Come and study corpus linguistics with us at Lancaster! We are excited to offer an MA programme in Corpus Linguistics at Lancaster University. The programme is part of our offer of distance programmes and is thus delivered fully online. The programme is aimed at those wishing to enhance their careers by learning flexibly – from home, work, or wherever and whenever is convenient. You can find out more about the programme on this webpage.
Course information
We aim to equip you with skills that will enable you to analyse large amounts of linguistic data (corpora) using cutting-edge computational technology. You will also learn about the structure of the English language and a wide variety of applications of corpus linguistic methods for the analysis of English and other languages. This includes discourse analysis (newspapers, business reports, social media etc.), sociolinguistic analysis of spoken language as well as pedagogical applications of corpora (Data Driven Learning, English for Academic Purposes, teaching materials development etc.).
There are five core modules and two optional modules, which are expected to run at the following times:
Core modules:
- Fundamentals of corpus linguistics (October-December year 1)
- Corpus design and data collection (January – March year 1)
- Statistics and data visualization (April – June year 1)
- Corpus based grammar and vocabulary of English (October – December year 2)
- Dissertation (April – August/September year 2)
Optional modules:
- Using corpora in language teaching (January – March year 2)
- Corpus-based discourse studies (January – March year 2)
Lancaster University has a specialised corpus research centre, The ESRC Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science, CASS , and is one of the world leaders in corpus linguistics. We build corpora such as the British National Corpus 2014 and the Trinity Lancaster Corpus, and develop innovative corpus tools such as #LancsBox, Lancaster Stats Tools online and CQPweb. In 2015, Lancaster University was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for innovative corpus linguistic research.
During your studies, you will learn from experts in the field will have access to a wealth of corpus resources. The programme will help your professional growth in variety of fields where analytical skills are required. Typical graduate careers include data analysts, market analysts, educators, journalists, teachers, communications consultants, sales representatives, local government officials etc. The programme will also prepare you for research at the PhD level in corpus linguistics and related subject areas if they choose to continue with your studies.
By the end of the MA programme, you will have had the opportunity to master research techniques as well as general academic skills of structuring and writing research reports and carrying out extensive independent research. This will enhance your chances of success in the competitive job market.
Taster webinar and free lectures
You are invited to get a taste for the subject and some of our specialisms by viewing our taster webinar and free lectures. If you have any questions about the programme, please get in touch with us at postgraduatelinguistics@lancaster.ac.uk or you can email the Programme Director Dr Dana Gablasova (d.gablasova@lancaster.ac.uk) with your questions or to book a slot for an online chat.
Please note: It is also possible to take modules on a standalone basis. Please contact the department if you would like further information.
The Department of Linguistics and English Language (LAEL) in Lancaster is the largest linguistics department in the UK, with a range of expertise, active research environment and a strong community of around 140 PhD students. The department is also among the top linguistics departments in the world as well as in the UK. In the 2024 QS World University rankings by subject Linguistics at Lancaster was ranked 3rd in the world. We have now been in the top 20 in the world for seven years in a row. Linguistics at Lancaster is also consistently ranked in the top 10 in the UK. We are ranked 2nd in the UK by 2024 Times Good University Guide and 3rd in the 2024 Complete University Guide. The Linguistics department is also home to the ESRC-funded Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science, one of world-leading centres in corpora development and corpus linguistics, a recipient of the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2015.
To read more about the department, please visit: http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/linguistics/
