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1. Study
2. Postgraduate
3. Taught Courses
4. Masters
5. Applied Linguistics

Course Fact File

Code	MAAPL
Duration	1 Year Full-time
Teaching Mode	Full-time
Qualifications	MA
NFQ Level	Level 9
Closing Date	Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.
Non-EU Closing Date	Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.
Start Date	8 September 2025

Course Outline

Our MA Applied Linguistics programme, offered by the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, will provide you with the tools to describe language from various analytical perspectives and with insight and training in various branches of applied linguistics. In addition, we encourage the development of key research skills in terms of methodological training for conducting research in this field.

Invited guest speakers, who are international specialists in their field, add to the richness of our department and reflect student interests in any particular year. The thesis component of our programme allows specialisation on a research topic of specific interest to you.

While the previous study of linguistics is not required, the course will specifically interest you if you are a language graduate or have an interest in a language-related career, such as language teaching, journalism, communications, media, speech and language therapy.

This one-year MA course will appeal to a wide range of people, including present and future language teachers, and those interested in the various areas of linguistics. The programme consists of two parts totalling 90 credits in total.

Modules

Part I
 (45 credits)

• AL6009 Researching Language in Context: Approaches and Methods (15 credits)
• AL6011 General Aspects of Linguistic Theory (15 credits)

• AL6012 Applied Aspects of Linguistics (15 credits)
• AL6013 Optional Areas of Specialisation in Applied Linguistics (15 credits)

Part II
 (45 credits)

• AL6008 Dissertation in Applied Linguistics (30 credits)

Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Linguistics

Candidates who pass at least 30 credits of taught modules may opt to exit the programme and be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Linguistics.

Course Practicalities

The course generally includes four two-hour weekly lectures and seminars led by different members of the lecturing team. Individual supervision is provided for the purposes of the dissertation component through regular meetings between you and your supervisor. The course teaching is complemented by recommended reading lists provided by individual lecturers.  

The MA begins in the second week of September, with course teaching ending in early April and thesis submission at the end of September. The course involves attendance at lectures and seminars, the writing of course papers, and the completion of other assessed tasks. 

The course is assessed by assignments in various forms such as practical exercises, oral presentations, essays, and a dissertation. 

Modules are complemented by a number of guest lectures by international specialists in applied linguistics.  

Our teaching staff from the School of Languages, Literatures & Cultures include:

• Dr Anne Marie Devlin
• Dr Isabelle Jouinot
• Dr Barbara Siller 
• Dr Seána Ryan 
• Dr Aisling O’Donnell

Why Choose This Course

This course will provide you with a solid grounding in various branches of applied linguistics, while at the same time allowing you considerable scope for specialisation in a research area of interest to you through the thesis component. Ours is a broad church and we can support you in most areas of study within the field of Applied Linguistics. For example, recent final-year thesis titles include:

• Vasiliki Tzoutza: The case of Gender Inclusive Language in bilingual speakers of Greek and English. Winner of the 2025 EFNIL Master’s Thesis Award as one of the best three theses in Europe within the area of language use, language policy and multilingualism. 

• Eimear O’Riordan: “I’m so sorry. I’d love to help you, but I’m genuinely up the walls at the moment.” – A gendered study on the realisation of refusals by young adult speakers of Irish English  

• Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang: Conceptual transfer: The interference of Vietnamese L1 in the acquisition of English spatial prepositions 

• Jennifer Wolfgang: The happiness factor: The effects of perceived L1 accent discrimination on L2 speakers’ subjective wellbeing 

• Jennifer O'Donovan: Discursive strategies of legitimization: The case of abortion in Ireland in 2018. A multimodal approach 

• Devin Blake O'Sullivan: Moral metaphor analysis: A novel approach to 
  critical metaphor analysis using moral foundations theory 

Former MA students have published articles based on their MA Theses in academic journals: 

Toth, P., & Riordan, E. (2024). “My Polish is dying, and I'm really upset about it”: First language experiences of the 1.5 generation of immigrants in Ireland. TEANGA, the Journal of the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics, 31, 54-77. https://doi.org/10.35903/teanga.v31i.7695 

Carolan, J., & Devlin, A. M. (2024). The complex L2 self: Chinese study abroad students’ EFL motivations through the lens of neoliberalism and Neo-Confucianism. Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education, 9(2), 245-281. https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.23006.car 

O'Donovan, J. and Siller, B. (2021). Discursive strategies of legitimization: The case of abortion in Ireland in 2018. TEANGA, The Journal of the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics, 12(12), 1-22. https://journal.iraal.ie/index.php/teanga/article/view/495/755 

Devlin, A. M., & Grant, C. (2017). The sexually frustrated, the dumb and the libtard traitors: A typology of insults used in the positioning of multiple others in Irish online discourse relating to refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants and migrants. European Journal of Communication, 32(6), 598-613. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323117741 

You will also receive training in research methods, allowing you to develop generic skills which you will continue to draw on in your future career as well as in subsequent study at the doctoral level.  

PhD Study at UCC

Many of our graduates pursue PhD study at UCC and beyond. The College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences offers up to 10 scholarships to PhD/MPhil students every year. Recent graduates who successfully received an Excellence Scholarship from UCC are Jordan Carolan and Natasha Ryzhova. 

Students who completed the MA in Applied Linguistics and currently pursue their PhD at UCC include: 

• Yuyao Xiao: Unpacking social network dynamics of Chinese sojourners in Ireland: An ecological perspective on group and individual experiences 

• Jordan Carolan: The relationship between L2 motivation and L2 investment amongst study abroad students from Confucian heritage cultures: A social-psychological inquiry 

• Natasha Ryzhova: Language engagement in Ukrainian temporary protection holders in Ireland 

Skills and Careers Information

What can I do after I graduate with an MA in Applied Linguistics?

This MA programme will specifically interest language graduates and those with an interest in language issues in society and a language-related career. Given the diverse branches of Applied Linguistics, students have considerable scope for specialisation in a research area of specific interest to them. A further strength of the programme is the training students receive in Research Methods, thereby developing generic skills which graduates will continue to draw upon in their future careers as well as in subsequent study at the doctoral level, for example. 

Occupations associated with Applied Linguistics

• Language Teaching, Education & Research
• Journalism and Publishing
• Communication & Media
• Information Technology
• Public Relations
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Translator and Interpreter

While these are examples of career areas, the generic and transferrable skills developed in the MA programme will be helpful in all career paths.

What are our graduates doing?

Past graduates are pursuing careers in a wide range of areas, such as language teaching and education, communications, journalism, and speech and language therapy, among others. Some graduates also choose to continue their studies at the doctoral level through the PhD programme in Applied Linguistics that is offered at University College Cork.

The generic skills that underlie the Research Methods training and the skills of analysis and interpretation that underlie the programme as a whole have been shown to be particularly fruitful in graduates’ subsequent professional and academic lives.

 

Requirements

Applicants must have a Second Class Honours Grade 1 in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) which includes language and cultural studies, linguistics or a related subject area.

Applicants with a Second Class Honours Grade 2 in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) will be considered under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), where the applicant has relevant additional work experience or background knowledge as assessed by the programme coordinators in an interview.

Fees and Costs

How To Apply

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)

Note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following:

• You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.
• Please describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.

The closing date for non-EU applications is Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

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