Linguistics

Advanced learning opportunities

The master's programme in Linguistics is an advanced degree programme that builds on the knowledge you have acquired through a bachelor's degree programme. The master's programme provides you with a theoretical and methodological basis for carrying out research in linguistics.

The programme includes up-to-date specialization courses in structure and form, cognition, variation and meaning, and you will work with professors who are engaged in research and practice in several areas of linguistics, including typology, theoretical syntax, formal semantics and pragmatics, experimental phonetics and phonology, language contact and language change (historical linguistics), and ‘super linguistics’, the application of linguistic methodology to objects of study beyond natural language (including gestures, emoji, and dance). Regional foci of research within the department include the Pacific region, the Indian subcontinent, Ethiopia, the languages of Scandinavia, and languages of North America. In addition to course work you also have the option to conduct a professional internship or research apprenticeship.

International training and network

You will receive a solid background in general linguistics, and will be educated by an international faculty, holding PhD degrees from top universities in the USA and Europe, including Norway. They maintain active networks with researchers around the world, which will enable you to start building an international network in linguistics while carrying out your own independent research project. The University of Oslo has also established high-profile exchange agreements that will enable you to spend a semester abroad if you wish to do so during your MA studies.

Develop knowledge and skills

The programme will provide you with knowledge about theoretical and methodological developments in the study of linguistics and the ability to design and conduct your own research project. Through your work on your master's thesis, you gain experience in carrying out independent research work and lay the foundation for further professional activities. Students are particularly encouraged to carry out projects that combine theoretical questions with empirical data, as well as projects that involve the theoretical analysis of lesser-described languages.

As a student at the Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies you will have access to state-of-the-art labs: the Text Laboratory, which hosts corpora and databases, and the Socio-Cognitive Laboratory, with a video studio, an EEG room, and an eyetracking room.

In working life, linguists are found, among other domains, in research and teaching, administration, publishing, language technology and consulting on language disorders.

Student community, support, and resources

As a student in the MA in Linguistics, you will be hosted in the Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies among a broader community of MA students in several programs. You will learn alongside students from different cultural, linguistic, and scholarly backgrounds. All students have access to services including the Department’s MA student study lounge, and the University of Oslo’s excellent libraries, Writing Center and Career Services.