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Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics

Adam nicholas, chloe patman, dimitrios kastanas, núria bosch, dr kane hafissatou, yury makarov, xinbing luo.

I am a first-year PhD student in the Phonetics Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, under the supervision of Prof Brechtje Post and Prof John Williams. My research centres on the implicit learning of tonal phonology and connectionist modelling. Prior to embarking on my doctoral study, I obtained an MPhil degree in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics from the University of Cambridge. My MPhil dissertation delved into the implicit learning of tone-segment associations. I also hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Daniel D. Lee

Based at the Phonetics Laboratory, Daniel D. Lee is a PhD Candidate in Computation, Cognition and Language. His doctoral research concerns the generation and detection of  spoofed speech  (also known as audio deepfake  or voice cloning ), which comprises both synthetic-based and imitation-based spoofing attacks. Undergirded by a 'four quadrant' approach (see figure below), the overarching objective is to investigate the acoustic, perceptual, and neurocognitive properties of spoofed speech.

Dr Petre Breazu

Dr anna tristram.

Cambridge Language Sciences is an Interdisciplinary Research Centre at the University of Cambridge. Our virtual network connects researchers from five schools across the university as well as other world-leading research institutions. Our aim is to strengthen research collaborations and knowledge transfer across disciplines in order to address large-scale multi-disciplinary research challenges relating to language research.

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• 01 Jul UK and Ireland Speech Workshop 2024
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The Section very much welcomes postgraduate students, both at the level of M.Phil. (Master's) and at the level of Ph.D. (Doctorate). Please follow one of the links below or to the left for information relevant to the type of course you wish to follow, and their content and resources.

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Tal phd programmes, m.phil. (master's).

Please direct any enquiries regarding entry requirements and academic matters to the Postgraduate Secretary in the MMLL Postgraduate Office: [email protected] , and any enquiries regarding the technicalities of applying to the  Postgraduate Admissions Office . 

The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages and Linguistics also runs MPhils and PhD programmes in film and screen studies, history and thought, and literary and cultural studies. Researchers in the Faculty work on all these aspects of modern languages including French, German, Italian, Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Spanish, Catalan, and Portuguese, with medieval languages ranging from Occitan and Old English to Gothic and Old Church Slavonic. Please find more information on our main postgraduate study page .

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Position/Status

Assistant Professor in Second Language Education

E-mail Address

pd543 @ cam.ac.uk

+ 44 (0)1223 767600

Qualifications

• PhD in Applied Linguistics, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada (2017)
• Masters in Applied Linguistics/TESOL, University of Queensland, Australia (2012)
• Bachelor in Language Teaching, An Giang University, Vietnam (2007)

Phung Dao is Assistant Professor in Second Language Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, where he teaches MPhil/MEd courses in Research in Second Language Education (RSLE) and supervises PhD students. Before joining the University of Cambridge, Phung was a senior Lecturer in TESOL and Applied Linguistics at Manchester Metropolitan University (2018-2022), teaching undergraduate/postgraduate courses and supervising PhD students in TESOL/Applied Linguistics. He also taught undergraduate/postgraduate courses in Applied Linguistics at University of Queensland (Australia), Concordia University (Canada) and An Giang University (Vietnam).

His research interests focus on instructed second language acquisition (ISLA), technology for language teaching and learning, peer interaction, learner engagement, Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), L2 pedagogy, and L2 teacher education. His publications appear in international peer-reviewed Applied Linguistic journals such as Modern Language Journal, TESOL Quarterly, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Language Teaching, Computer Assisted Language Learning, Language Teaching Research, Applied Linguistics Review, TESOL Journal, System, Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, Language Learning Journal, IRAL and among others.

His current research projects, funded by British Council and IELTS IDP Australia, investigate online English language teaching in Vietnamese public schools, IELTS impacts on stakeholders, and young learners’ engagement in L2 learning tasks in face-to-face and online classes.

Academic Area/Links

• British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL)
• American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL)
• Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics (CAAL)

Areas of research interests

My research interests are situated in the general area of applied linguistics, more specifically second language (L2) acquisition and technology for L2 learning and teaching. My current research focus is to investigate how learner engagement in peer interaction (both face-to-face and computer-mediated communication) positively contributes to the learning of EFL/ESL and how teachers facilitate this face-to-face and technology-enhanced interaction within the context of classroom. The goal of this research line is to investigate how researchers and instructors can promote effective interaction by exploring which task features, implementation condition, and cognitive, social and contextual factors affect this learning process.

Areas of research interests are below.

• Instructed second language acquisition
• Learner engagement in online and face-to-face language classes
• Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC): Synchronous online language learning and teaching
• Peer interaction in online and face-to-face language classes
• Second language pedagogy: Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT)

PhD supervision: I welcome prospective doctoral students that intend to work on the following research themes/areas:

Learner engagement; Classroom second language acquisition; Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC): Synchronous online language learning and teaching; Peer interaction; Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT); Second language pedagogy;Teacher Education

Current Research Project(s)

• 2023-2024: English in a multilingual world: Exploring the characteristics of Vietnamese English and its implications for classroom practice. Funded by British Council-Vietnam. Co- Investigator.
• 2022-2023: A landscape review of online English Language Teaching at public schools in an EFL context. Funded by British Council –Principal Investigator.
• 2022-2023: IELTS Juniors” in Vietnam: Perceptions of Key Stakeholders—Young Learners, Parents, and Course Providers. Funded by IELTS IDP Australia. –Principal Investigator.
• 2022-2023: Continuing professional development for school-level English language teachers in Vietnam through Teacher Activity Groups: An identity-focused approach. Funded by British Council –Co-Principal Investigator.
• 2022-2024: Monograph and co-authored books Dao, P (Monograph, contracted) Learner engagement in online second language class. London: Palgrave Macmillan
• 2021-2023: Iwashita, N., Dao, P. & Nguyen, M (Co-authored, contracted). Understanding L2 classroom interaction: A guide for language teachers. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. Collaborate with Noriko Iwashita & Mai Nguyen

Past funded research projects:

• Oral peer feedback in classroom second language task-based interaction (2019-2021). British Council English Language Teaching Research Award (ELTRA).
• Effects of SCMC mode and interlocutor familiarity on learner engagement (2019-2021). Language Learning’s Early Career Researcher Grant.
• Social impacts of the IELTS test on IELTS teachers: A case study in Central Vietnam (2019-2020).IELTS Joint-funded Research Programme 2019. https://www.ielts.org/teaching-and-research/grants-and-awards
• Effect of pronunciation instruction on L2 learners’ listening comprehension (2017-2018). English-language Researcher/Practitioner Grant Program. TOEFL Education Testing Service (ETS), USA.
• MPhil, MEd and PhD in Research in Second Language Education (RSLE)
• Research Method Strands (MEd)
• PhD Pathway

Principal and Recent Publications

• Dao, P., Iwashita, Nguyen, XNCM & Arias Contreras, C. (2014, in press). Teachers’ and learners’ beliefs about task-based language teaching: A systematic review. In Li, S. (Ed.), Individual Differences and Task-Based Language Teaching. John Benjamins.
• Dao, P. (2023, invited book review). The role of the learner in Task-Based Language Teaching: Theory and research methods , Craig Lambert, Scott Aubrey, and Gavin Bui. New York: Routledge. TESOL Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3285
• Dao, P., Bui, T., Nguyen, D., & Nguyen, M XNC (2023). Synchronous online English language teaching for young learners: Insights from primary public school teachers in an EFL context. Computer Assisted Language Learning. DOI: 10.1080/09588221.2023.2260429
• Nguyen, M. XNC., Dao, P. , Iwashita, N. & Spinelli, F. (2023). Teachers generate theories: A case of the concept of learner engagement in second language classroom interaction. Teaching and Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104151
• Phan, H. & Dao, P . (2023). Engagement in collaborative writing: Exploring learners’ control of task content and text quality. International Journal of Applied Linguistics. http://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12462
• Bui, T. & Dao, P . (2023). Primary school children’s peer interaction: Exploring EFL teachers’ perceptions and practices. Language Teaching Research. DOI: 10.1177/13621688231160727 . First published online April 1, 2023.
• Dao, P. , Hoang, S. & Nguyen, XNCM (2023). Young learners’ synchronous online peer interaction: Teachers’ beliefs of its benefits and implementation. Language Awareness. DOI: 10.1080/09658416.2022.2152828
• Nguyen, M. XNC, Dao , P., & Iwashita, N. (2022). Nurturing Teachers’ Research Mindset in an Inquiry‐Based Language Teacher Education Course. The Modern Language Journal. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/modl.12795
• Dao , P., Nguyen, M. XNC, Iwashita, N. & Spinelli, F. (2022). A dialogic approach to fostering TESOL teacher-learners’ research engagement: Insights from a ‘learning-to-research’ procedure. TESOL Quarterly.
• Dao , P. & Nguyen M. XNC (2022). K–12 Vietnamese learners’ oral peer feedback in classroom L2 task-based interaction in English as a Foreign Language: frequency, characteristics and influencing factors. Teaching English ELT Research Papers. British Council
• Dao , P., M. Nguyen, PT. Duong, V. Tran-Thanh. (2021) Learners’ Engagement in L2 Computer-Mediated Interaction: Chat Mode, Interlocutor Familiarity, and Text Quality. Modern Language Journal.
• Dao , P., & PT. Duong, & M. Nguyen. (2021). Effects of SCMC mode and learner familiarity on peer feedback in L2 interaction. Computer Assisted Language Learning.
• Dao , P., M. Sato (2021). Exploring fluctuations in the relationship between learners’ positive emotional engagement and their interactional behaviours. Language Teaching Research. pp.136216882110442-136216882110442.
• Dao , P., Nguyen, M. XNC, Chi, D. (2021). Reflective learning practice for promoting adolescent EFL learners’ attention to form. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching. Published online 17 Nov 2020
• Nguyen, H. V., Nguyen, M. X. N. C., & Dao , P. (2020). The impact of IELTS on English language teachers in Central Vietnam, IELTS Research Reports Online Series, No. 1. British Council, Cambridge Assessment English and IDP: IELTS Australia. Available at https://www.ielts.org/teaching-and-research/research-reports
• Dao , P. (2020). Effect of interaction strategy instruction on learner engagement in peer interaction. System. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102244
• Dao , P., Nguyen, M. XNC, & Nguyen C. (2020). Effect of pronunciation instruction on L2 learners’ listening comprehension. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation. https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.19012.dao
• Dao , P., Nguyen, M., & Iwashita, N. (2019). Teachers’ Perceptions of Learner Engagement in L2 Classroom Task-Based Interaction. Language Learning Journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2019.1666908
• Nguyen, M., & Dao , P. (2019). Identity exploration and development in TESOL teacher education: A three-dimensional space narrative inquiry perspective. TESOL Journal (Special Issue). https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.492
• Trofimovich, P., McDonough, K., Dao , P., & Abashidze, D. (2019). Attitudinal bias, individual differences, and second language speakers’ interactional performance. Applied Linguistics Review. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2019-0010
• Dao , P. (2019). Effects of task goal orientation on learner engagement in task performance. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching (IRAL). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2018-0188
• McDonough, K., Trofimovich, P., Dao , P., & Abashidze, D. (2018). Eye gaze and L2 speakers’ responses to recasts: A systematic replication study of McDonough, Crowther, Kielstra and Trofimovich (2015). Language Teaching. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444818000368
• Dao , P. & Kennedy, S. (2018). Exploring L2 structural convergence in peer task-based interaction. Special Issue of the University of Sydney Paper in TESOL, edited by Stevenson, M. & Hirsh
• Dao , P., Trofimovich, P., & Kennedy, S. (2018). Structural alignment in L2 task-based interaction. ITL-International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 169(2), 293-320.
• Dao , P., & Iwashita, N. (2018). Teacher mediation in L2 task-based interaction. System,74,183-93. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0346251X17306292
• Dao , P. & McDonough (2018). Effect of proficiency on learner engagement. International Journal of Educational Research, 88, 60-72. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S088303551731769X
• Dao , P., & McDonough, K. (2017). The effect of task role on Vietnamese EFL learners’ collaboration in mixed proficiency dyads. System, 65,15 –24. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0346251X16304511
• Dao , P., Iwashita, N., & Gatbonton, E. (2017). Learner attention to form in ACCESS task-based interaction. Language Teaching Research, 21, 454 –479. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1362168816651462?journal
• McDonough, K., Trofimovich, P., Dao , P., & Dion, A. (2017). Eye gaze and production accuracy predict English L2 speakers’ morphosyntactic pattern learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 39, 851–868.
• Iwashita, N. & Dao , P. (2021). Peer feedback in L2 oral interaction. In Nassaji, H. & Kartchava, E. (Eds.). The Cambridge Handbook of Corrective Feedback in Language Learning and Teaching. Cambridge University Press. Journal articles

Expert reviewer for peer-reviewed journals

• Applied Linguistics
• TESOL Quarterly
• Modern Language Journal
• Language Teaching Research
• Annual Review of Applied Linguistics
• Pedagogies: An International Journal Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching
• System (An International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics) TESOL Journal
• Computer Assisted Language Learning
• International Journal of Applied Linguistics
• International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism
• Applied Linguistics Review
• TESL Canada
• Language Awareness
• Teacher and Teaching Education
• Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
• Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics
• International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching (IRAL)
• Invited book reviewer for Taylor & Francis/Routledge (Publisher)

Grants, scholarships and awards

• UK-VN research grants, funded by British Council: English in a multilingual world (2023-2024); Teacher Activity Groups (2022-2023); A landscape review of online English Language Teaching at public schools in Vietnam (2022-2023)
• IELTS Joint-funded Research Programme grants (2019; 2022)
• English Language Teaching Research Award (ELTRA) - British Council (2019)
• Language Learning’s Early Career Researcher (2019)
• TOEFL English-language Researcher/Practitioner-ETS (2018)
• TOEFL Award for Student Research on Task-Based Language Teaching (2015)
• Concordia University Conference and Exposition Award (2015-2017)
• Concordia Graduate Student Mobility Award (2015-2016)
• Concordia University PhD student Recruitment Award (2014-2017)
• Australian Development Award (2011-2012)

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Linguistics

77 Massachusetts Avenue Building 32-D808 Cambridge MA, 02139

617-253-4141 [email protected]

Website: Linguistics Admissions

Apply for Linguistics

Application Opens: September 15

Deadline: December 15 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Fee: $75.00

Terms of Enrollment

Fall Term (September)

Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD)

Standardized Tests

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

• Minimum score required: 6.5
• Electronic scores send to: MIT Graduate Admissions

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

• Minimum score required: 90 (iBT) 577 (PBT)
• Institute code: 3514
• Department code: 04 or 20

Waiver of TOEFL/IELTS may be available.

Financial Support

The department has limited funds for the support of graduate students, and is committed to distributing this support as equitably as possible to students in good standing who are in need of financial assistance. Please see the Linguistics website for more information.

Application Requirements

• Online application
• Statement of objectives
• Three letters of recommendation
• Transcripts
• English proficiency exam scores
• CV or resume
• Writing sample

Special Instructions

Applicants to the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy are required to submit a writing sample as part of their application.

Applicants to the Linguistics Program should include copies of one or more research papers or other written work relevant to their application. These papers need not necessarily be about linguistics, but they should demonstrate an applicant’s ability to pursue serious scholarly inquiry. Submitting more than one piece of work is especially appropriate for applicants with research experience in multiple relevant areas. Papers, research reports, theses, or insightful solutions to problem sets are all helpful in assessing an application. At least one of the writing samples should be written in English, but submissions in other languages can sometimes also be reviewed.

Please try to limit your writing sample to a maximum of 100 pages in total (less is fully acceptable). If this is impossible (for example, because you wish to include a lengthy undergraduate thesis), please indicate particular sections that you consider especially interesting or representative.

Sample research summary (maximum 3 pages):

In addition to the information about your goals and accomplishments that we can learn from your statement of purpose and writing sample, the Linguistics Program would like to learn more about how you approach scientific questions and puzzles. To this end, your application should also include a short summary of one of the research projects or problems discussed in your writing sample. The summary may take the form of a 1- to 3-page conference abstract but, in any event, should cover the following points in a compact and logically transparent way:

• What questions does your project attempt to answer?
• Why do you find these questions interesting?
• How does the project try to answer these questions?
• What questions remain open (or are likely to remain open) at the conclusion of the project? What might you do next, and why?

As an alternative, you may also propose a project that you have not undertaken, if you have thought about it with enough depth and care to answer the questions listed above.

The summary should be understandable and engaging to an educated reader who is not necessarily a specialist in the area of the project. The described project does not need to reflect actual goals or plans for doctoral research (and need not be a project in linguistics).

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Linguistics MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

The Linguistics MPhil/PhD programme at UCL provides excellent training for anyone intending to pursue an academic career in research/lecturing in the dynamic field of linguistics (or adjacent areas within cognitive science). It gives students unparalleled contact with the top academics in the discipline and opportunities to participate in international conferences.

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25), programme starts, applications accepted.

• Entry requirements

Normally a minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree or a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website .

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The UCL Linguistics research department is known internationally for its outstanding work in all areas of theoretical linguistics and for its growing strength in experimental work.

Our staff carry out research aimed at discovering the nature and origin of the principles and representations that characterise human language, its acquisition by children, its neural basis in the brain, and its use in communication. We encourage and facilitate cross-disciplinary interaction with psychologists, cognitive scientists and philosophers working on language and communication both at UCL and elsewhere.

Undertaking a research degree in this department means you will be supervised by scholars who are leaders in their field with the expert up-to-date knowledge needed to guide you in shaping your own original research contribution.

Who this course is for

If you meet the entry requirements, it is important to check whether we can supervise research in your chosen area. We only take MPhil/PhD students to whom we can offer expert research supervision from one of our academic staff. Therefore, your research question needs to engage with the research interests of one of our staff.

You can learn more about our research themes and the projects within these themes in our Research section .

What this course will give you

UCL Linguistics is outstanding in itself and also has wide-ranging links with other excellent linguistics departments across London. Our doctoral students are supervised by world leaders in the field.

Located within the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, cross-disciplinary training and joint supervision is possible (with scholars in psychology, neuroscience, speech science, etc.). UCL students may attend additional graduate-level training, 'Advanced Core Training in Linguistics' , which is taught by eminent scholars from the UK and beyond.

The foundation of your career

Graduates have pursued careers in academic teaching and research in linguistics; high school teaching; the civil service; speech and language therapy (for children and adults); experimental work on children’s language development and artificial intelligence (human-machine interaction).

Employability

The skills and knowledge gained from this research degree include: specialist knowledge of phonology, syntax, semantics or pragmatics as required to become a teacher/researcher in academic linguistics; expert grasp of specific language issues or problems leading to a range of linguistically oriented careers, for example being a legal court interpreter, a speech and communication therapist, a field linguist, translator or recorder of endangered languages; expertise in experimental techniques for studying language processing, equipping graduates for research work in a language lab; precise knowledge of computational techniques leading to potential work with IT businesses.

The opportunities for networking are vast as we invite many eminent international linguists and enable our students to attend seminars and conferences in the UK and overseas.

Completion of a research degree with us will give you excellent credentials for entry into the competitive international linguistics job market.

Teaching and learning

Students will typically audit taught modules at appropriate doctoral levels, depending on their training needs.

Each student has an Upgrade Viva at the midpoint of their PhD. For full-time students this is usually between 9 and 18 months after initial registration; for part-time students this is usually between 15 and 30 months after initial registration.  The purpose of the Upgrade Viva is to assess the s tudent’s progress and ability to complete their PhD programme in a reasonable time frame. At the end of their PhD, each student has to submit a written thesis of not more than 100,000 words, followed by a viva voce examination with two examiners, one who is internal to UCL and another who is external.

A typical full-time PhD student will spend approximately 36.5 hours per week working on their PhD.

The contact time that a student spends with their supervisory team, thesis committee members and on training courses varies from student to student depending on need throughout their PhD. Part-time student hours are pro-rata.

Research areas and structure

The research department is pre-eminent in theoretical and experimental linguistics, especially in syntax, semantics and pragmatics, phonology, and normal and abnormal language development.

• Language development : language acquisition (syntax morphology and lexicon); development of communicative and pragmatic abilities; experimental pragmatics; pragmatics and atypical development
• Neurolinguistics : semantic, syntactic and morphological deficits in aphasia; noun-verb differences in different populations; British Sign Language
• Phonology : relation between phonological representations and the speech signal; syllable typology; phonological variation and change
• Semantics and pragmatics : relevance theory; philosophy of language; the semantics/pragmatics interface; formal semantics and pragmatics; foundations of communication; semantic/pragmatic deficits in autism and other syndromes
• Syntax : ellipsis, word order typology, syntax of phi-features, syntax-semantics interface, syntax-morphology interface; syntactic and morphological deficits in aphasia and other syndromes; (research is carried out in a broadly Chomskyan framework).

Research environment

Linguistics is based in Chandler House. Here there are facilities for psychology and language science research including, but not limited to, eye-tracking, electroencephalography (EEG/ERP), functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), ultrasound, and transcranial electrical stimulation (TES), as well as several sound treated booths for behavioural studies and audiovisual recordings. There is a dedicated Experimental Officer to support research.

The full-time PhD typically lasts for 3 years, including the time registered as an MPhil student, and if the thesis is not submitted within this time then students may register as Completing Research Students (CRS) for 1 additional year.

Part-time students are normally required to be registered for 5 years, with 2 additional years in CRS if needed.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk . Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team .

Fees and funding

Fees for this course.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees .

Additional costs

This programme has no additional costs .

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs .

Funding your studies

Please contact potential supervisors and the department in the Autumn (Sep-Oct) to discuss application procedures and deadlines for all of the funding opportunities.

Applications should be made as soon as possible and not later than 30 June for September entry.

Funding opportunities include:

• UCL Research Excellence Scholarships:
• AHRC-LAHPDoctoral Training Partnership
• UCL, Bloomsbury and East London Doctoral Training Partnership

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website .

Deadlines and start dates are usually dictated by funding arrangements so check with the department as early as possible to see if you need to consider these in your application preparation. In most cases you should identify and contact potential supervisors before making your application. For more information see our Applications page.

Please contact potential supervisors and the department in the Autumn (Sep-Oct) to discuss application procedures and deadlines for all of the funding opportunities. If other sources of funding are being considered, it is still in your interest to apply early, but later applications can also be considered. Applications should be made as soon as possible and not later than 30 June for September entry.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Year of entry: 2023-2024, got questions get in touch.

Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

[email protected]

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Department of Linguistics

The Department of Linguistics is home to one of the oldest and most distinguished linguistics programs in the United States. The study of linguistics at Harvard draws much of its strength from the unique range and depth of the University’s offerings in related fields, especially ancient and modern languages. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the full spectrum of Harvard’s resources in planning their schedules; they are also free to cross-register for linguistics and linguistics-related courses at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While all PhD candidates are expected to acquire a solid background in contemporary linguistic theory, the department places great emphasis on the inseparability of good theoretical work and detailed empirical research, and on the interrelatedness of diachronic and synchronic approaches to the study of linguistic phenomena.

Since the department is relatively small, discussion among faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates is ongoing and informal. Special workshops funded by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, together with frequent departmentally sponsored lectures and seminars, bring an unusually large number of outside speakers to Harvard every year. Widener Library contains a matchless linguistic and philological collection.

• Diversity and Inclusion

Department of Linguistics Harvard University Boylston Hall, 3rd floor Cambridge, MA 02138 USA

Email: [email protected] Tel: (617) 495-4054 Fax: (617) 496-4447

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