English Language and Linguistics

Program Overview

English Language and Linguistics MPhil, PhD

Overview

Our PhD research programmes will allow you to join one of our research projects or explore your own interests in English Language and Linguistics, supported by the expertise of our staff.

Full Description

You’ll be allocated two supervisors, with additional staff members available if necessary. We have PhD supervisors with experience in most areas of English language and linguistics including, for example, multilingualism, second language acquisition, comparative and theoretical syntax, Romance linguistics, linguistic minorities, the construction of linguistic, ethnic and cultural identities, and empirical approaches to the study of language.

You’ll conduct your research in a collaborative environment with strong links to a number of other centres in the University and the wider community. We host and take part in many research oriented events for staff and postgraduate students, including our regular Faculty and departmental research seminars and international conferences. Our seminars will give you the chance to present papers in a supportive setting.

We’re also key contributors to the Anglia Ruskin-Cambridge University (ARC) Romance Linguistics Seminar, who organise many talks you’ll be welcome to attend, or even contribute to. These events, along with our online environment, will help you connect with other research students from a range of disciplines.

Completion Times

• MPhil: full-time 1-3 years, part-time 2-4 years.
• PhD via progression from MPhil, including that period: full-time 2.5-5 years, part-time 3.5-6 years.
• PhD: full-time 2-4 years, part-time 3-6 years.

PhD Project Opportunities

• World-leading research at ARU
• Anglia Ruskin Research Centre for Intercultural and Multilingual Studies (ARRCIMS)
• StoryLab

Supervision and Support

Our permanent supervisory staff are recognised experts in their field, and have produced a number of influential books, journal articles and edited collections. Our research expertise includes:

• Dr Sebastian Rasinger, BA, PG Cert, PhD: sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, multilingualism, linguistic and cultural identities.
• Melanie Bell, MPhil (Cantab), MA (Cantab), DipTEFL: the empirical study of language: experimental, corpus-based and computational approaches to phonetics and phonology, morphology and syntax, semantics and pragmatics.
• Dr Bettina Beinhoff, BA (Cantab), MPhil (Cantab), PhD (Cantab): acquisition of second/foreign language phonology, linguistic and cultural identities (especially attitudes, stereotypes and identity construction in multilingual contexts and dialect contact situations) and sociolinguistic aspects of constructed languages.
• Dr Vahid Parvaresh, BA, MA, PhD: societal Pragmatics, interlanguage/L2 pragmatics, (im)politeness, historical pragmatics, linguistic landscape.

Where You'll Research

• Your department and faculty: At the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, we believe in thinking critically about the past, present and future to challenge perceptions and better understand communities and people.
• Where can I study?: Cambridge
• Specialist facilities: You’ll have access to the University of Cambridge Library as well as our own campus library, and to our PhD room, where all our doctoral students can meet up to work and take an active part in our postgraduate student community.

Fees & Funding

• Course fees:
  • UK students, 2024/25 (per year): £4,786
  • UK students, 2024/25 (part-time, per year): £2,392
  • International students, 2024/25 (per year): £15,900
  • International students, 2024/25 (part-time, per year): £7,950
• Bench fees: In some cases extra costs known as bench fees will be charged for a postgraduate research degree. These are to cover additional/exceptional costs directly related to a specific research project.
• PhD by Published Work: Initial registration: £1,500, Full registration: £4,500
• Writing up fees 2024/25: £1,200

How Do I Pay My Fees?

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in instalments – though you won't need to pay until you've accepted an offer to study with us.

Funding

For advice on the Doctoral Loan and other sources of funding, including ARU scholarships, visit our finance guide for postgraduate researchers.

ARU Research

ARU's academic excellence was recognised in 2021, as part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF), an exercise which assesses the quality of academic research. Sixteen areas of our work were classed as generating world-leading research. The results showed that we're making a significant impact on the societies we live in.

Careers

We’ll provide you with many opportunities for career development and training, in areas like writing up a paper for publication; placing an academic article; giving a conference paper; the doctoral writing style; updates on research methods and literature searches; internet training; editing skills for doctoral research; subsequent monograph publication; and dealing with festivals, agents, and publishers. You might also be able to take on teaching responsibilities in the department, or organise research events like seminars and conferences.

Entry Requirements

• MPhil or PhD with progression from MPhil: You’ll need a Bachelors degree or equivalent with first or upper second class honours, in a related subject area.
• PhD: You’ll need a Masters degree or equivalent in a related subject area.
• If English is not your first language, you'll require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5, with a minimum of 5.5 in each component (or equivalent test).

Program Outline

Teaching:

Our permanent supervisory staff are recognised experts in their field, and have produced a number of influential books, journal articles and edited collections. Our research expertise includes: Dr Sebastian Rasinger, BA, PG Cert, PhD: sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, multilingualism, linguistic and cultural identities. Melanie Bell, MPhil (Cantab), MA (Cantab), DipTEFL: the empirical study of language: experimental, corpus-based and computational approaches to phonetics and phonology, morphology and syntax, semantics and pragmatics. Dr Bettina Beinhoff, BA (Cantab), MPhil (Cantab), PhD (Cantab): acquisition of second/foreign language phonology, linguistic and cultural identities (especially attitudes, stereotypes and identity construction in multilingual contexts and dialect contact situations) and sociolinguistic aspects of constructed languages. Dr Vahid Parvaresh, BA, MA, PhD: societal Pragmatics, interlanguage/L2 pragmatics, (im)politeness, historical pragmatics, linguistic landscape.

Careers:

We’ll provide you with many opportunities for career development and training, in areas like writing up a paper for publication; placing an academic article; giving a conference paper; the doctoral writing style; updates on research methods and literature searches; internet training; editing skills for doctoral research; subsequent monograph publication; and dealing with festivals, agents, and publishers. You might also be able to take on teaching responsibilities in the department, or organise research events like seminars and conferences. In conjunction with the University’s research support, you can request specific support for writing-up, conference papers, general research methods and other research skills if you need it.

Tuition Fees and Payment Information:

UK students, 2023/24 (per year) £4,712 UK students, 2023/24 (part-time, per year) £2,356 International students, 2023/24 (per year) £15,000 International students, 2023/24 (part-time, per year) £7,500 UK students, 2024/25 (per year) £4,786 UK students, 2024/25 (part-time, per year) £2,392 International students, 2024/25 (per year) £15,900 International students, 2024/25 (part-time, per year) £7,950