General Linguistics (MA)
Curriculum
General Linguistics
The one-year programme in General Linguistics gives students the opportunity to specialise in one of the field's several sub-disciplines. All courses are taught in English, are task-oriented and require a high degree of student involvement.
Programme outline
The programme in General Linguistics yields 60 ECTS credits: 42 credits for seminars addressing sub-areas of linguistics and 18 credits for a Master's thesis. Students must also attend ten lectures in the Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication lecture series.
The specific number of credits a student is required to obtain through coursework is determined by the admissions committee and is based on the student's previous qualifications. Fulfilment of all the requirements will take at least one year.
Seminars
Predefined combinations of two to three seminars are offered in the areas listed below, but other coherent combinations of seminars are accepted too, depending on the interests and qualifications of the student.
Predefined combinations: Language Acquisition and Disorders, Sign Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Speech Technology and Theoretical Linguistics.
Each programme variant contains a number of core courses, but also leaves room for students to take one or two elective courses. These can be chosen from the Linguistics course list or from related programmes in the humanities or social sciences. The choice of courses is subject to the approval of the programme director.
Thesis
The Master's thesis reports on research carried out by the student under the supervision of two academic staff members involved in the programme. The subject of the thesis must be mutually agreed upon by the student and the academic
adviser(s). The final text should be approximately 12,000 words.
Credit transfer
Students who show exceptional promise during a regular or professional programme are encouraged to continue their studies in a research programme. Once students are admitted to the research programme, they can transfer credits earned during their previous course of study towards their research programme. The examination committee determines which courses qualify for transfer.