Theoretical and Applied Linguistics

UPF's Master's program in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics unites state-of-the-art theory and practical applications of linguistics. Students acquire a solid training in the fundamental areas of linguistic theory, while specializing in one of the following three fields: formal and descriptive linguistics, the acquisition of language, the teaching of language, computational linguistics, and the study of the lexicon and terminology.

The Master's provides postgraduate training suitable for subsequently entering a doctoral program in any of these fields or for starting a career in any of the professions in which language and linguistics play a fundamental role. The optimal profile for candidates is graduates who are interested in language and linguistic communication in general, open to interdisciplinary knowledge and with a high level of ability in more than one language (preferably including English).

Specializations

• Formal Linguistics (Formal and descriptive linguistics and variation)
• Computational Linguistics
• Language Acquisition
• Language Teaching
• Lexicon (lexicology, lexicography and terminology)

Courses

There are three types of courses:

• Methodological: providing tools to carry out future research or professional activities
• Dealing with common advanced training: providing the theoretical and descriptive bases of the different components comprising the advanced study of language
• Specialization units: pursuing one of the branches of theoretical or applied linguistics in greater depth

To earn the master's degree, students must successfully complete at least 60 credits. Typically, students take four common advanced training subjects and two methodological subjects. They also choose an area of specialization - formal and descriptive linguistics, language acquisition and learning, or lexicology and terminology - and take two subjects in this specialization. A range of additional optional subjects are also offered.

Students of the master's programme may choose between three different course types: research, academic and professional.

The research course prepares students to enrol on a doctoral programme. Its main feature is a master's degree final project worth 20 credits.

The academic course is intended to help students broaden the knowledge and skills they acquired in their undergraduate studies, and it includes a master's degree final project worth 10 credits. (Students who choose the academic course must thus complete 10 more credits' worth of regular subjects than those who choose the research course.)

The professional course provides training geared towards helping students pursue a career in a language-related field. Students must complete a 19-credit internship and a 6-credit master's degree final project with a practical focus.

The master's programme may be taken full-time (at least 60 credits in one year) or part-time over two years (at least 30 credits per year). In the latter case, students must enrol on the master's degree final project in their second year. 

Compulsory courses (I)

1. Common advanced training (compulsory; 20 credits) (Two of these four subjects may be replaced by others from the master's programme, provided the student's transcript shows that the student has already studied and acquired the corresponding content and skills.) 

• Morphology and the Lexicon
• Semantics and Pragmatics
• Syntax
• Phonetics and Phonology

2. Methodology (compulsory; 10 or 5 credits)(research and academic emphases = 10 credits: professional emphasis = 5 credits, according to the specifications listed herein)

• Argumentation in Linguistic Analysis (1)
• Experimental and Observational Techniques (2)
• Corpora and Computational Tools (3)

Optional courses (I)

3. Specialization itineraries (optional; 10 credits) (one itinerary is chosen and its 10 credits taken)

• Language Acquisition and Language Learning 
• Lexicon and Terminology
• Formal and Descriptive Linguistics

Compulsory courses (II)

4. Master's Degree Final Project and Practicum (compulsory; 10, 20 or 25 credits) (research course = 20 credits; academic course = 10 credits; professional course = 25 credits (6-credit final project + 19-credit internship)) 

• Master's Final Project Paper
• Practicum

Optional courses (II)

5. Additional optional subjects (optional; 10 credits in the academic course) ([i] subjects from specializations other than the student's own may also be taken as additional optional subjects; [ii] students enrolled on the research and professional courses may take additional subjects provided they enrol on more than 60 credits or obtain a partial exemption for the 20 credits of common advanced training) 

• Linguistics Applied to Translation
• Text and Translation
• Discourse Analysis 1
• Discourse Analysis 2
• Computational Linguistics 1
• Computational Linguistics 2
• Topics in Language Processing
• Topics in Perception
• Spanish Pedagogical  Grammar
• Classroom Procedures and Skills

Requirements

• Official undergraduate degree/diploma (or a bachelor's degree, a degree in engineering or architecture, diplomas, technical engineering and technical architecture diplomas, or, for foreign qualifications, the equivalent qualification awarded by an accredited higher education institution) and the academic transcript of the accredited official training with the average grade at the university of origin. Degrees in any academic field of study will be accepted. 
• Curriculum Vitae in Spanish, English or Catalan.
• A letter of motivation in Spanish, English or Catalan stating the candidate's interest in following the master's programme (400 to 600 words).
• Two letters of recommendation sent directly by referees with a good knowledge of the candidate. 
• Identity Card or Passport. 
• Proof of English language (level B2). English: official Cambridge certificates (FCE or higher), with results of 6.0 at IELTS or 100 at TOEFL (iBT), will be accepted, among others.
• Proof of level B2 of Catalan (optional)
• Proof of level B2 of Spanish (optional)
• Professional experience in any of the fields related to the master's programme.(optional)
• Research experience.(optional)
• Teaching experience. (optional)
• Additional academic training in areas related to the master's programme.(optional)

Scholarships

• GRAL - General scholarships for students enrolled on post-compulsory studies.  
• MATRC - Financial credential for the purposes of processing university enrolments without prior payment of the public prices for the academic services.
• UPF - Tuition fee scholarship for university master's degree students
• Global Education