University of Cape Town campus

Arts & Humanities

Master's specialising in Linguistics at University of Cape Town

University of Cape Town, South Africa

Programme overview

The MA specialising in Linguistics is a 192-credit NQF level 9 programme combining a minor dissertation with taught linguistics courses.

Faculty: Faculty of Humanities  |  Department: African Studies and Linguistics  |  Duration: Minimum one year of registration (Faculty of Humanities master's rules).  |  Study mode: full-time  |  Location: Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

What you will study

A minor dissertation (96 credits), Research Methodology for Linguistics (unless previously completed) and elective courses such as African Languages in Education, Language Contact and Globalisation and Linguistics and Decolonisation; no more than two courses may be at level 8.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Programme (Linguistics Master's): Honours in Linguistics or a cognate discipline with an overall average of at least 60%; exceptions require a writing sample and detailed letter of motivation assessed by a selection committee. Faculty of Humanities master's rules (FM3): applicants must hold an Honours degree or equivalent, normally in the subject of study, from a recognised university; unless otherwise specified, an average of at least 60% in the Honours year is required. Master's by dissertation applicants submit a proposal for approval.

Tuition is charged per module, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

The application fee is R100 for undergraduate and postgraduate applications from South Africa and the SADC region, and R300 for applications from outside the SADC region; it is non-refundable and payable by direct deposit, EFT or credit card (online). UCT students and graduates are exempt except for GSB programmes.

Apply through the official page: https://applyonline.uct.ac.za

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