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PhD, MPhil Applied Linguistics

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Research opportunities

You can study an MPhil over one year or a PhD over three years, with the option of studying on a part-time basis.

The Speech & Language Therapy Team in the School of Psychological Sciences & Health host a well-established Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) in Communication Disorders. This multidisciplinary centre focuses on a wide range of aspects related to the study of speech, language and voice characteristics of typical as well as impaired populations across their lifespan, in order to further our understanding of these issues and impact positively on people’s lives.

We offer supervision in a wide range of communication related areas, including issues such as:

  • speech sound disorders
  • voice
  • dementia
  • autism
  • stroke
  • motor speech disorders

In addition, we have expertise in investigating speech patterns in healthy populations, including first and second language learners, and offer supervision in more linguistically aligned areas of study, such as language acquisition, socio-linguistics and phonetics.

As postgraduate research student in Applied Linguistics you will have access to a significant pool of technical resources, including labs for speech & movement analyses, signal processing; systems for eye tracking, or EEG. The supervisory pool spans all four University faculties, which provides you with access to the highest level of academic expertise to support your studies.

speech therapy

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Fees & funding

All fees quoted are per academic year unless otherwise stated.

Entrants may be subject to a small fee during the writing up period.

Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.

All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.

Annual revision of fees

Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that tuition fees are revised annually and may increase in subsequent years of study. Annual increases will generally reflect UK inflation rates and increases to programme delivery costs.

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Scotland
  • 2024/25: £4,786
  • 2023/24: £4,712
England, Wales & Northern Ireland
  • 2024/25: £4,786
  • 2023/24: £4,712
International
  • 2024/25: £18,050
Additional costs

International students may have associated visa and immigration costs. Please see student visa guidance for more information.

 

Postgraduate research opportunities

Search for all funded and non-funded postgraduate research opportunities

Funding

Take a look at our funding your postgraduate research web page for funding information.

You can also view our scholarships search for further funding opportunities.

Please note: the fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year.

Postgraduate research at the Strathclyde Doctoral School

The Strathclyde Doctoral School provides a vibrant and comprehensive student-centred research and training environment in order to grow and support current and future research talent. The School encompasses our four faculties and is committed to enriching the student experience, intensifying research outputs and opportunities, and ensuring training is at the highest level. As a postgraduate researcher, you'll automatically become a member of the Strathclyde Doctoral School.

Find out more about the Doctoral School

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Supervisors

Expertise from within the SLT team covers the areas outlined below.

Additional co-supervisors can be sourced from other areas within the University, such as education, psychology or computing, to provide you with the best expertise available to supervise your research. 

NameAreas of expertise
Joanne Cleland
  • speech sound disorders in children including cleft lip and palate 
  • persistent speech sound disorders
  • motor speech disorders in children
  • instrumental phonetic techniques for the assessment and treatment of speech disorders, particularly ultrasound
Wendy Cohen
  • speech disorders in children and adolescents 
  • voice disorders in children and adolescents 
  • communication disability in those with an associated genetic condition 
  • clinical Education and Professional Development
Maria Dokovova
  • speech processing
  • phonetics and phonology in multilingual adults
  • articulatory assessment of children with speech sound disorders and cleft lip and palate
Anja Kuschmann 
  • motor speech disorders in adults and children, in particular, due to cerebral palsy
  • typical speech production across the lifespan
  • speech development in multilingual children
  • use of acoustic and perceptual analyses of speech for the assessment of speech disorders
Eleanor Lawson
  • articulatory phonetics
  • articulatory sociolinguistics
  • vocal tract visualisation
  • speech accommodation
Anja Lowit 
  • motor speech disorders 
  • prosody 
  • voice 
  • bilingualism 
  • telehealth
Claire Timmins
  • articulatory Speech Analysis (Electropalatography & Ultrasound) 
  • speech production in Down's syndrome 
  • accent variation and change
  • application of technology and social media for teaching, learning and assessment
  • innovative techniques for the learning and teaching of phonetics skills;
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Support & development

The Graduate School

The Graduate School is a friendly and supportive study environment for research students studying subjects within Humanities & Social Sciences.

Our staff will support you through your studies and you'll become part of a community of students who get involved with our workshops, seminars and competitions.

Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development (PgCert RPD) for MPhil/MRes

Our PgCert RPD programme aims to ensure you get the most out of your current research activities at Strathclyde and helps you prepare for your future career as a researcher.

We'll help you recognise and develop your transferrable skills that'll have a positive impact on your research, now and in the future.

Find out more about the PgCert RPD programme.

Careers

The University Careers Service can help you with everything from writing your CV to interview preparation. Take a look at our careers service pages to get more information.

Student support

From financial advice to our IT facilities, we have a wide range of support for all students here at Strathclyde. Get all the information you need at Strathlife.

Our research

Our research explores useful areas such as health, education and human behaviour.

We provide a vibrant, friendly environment for outstanding psychology research and teaching with internationally recognised researchers. Our research has a direct impact on the industry, culture and environment in Scotland and beyond.
Find out more about our research

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International students

We've a thriving international community with students coming here to study from over 140 countries across the world. Find out all you need to know about studying in Glasgow at Strathclyde and hear from students about their experiences.

Visit our international students' section

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Entry requirements

A first-class or upper second-class UK Honours degree, or overseas equivalent.

The Applied Linguistics programme is intended for students from a linguistics background or those who have an interest in communication disorders but who have not completed a qualifying degree in speech and language therapy (SLT). If you have an SLT qualification you can register for the Speech and Language Therapy pathway if this is preferable.

Prospective Applied Linguistics students should develop proposals to match areas of research expertise held by members of staff* and are encouraged to contact potential supervisors in advance of their application.

Before you apply

If you're interested in studying for a PhD or MPhil in Applied Linguistics, the first thing you need to do is to find out if there’s a supervisor available to oversee your studies.

Next, you'll need your research proposal. Download our guidelines on writing your PhD proposal.

The application

During the application you'll be asked for the following:

  • your full contact details
  • transcripts and certificates of all degrees
  • proof of English language proficiency if English isn't your first language. For postgraduate studies, we require a minimum overall IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent (no individual test score below 5.5, the test must be taken within two years of the programme start date)
  • two references, one of which must be academic
  • funding or scholarship information
  • research proposal of 250 to 1,000 words in length, detailing the subject area and topic to be investigated

By filling these details out as fully as possible, you'll avoid any delay to your application being processed by the University.

When applying, you'll be asked to upload:

  • your research proposal
  • scans of degree certificates/transcripts
  • two reference letters
  • confirmation of funding

Most PhD students start in October, so they move forward as one cohort, but you can start at any time of year (people often have to defer until they find funding.) Keep an eye on our funding databases for any forthcoming Strathclyde research studentship opportunities:

Supervisors

You'll need to identify your research supervisor before you finalise your application, preferably as soon as possible. When you've identified a potential supervisor, based on how well your research interests match theirs, drop them an email to introduce yourself. In the email, make sure you attach a draft of your research proposal along with a copy of your CV. Don't worry about how rough your research proposal may be at this stage – you'll have help from our School of Psychological Sciences and Health to refine it.

If your chosen supervisor if available to work with you, they'll confirm this and nominate a potential second supervisor. As soon as a second supervisor is confirmed, an offer of study will be sent to you through Pegasus, our online application system.

When you accept our offer, you'll receive a full offer in writing via the email address you provide.

Accepting an offer

When you've accepted our offer, we'll need you to fulfil any academic, administrative or financial conditions that we ask.

UK or EU students

If you're applying as a UK or EU student, you'll then be issued with your registration documentation.

Start date: Oct 2023 - Sep 2024

Applied Linguistics

PhD
full-time
Start date: Oct 2023 - Sep 2024

Start date: Oct 2023 - Sep 2024

Applied Linguistics

PhD
part-time
Start date: Oct 2023 - Sep 2024

Start date: Oct 2023 - Sep 2024

Applied Linguistics

MPhil
full-time
Start date: Oct 2023 - Sep 2024

Start date: Oct 2023 - Sep 2024

Applied Linguistics

MPhil
part-time
Start date: Oct 2023 - Sep 2024

Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

Applied Linguistics

PhD
full-time
Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

Applied Linguistics

PhD
part-time
Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

Applied Linguistics

MPhil
full-time
Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

Applied Linguistics

MPhil
part-time
Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026

Applied Linguistics

PhD
full-time
Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026

Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026

Applied Linguistics

PhD
part-time
Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026

Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026

Applied Linguistics

MPhil
full-time
Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026

Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026

Applied Linguistics

MPhil
part-time
Start date: Oct 2025 - Sep 2026

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Contact us

Humanities & Social Sciences Graduate School

Telephone: +44 (0)141 548 8400

Email: hass-pgr-applications@strath.ac.uk

Lord Hope Building, Level 1
141 St James Road
Glasgow
G1 0LT