Applied Linguistics
| Award | Attendance | Study | Duration | Start | Domestic fees | International fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhD, MPhil | On-Campus | Full-time, Part-time | 2 - 7 years | October, January, April, July | £5006 per year | £18050 per year |
About Applied Linguistics, PhD - at Swansea University
A PhD or MPhil in Applied Linguistics enables you to undertake a substantial project led by your own passions and interests.
The PhD takes three years full-time or six years part-time, and the MPhil takes two years full-time or four years part-time.
You will submit a thesis up to 90,000 words for PhD assessment and 60,000 words for MPhil assessment, demonstrating original research with a significant contribution to the subject area. This is followed by an oral examination of the thesis (a viva voce examination, or viva).
Our staff are members of the Language Research Centre (LRC) and we are especially interested in projects concerning:
- Computer Assisted Language Learning
- Cognitive Psychology of Language
- Discourse analysis
- Lexical Studies
- Pragmatics
- Psycholinguistics
- second language acquisition
- Sociolinguistics
- vocabulary learning
Your project will be agreed in consultation with supervisors and we recommend these discussions are started before applying, to help draw up an initial proposal.
You are closely supervised by two experienced academics with relevant expertise throughout the course of the project. This involves fortnightly meetings in your first term and meetings at regular agreed intervals thereafter.
There are no taught PhD classes but if requested, you may attend MA modules relevant to your thesis. You typically undertake a number of distinct but related research studies that ultimately form the basis of your dissertation.
You will develop and hone research skills needed for high-level work in any field of Applied Linguistics, while skills and training programmes available on campus provide further support. You will have the opportunity to deliver presentations to research students and staff at departmental seminars, and at the College of Arts and Humanities Postgraduate conference.
You may also have the chance to teach undergraduate tutorials and seminars from the second year, for which you receive training and payment. Financial support is also provided (subject to approval) for attending conferences or conducting research away from Swansea.
Entry requirements
Contact Swansea University to find course entry requirements.
Why study at Swansea University
There are many reasons to choose Swansea University for your studies; from the stunning beachfront locations of our Singleton Park and Bay campuses, to our global reputation for research and academic excellence, we offer a safe, supportive and fun environment to live and study, and our vast range of courses and subject areas mean you are sure to find the future career for you.
- Top 30 UK research-led university (Research Excellence Framework 2014-2021)
- Ranked within the Top 300 of universities globally (QS World University Rankings 2025)
- Voted 6th safest city in England and Wales (Complete University Guide 2024)
- UK Top 10 of the People and Planet University League (Times Good University Guide 2025)
Whether you join us for your undergraduate degree, postgraduate studies or research, you’ll receive a modern approach to learning, backed by cutting-edge facilities and an excellent research and teaching faculty.
Join Swansea and start your journey, studying in a picturesque, student-friendly city by the sea with so much to offer.