Linguistics Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Overview

The Master of Arts (M.A.) in Linguistics at at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf sharpens the ability to prepare linguistic research topics in an international context, both for a professional audience and for the broader public.

Programme content

Graduates have the skills to professionally investigate their own questions and to adequately process the current state of research on specific linguistic topics. They are able to take nuanced positions on linguistic policy and socially relevant aspects of linguistics.

In the first and second semester, students identify the focus of their own interests by exploring the interface between linguistics and related disciplines such as philosophy, English and American studies, German studies, Romance studies or computer science. They also learn to critically evaluate empirical research, replicate published studies, and carry out their own case studies. The modules are designed specifically to train students in academic writing and presentation and to deepen their skills in empirical methods such as data collection, annotation, corpus work and statistical analysis. 

In the third semester, students pursue their own research questions and develop a first plan for their thesis while gaining their own research and teaching experience. The fourth and final semester focuses solely on the final thesis, by an accompanying colloquium and peer review, and prepares students for the time after graduation.

The program is a full-time course with a total of 120 ECTS, which corresponds to 30 ECTS of work per semester. For the course organization, students choose the courses that suit them each semester from our range of courses, allowing them to distribute the workload individually.