Program Overview

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Applied Linguistics (Online) PhD

Research Overview

Applied linguistics offers a fascinating opportunity to study the interaction between language and the real world. Our staff are specialists in the areas of psycholinguistics, language development, second language acquisition, and motivation theories of language learning. We host research in discourse analysis and sociolinguistics, with particular specialisms in health communication, professional communication, and language, gender, and sexuality. We are unique in offering opportunities to do research in literary linguistics, narratology, and cognitive poetics.

Course Content

A PhD in Applied Linguistics is mainly made up of independent study, with supervision meetings occurring online (e.g., via Microsoft Teams) and spread throughout the year. There are no taught credits attached to a PhD, although it is compulsory for full-time students to attend the Arts Faculty Researcher Skills training programme, which is available for online attendance.

Part-time Students

Part-time students are required to take part in all required research training, attend postgraduate seminars where possible, and one postgraduate researcher (PGR) symposium over the period of their registration.

Assessment

You will complete a written thesis of up to 100,000 words, with expert support and advice from your academic supervisor(s). You will also take a verbal examination called a viva voce, where you explain your project in depth to an examination panel.

Entry Requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis, and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements below apply to 2026 entry.

• Degree: 2:1 (or international equivalent) and a master's degree at Merit level or above. Applicants without a master's degree who can demonstrate equivalent expertise should contact the School of English.
• International and EU equivalents: We accept a wide range of qualifications from all over the world. For information on entry requirements from your country, see our country pages.
• IELTS: 7.0 (no less than 6.0 in any element)
• English language requirements: As well as IELTS (listed above), we also accept other English language qualifications. This includes TOEFL iBT, Pearson PTE, GCSE, IB, and O level English.

Meeting Our English Language Requirements

If you need support to meet the required level, you may be able to attend a presessional English course. Presessional courses teach you academic skills in addition to English language. Our Centre for English Language Education is accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK.

Visa Restrictions

International students must have valid UK immigration permissions for any courses or study period where teaching takes place in the UK. Student route visas can be issued for eligible students studying full-time courses. The University of Nottingham does not sponsor a student visa for students studying part-time courses. The Standard Visitor visa route is not appropriate in all cases. Please contact the university's Visa and Immigration team if you need advice about your visa options.

Applying

You will be required to provide a PhD proposal with your application, which will set out the structure of your project. The basis of a good proposal is usually a set of questions, approaches, and objectives which clearly outline your proposed project and what you want to accomplish. The proposal should also clearly demonstrate how you are going to accomplish this.

A PhD proposal should be a minimum of 1000 words. There is no upward limit for proposals, although successful proposals are often not much longer than about 2000 words. You should consider:

• The methodologies that you will use in your project (as appropriate)
• The necessary resources and facilities you will need to carry out your project

In addition, the proposal should outline your reasons (academic and/or personal) for registering for online study rather than by full or part-time on-campus options. In particular, you should make clear how you will be able to carry out your project in your chosen location. The proposal must include evidence of:

• Experience and ability to work independently e.g., papers/presentations at professional and academic conferences or publications in professional journals or previous completion of an independent research project, etc.
• Access to local library facilities (where needed)
• Access to suitable IT facilities
• Access to online communications, e.g., Microsoft Teams
• Access to facilities to support any study-related disability (where appropriate)

It is also helpful to include:

• A summary of any further research experience, in addition to your academic qualifications. This could include work undertaken at undergraduate or master's level, or outside the educational system.
• The name of the supervisor who may supervise the project (see the full list of supervision areas in the school)

Fees

• Home / UK: To be confirmed.
• International: To be confirmed.

Additional Information for International Students

If you are a student from the EU, EEA, or Switzerland, you may be asked to complete a fee status questionnaire, and your answers will be assessed using guidance issued by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA).

These fees are for full-time study. If you are studying part-time, you will be charged a proportion of this fee each year (subject to inflation).

Additional Costs

All students will need at least one device to approve security access requests via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). We also recommend students have a suitable laptop to work both on and off-campus. For more information, please check the equipment advice.

Funding

There are funding opportunities which are only open to students within the Faculty of Arts.

Support

Regular Supervision

You will have a team of at least two supervisors. Full-time students will meet with their supervisory team at least 12 times each year (six times for part-time students).

Professional Development

Research students in the School of English may benefit from:

• Student-led research seminars and an annual symposium (recorded and/or hybrid for online students)
• Research networks created by the research centres and individual research projects
• Co-authorship with members of staff, where applicable
• Dedicated staff-postgraduate reading groups in some research areas
• Support for participation in international conferences and seminars

Careers

Careers Advice

Whether you are considering a career in academia, industry, or haven't yet decided, we're here to support you every step of the way.

Expert staff will work with you to explore PhD career options and apply for vacancies, develop your interview skills, and meet employers. You can book a one-to-one appointment, take an online course, or attend a workshop.

International students who complete an eligible degree programme in the UK on a student visa can apply to stay and work in the UK after their course under the Graduate immigration route. Eligible courses at the University of Nottingham include bachelors, master's, and research degrees, and PGCE courses.

Graduate Destinations

This course will develop key transferable skills, including:

• Analysis and problem-solving
• Independent research
• Information gathering and data management
• Construction of logical and persuasive arguments

As a result, our graduates enter a wide range of careers. These include:

• Lecturing, teaching, and academic research
• Specialist archive, librarian, heritage, and museum work
• Journalism, publishing, and research
• Marketing
• Local and central government
• Social policy

100% of postgraduates from the School of English secured graduate-level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual salary for these graduates was £37,402.