MA in English language at Oxford

Updated on: Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Oxford University has introduced a one-year taught Master's degree programme in English Language for the first time in the university's history. This may come as a surprise to many as "people around the world associate Oxford with the English Language, since it is home of the Oxford English Dictionary, and over the years the English Faculty has produced many distinguished English Language scholars such as JRR Tolkien," says professor Deborah Cameron of the English Faculty, who is organising the course. Cameron reiterates that the new course is not a course in English Language Teaching or English as a Foreign Language but a course for people who have an academic interest in the history, structure and use of the English Language around the world.

On why the university decided to launch the course now, she explains that it was being planned for a while. "Like many English departments in the UK, the Oxford English Faculty has specialised mainly in the study of English Literature." However, in the 1990s it received a substantial donation from Rupert Murdoch and News International which was intended to help the faculty develop its research and teaching in English Language. She further adds, "My own post — Murdoch Chair of Language and Communication — was made possible by this gift. When I was appointed to the Chair in 2004, we decided to develop a graduate-level course in English Language. The subject was taught on the undergraduate language and literature degree course, but there had never been a specialist course for graduates , and that seemed like a real gap. It's taken a lot of careful planning, but we are launching it now because we think the time is right: with our expertise in the subject and Oxford's unique resources for studying it. We are confident we will attract excellent students from around the world."

Eligibility criteria

Areas of study will include the history, structure and use of the English Language, social and cultural influences on its development and use, and theoretical and analytical approaches which have been used to study English.

Applicants should have a good first degree in English, linguistics or a related subject; students who have a first language other than English will also need to meet Oxford's general requirements for English Language proficiency, e.g. by achieving the required levels on IELTS/TOEFL. Tuition fee for 2012 is £14,550. Scholarships covering the full fee plus a contribution towards living costs are on offer for outstanding applicants; some of these are available by competition to all international students on all courses (e.g. Clarendon scholarships ), but there will also be up to two such scholarships available specifically for students on this Master's course. Applications are open for October 2012 and it will close in March 2012.

Times of India

MA in English language at Oxford

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