree is assessed, please see the national database.
If you meet the general admission requirement, the university will continue on to assess whether or not you meet the specific admission requirements.
You can be admitted to the master's programme if the university assesses that your education has a level, scope, and content that corresponds to the academic requirements specified below.
| Subject area | Number of ECTS |
Linguistics The following subject areas must be covered:
| 45 |
Additional subjects within linguistiscs or a related discipline such as language subject, psychology, cognitive science or a anthropology | 15 |
| Total | 60 |
We cannot assess in advance whether your specific degree will meet the above requirements. Therefore, we recommend that you apply for the programme if you believe that you meet the academic requirements. In this regard, it is a good idea to compare your degree with the programmes that provide direct admission.
The following Bachelor's degree programme(s) from Aarhus University entitles you to an offer of admission to the Master's degree programme in Linguistics:
Bachelor's degree programme in Linguistics from Aarhus University
Please note that you must apply for admission to the Master's degree programme within three years of completing your Bachelor's degree programme.
Learn more about Legal right of admission.
Certain Bachelor's degree programmes from Aarhus University and various other Danish Universities have been determined to meet the admission requirements to this Master's degree programme in Linguistics:
This master's degree programme has a limited intake.
Because of the limited intake all qualified applicants will be prioritised according to a set of selection critieria (see below).
Meeting the admission requirements does not automatically ensure your offer of admission. Only if you have a specific bachelor's degree from Aarhus University with a so-called 'legal right of admission' will you be guarenteed an offer of admission to this master's degree programme.
If the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of vacant places, the following criteria will be taken into account in the selection process (each criterion counts as 1/3):
1. Grade level from qualifying degree programme
2. Grades achieved in relevant subject areas:
Linguistics, including Grammar (Morphology and Syntax)
A discipline related to Linguistics (e.g. Language, Psychology, Cognitive Science or Anthropology)
Please note that grades obtained after the application deadline are not included in the grade level.
3. Relevant subject areas (expressed in ECTS credits). This assessment does not include ECTS credits, which are part of the admission requirements described under 'Other degree programmes that may give access'.
Linguistics, including Grammar (Morphology and Syntax)
A discipline related to Linguistics (e.g. Language, Psychology, Cognitive Science or Anthropology)
In order to be admitted to this programme you must meet the university's english language requirements.
Students with bachelor's degree from Aarhus University with a so-called 'Legal right of admission' are exempt from the English language requirement.
Unfortunately, Aarhus University is not able to assess your qualifications beforehand. In order for your qualifications to be assessed you must apply for admission. To learn more, please go to Assessment of your qualifications.
The following table shows the structure of the degree programme. More information about the structure and content can be found in the academic regulations.
You can complete project-oriented work during the 3rd semester of your programme. The project gives you an opportunity to use your linguistic skills in a real work context.
The project must be relevant to your degree programme in a broad sense and should preferably also improve your future job prospects. In other words, you have an opportunity to create your own individual competence profile by working on a project which focuses on job and career experience.
You can find much more information about project-oriented work and internships af AUs Job and Project Bank.
The Master’s degree programme in Linguistics is a full-time course corresponding to 37-40 hours of work a week. Even though you may not have to attend lectures or classes every day, you should expect to spend quite a lot of time preparing for the teaching and meeting your study group.
Monday:
8-10 Reading
10-13 Class in Language in context
14-16 Instructor in Experimental Psycholinguistics
Tuesday:
8-10 Reading
10-12 Lecture in Experimental Psycholinguistics
13-16 Study group work
Wednesday:
9-12 Study group work
12-16 Reading
Thursday:
8-10 Reading
10-12 Class in Experimental Psycholinguistics
13-16 Reading
Friday:
8-11 Class in Grammatical Theory: A functional approach
12-15 Reading
16-?? Friday bar
There are about 100 students of linguistics at Aarhus University, and the study environment is extremely friendly and lively. The students have their own facilities and organize a wide range of academic and social activities. There is also close contact between the teachers and students – not only in the teaching, supervision and project work, but also because the students have the chance to take part in research alongside the academic staff. Here are some of the activities and projects which our students take part in:
The main Aarhus University campus is unique, with buildings closely grouped together and surrounded by nature. The campus is conveniently situated close to the city centre, and student accommodation is readily available as long as you apply on time. There are a range of activities, ranging from running to regatta on the lake, as well as guest lectures, film screenings, and university events taking place throughout the year. To ensure student well-being, counselling services are available for students, to offer support and guidance during their time at Aarhus.
As the second-largest city in Denmark, Aarhus is a young and dynamic place with plenty of opportunities. The 40,000 students at the university make up 17.5% of the city’s population, which leaves its mark on city life. An attractive feature of Aarhus is that there are beaches and woods a short bike-ride away, as well as cultural events taking place throughout the year, including the Aarhus Festival in September. The theatres in the city and the ARoS international art museum offer many events that enable you to experience the Danish culture.
Why choose Aarhus? See studyguide.au.dk and get all practical information about being an international student.
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You can get an overview of potential jobs with a Master's degree in Linguistics by watching the four presentations below.
The chart shows the five most common types of work for graduates 1-2 years after finishing their degree. The data is derived from a survey made by Epinion for the Ministry of Higher Education and Science and Aarhus University in 2020.
Graduates with a Master’s degree in Linguistics have detailed insight into all aspects of oral and written language, as well as great understanding of information structures. Common jobs for graduates from the program fall into one of three categories:
Still curious about career opportunities? Watch the video where graduate Sara V. Løppenthin Stendevad talks about her job as a Senior Communications & Sustainability Consultant at NNIT specialising in strategic communication.
You can find inspiration for potential career paths in the Arts Career alumnus portraits of Master’s graduates from the Faculty of Arts.
