Corpus Linguistics (Distance) (Taught)

Course summary

We aim to equip you with skills that will enable you to analyse large amounts of linguistic data (corpora) using cutting-edge computational technology. You will also learn about the structure of the English language and a wide variety of applications of corpus linguistic methods for the analysis of English and other languages. This includes discourse analysis (newspapers, business reports, social media etc.), sociolinguistic analysis of spoken language as well as pedagogical applications of corpora (Data Driven Learning, English for Academic Purposes, teaching materials development etc.). There are five core modules and two options, which are expected to run at the following times. You will find further information about modules in the course structure section. Core modules:

Fundamentals of corpus linguistics (October-December year 1)

Corpus design and data collection (January - March year 1)

Statistics and data visualization (April - June year 1)

Corpus based grammar and vocabulary of English (October - December year 2)

Dissertation (April - August/September year 2)

Optional modules:

Using corpora in Language teaching (January - March year 2)

Corpus-based discourse studies (January - March year 2)

Lancaster University has a specialised corpus research centre, The ESRC Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science, CASS , and is one of the world leaders in corpus linguistics. We build corpora such as the British National Corpus 2014 and the Trinity Lancaster Corpus, and develop innovative corpus tools such as #LancsBox, Lancaster Stats Tools online and CQPweb. In 2015, Lancaster University was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for innovative corpus linguistic research. During your studies, you will learn from experts in the field and will have access to a wealth of corpus resources. The programme will help your professional growth in variety of fields where analytical skills are required. Typical graduate careers include data analysts, market analysts, educators, journalists, teachers, communications consultants, sales representatives, local government officials etc. The programme will also prepare you for research at the PhD level in corpus linguistics and related subject areas if you choose to continue with your studies. By the end of the MA programme, you will have had the opportunity to master research techniques as well as general academic skills of structuring and writing research reports and carrying out extensive independent research. This will enhance your chances of success in the competitive job market.

Entry requirements

A 2:1 honours degree, or equivalent in any subject. Qualifications and/or experience recognised to be of an equivalent standard will also be considered.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .