Department of Linguistics
Research Degrees
General information on Research degrees can be found in HDRU Research Booklet, however you need to match your particular area of research interest with one of the Department's research interest areas. When you have located an area of interest, contact the Department to ensure alignment with a staff research interest area so that appropriate staff supervision is possible.
When you have the staff supervision in place, the Student Support section of the website provides assistance and the How to apply page will provide help concerning admissions, fees, forms and important dates.
The mandatory Central Commencement Program for Research Students is included in the first year of study of all students. The program has two components. The first is a general introductory presentation, the "Central Commencement Program". The second component is the Commencement Program delivered within the Faculty of Human Sciences.
There are four research degrees offered in Linguistics:
• Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
• Doctor of Philosophy PhD - Linguistics
• PhD Professional Communication
What's the broad difference between these degrees?
The MPhil and PhD Linguistics degrees are research degrees of the traditional kind. They require the candidate to design and implement a research project, working with an individual supervisor, and to write up the research in the form of a dissertation. Candidates may be required by their supervisors to take one or more Masters level units as part of the research degree.
The PhD Applied Linguistics and PhD Professional Communication is a doctorate which includes coursework, research training, on-line research seminars, and the design and implementation of a workplace-related research project, written up in the form of a dissertation.
What are the specific differences between the MPhil and the PhD?
The MPhil is shorter both in time and in word limit and requires the candidate to "form a contribution to knowledge in the area with which it deals by presenting new interpretations of facts or by demonstrating an independent critical ability to evaluate existing material in a new light". The PhD thesis has the stronger requirement to "form a distinct contribution to the knowledge of the subject and afford evidence of originality either by the discovery of new facts or by the exercise of independent critical power".
What are the specific differences between the PhD Applied Linguistics and the PhD Linguistics?
The PhD Linguistics is purely a research degree, in which you work with a supervisor developing a research design, collecting and analysing data and writing the results up in the form of a thesis. This normally takes from two to four years full-time or from four to eight years part-time
The PhD Applied Linguistics is also a research degree but it is much more structured and includes coursework. Also, the topic of the PhD Applied Linguistics thesis must be related to the candidate's workplace (hence the designation 'professional' doctorate).
The PhD Applied Linguistics is available only by distance, is web-mediated and has no residential requirements. The PhD Linguistics and MPhil Linguistics are available in on-campus and in external modes, but the external mode has a residential requirement of one month per equivalent full-time year of candidacy and requires candidates to have a local supervisor in addition to the Macquarie supervisor.