MA in Linguistics and Communication Sciences (Research)

Netherlands

What will I learn?

Whenever we use language – whether it’s written, spoken or signed – we’re communicating. How does this work, and how and why does miscommunication occur? How does language fit together and how do we learn to understand each other?

Master's Linguistics and Communication Sciences: something for you?

You'll develop a unique professional profile by specialising in an area that meets your interests and research ambitions.
You’ll gain substantial hands-on research experience during two lab rotations.
Radboud University has excellent facilities for doing research.

What will you learn?

The research master’s programme in Linguistics and Communication Sciences offers a multidisciplinary perspective on how the fields of linguistics and communication studies complement one another. This approach is unique in the Netherlands. This research master’s programme focuses strongly on empirical research. You’ll study real language in real-life situations and use your observations to develop possible theories. Later, you’ll test these theories against everyday reality. In this way, you’ll discover the richness of both language and communication and be well prepared to conduct original research on language related issues. This programme is initially intended to prepare its students for a career in research, in particular for PhD positions, although other career options in the field are also open to you.

Career prospects

Master's programme in Linguistics and Communication Sciences (Research)

This research Master’s aims to train students to become skilled empirical linguists or communications experts with a deep understanding of language and communication. By the end of the programme you’ll

Have acquired empirical research skills at an advanced level, including a thorough understanding of approaches and techniques that support corpus-based, experimental, and computational research;
Be able to describe and apply general knowledge on the historical roots and modern developments within the fields of Linguistics and Communication Studies, and are capable of relating these fields to each other;
Have become a specialist in a certain area within the fields of linguistics and communication studies: the start of your professional profile;
Be able to engage in the social debates regarding linguistics and communication issues.
Have acquired English academic writing skills and have practiced writing a publishable scholarly article and a proposal for a PhD project;
Have started to build up a professional (inter)national network.

Which department am I in?

Faculty of Arts

Study options

Full Time (2 years)

Tuition fees
€16,500.00 (14,91,997) per year
Start date

Expected September 2025

Venue

Radboud University

Houtlaan 4,

NIJMEGEN,

Gelderland,

6525 XZ, Netherlands

Entry requirements

For international students

Your admission into this programme depends on your previous education. You are admissible if you have a completed Bachelor's degree from a Research University, in Linguistics, in Communication Studies, in a modern language or a related area.

Your average grade during the second and third years of your BA studies has to have been at least a 7.5 and your Bachelor’s thesis must have received a grade of at least 8.0. (Grades in the Netherlands are out of 10.

Proficiency in English

In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English. Non-native speakers of English* without a Dutch Bachelor's degree or VWO diploma need one of the following:

  • TOEFL score of ≥100 (internet based), subscores ≥22;
  • IELTS score of ≥7.0, subscores ≥6.5;
  • Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Proficiency in English (CPE), or Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a mark of C or higher;
  • Bachelor’s Degree from a Research University in Australia, Canada (excluding Quebec), Ireland, New-Zealand, United Kingdom or the United States of America.

Application Deadline: Non-EU/EEA students - 1 April; EU/EEA students - 1 May (recommended deadline for assistance with finding housing) and 1 July (final application deadline).

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