Program Requirements

The Master of General and Applied Linguistics requires completion of 96 units, which must consist of:

A maximum of 24 units of language courses at 1000, 2000 and 3000 level

A minimum of 72 units must come from 6000, 7000 and 8000 level courses

24 units from completion of introductory graduate linguistics courses from the following list:

LING6001 Introduction to the Study of Language

LING6002 Language and Society

LING6010 Sounds of the World's Languages: Phonetics and Phonology

LING6013 Teaching Languages

LING6015 Language, Culture and Translation

LING6018 Languages in Contact

LING6020 The Structure of English

LING6021 Cross Cultural Communication

LING6105 Forensic Linguistics: Language and the Law

LING6311 Language and Social Interaction 

A maximum of 24 units from completion of disciplinary courses from any of the following lists:

Structural Linguistics

LING6003 Grammar of the World's Languages

LING6008 Semantics

LING6010 Sounds of the World's Languages: Phonetics and Phonology

LING6026 Topics in Advanced Syntax and Morphology

LING6033 Advanced Sociophonetics

LING6035 Semantic Typology 

LING6525 Special Topics in Linguistics

Language learning

LING6013 Teaching Languages

LING6023 Dictionaries and Dictionary-Making

LING6029 Language, Assessment and Policy

LING6101 Second Language Acquisition

LING6521 Child Language Acquisition

Language in society

ASIA8051 Language in Asia and the Pacific

LING6015 Language, Culture and Translation

LING6021 Cross Cultural Communication

LING6022 Language Policy and Language Politics

LING6034 Communication in Heath Care

LING6105 Forensic Linguistics: Language and the Law

LING6311 Language and Social Interaction

Forensic Linguistics

LING6105 Forensic Linguistics: Language and the Law

LING6032 Forensic Linguistics: Forensic Voice and Text Comparison

Language documentation and language change

ASIA6308 Linguistic Histories in Asia and the Pacific

LING6005 Language across Time

LING6018 Languages in Contact

LING6529 The History of the English Language

Language-specific linguistics

JPNS2024 Japanese Grammar and Expressions

JPNS3014Teaching Japanese Method

LING2017 Chinese Linguistics

LING2027 Language and Society in Latin America

LING6016 Language and Society in Indigenous Australia

LING6020 The Structure of English

LING6028 Japanese Linguistics

LING6030 Advanced Academic English

LING6031 Papuan Languages

LING6040 Austronesian Languages

SPAN2601 The Sounds of Spanish

SPAN2602 The Structure of Spanish

SPAN2603 History of the Spanish Language: A Linguistic Time Travel

SPAN2604 Multilingualism and Indigenous Peoples in the Americas

SPAN3022 Intermediate Spanish II (Language and Linguistics)

SPAN3031 Advanced Spanish Topics in Language and Linguistics

12 units from completion of compulsory research methods courses from the following list:

LING8026 Qualitative Research Methods in Language Studies

LING8027 Quantitative Research Methods in Linguistics

A maximum 12 units from completion of research methods courses from the following list:

LING6009 Field Methods in Linguistics

HUMN8032 Writing for the Research Process

A minimum of 12 units and a maximum of 24 units from completion of research project courses from the following list:

ASIA6308 Linguistic Histories in Asia and the Pacific

HUMN8030 Digital Humanities and Public Culture Research Project

HUMN8031 Digital Humanities and Public Culture Research Project (Advanced)

JPNS6512 Teaching Japanese: Content

LING6005 Language Across Time

LING6010 Sounds of the World's Languages: Phonetics and Phonology

LING6016 Language and Society in Indigenous Australia

LING6017 Chinese Linguistics

LING6023 Dictionaries and Dictionary-Making

LING6028 Japanese Linguistics

LING6029 Language, Assessment and Policy

LING6035 Semantic Typology 

LING6036 Advanced Sociolinguistics

LING6101 Second Language Acquisition

LING6311 Language and Social Interaction

LING6521 Child Language Acquisition

LING6525 Special Topics in Linguistics

LING6040 Austronesian Languages

LING6034 Communication in Health Care

LING6031 Papuan Languages

LING8001 Graduate Reading Course (Linguistics)

LING8003 Readings in Applied Linguistics

SPAN2602 The Structure of Spanish

SPAN2604 Multilingualism and Indigenous Peoples in the Americas

SPAN3022 Intermediate Spanish II (Language and Linguistics)

A maximum of 24 units from completion of courses from any of the following language specialisations:

Ancient Greek Language and Culture

Arabic Language and Culture

Australian Indigenous Languages and Society

Burmese Language and Culture

Chinese Language and Culture

English Language

French Language and Culture

German Language and Culture

Hindi Language and Culture

Indonesian Language and Culture

Italian Language and Culture

Japanese Language and Culture

Korean Language and Culture

Latin Language and Culture

Mongolian Language and Culture

Persian Language and Culture

Portuguese Language and Culture

Russian Language and Culture

Sanskrit Language and Culture

Spanish Language and Culture

Tetum Language and Culture

Thai Language and Culture

Tok Pisin Language and Culture

Vietnamese Language and Culture

24 units from completion of elective courses offered by ANU

Unless otherwise stated, a course used to satisfy the requirements of one list may not be double counted towards satisfying the requirements of another list.

Specialisations

Study Options

Admission Requirements

At a minimum, all applicants must meet program-specific academic/non-academic requirements, and English language requirements. Admission to most ANU programs is on a competitive basis. Therefore, meeting all admission requirements does not automatically guarantee entry. 

Applicants must present a Bachelor degree or international equivalent with a minimum GPA of 5.0/7.0

Cognate disciplines

Applied Linguistics, Audiology, Communication Studies, International Communication Studies, Languages, Language Teaching, Lexicography, Linguistics, Speech Pathology, TESOL from an Australian tertiary institution or its international equivalent, Translating/Interpreting

In line with the university's admissions policy and strategic plan, an assessment for admission may include competitively ranking applicants on the basis of specific academic achievement, English language proficiency and diversity factors. 

Academic achievement & English language proficiency

The minimum academic requirement for full entry and enrolment is a Bachelor degree or international equivalent with a minimum GPA of 5.0/7.0. 

However, applicants will first be ranked on a GPA ('GPA1') that is calculated using all but the last semester (or equivalent) of the Bachelor degree used for admission purposes. 

If required, ranking may further be confirmed on the basis of: 

• a GPA ('GPA2') calculated on the penultimate and antepenultimate semesters (or equivalent) of the Bachelor degree used for admission purposes; and/or

• demonstrating higher-level English language proficiency. 

Prior to enrolment in this ANU program, all students who gain entry will have their Bachelor degree reassessed, to confirm minimum requirements were met.

Further information: English Language Requirements for Admission

Diversity factors

As Australia’s national university, ANU is global representative of Australian research and education. ANU endeavours to recruit and maintain a diverse and deliberate student cohort representative not only of Australia, but the world. In order to achieve these outcomes, competitive ranking of applicants may be adjusted to ensure access to ANU is a reality for brilliant students from countries across the globe.

Assessment of qualifications

Unless otherwise indicated, ANU will accept all Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications or international equivalents that meet or exceed the published admission requirements of our programs, provided all other admission requirements are also met.

 Where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will base assessment on the qualification that best meets the admission requirements for the program. Find out more about the Australian Qualifications Framework: www.aqf.edu.au

ANU uses a 7-point Grade Point Average (GPA) scale. All qualifications submitted for admission at ANU will be converted to this common scale, which will determine if an applicant meets our published admission requirements. Find out more about how a 7-point GPA is calculated for Australian universities: www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/admission-criteria/tertiary-qualifications

Unless otherwise indicated, where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will calculate the GPA for each qualification separately. ANU will base assessment on the best GPA of all completed tertiary qualifications of the same level or higher.

Applications for course credit

Applicants with a Bachelor Degree or Graduate Certificate in a cognate discipline may be eligible for 24 units (one semester) of credit.

Applicants with a Graduate Diploma or Honours in a cognate discipline may be eligible for 48 units (one year) of credit.

Fee Information

All students are required to pay the Services and amenities fee (SA Fee)

The annual indicative fee provides an estimate of the program tuition fees for international students and domestic students (where applicable). The annual indicative fee for a program is based on the standard full-time enrolment load of 48 units per year (unless the program duration is less than 48 units). Fees for courses vary by discipline meaning that the fees for a program can vary depending on the courses selected. Course fees are reviewed on an annual basis and typically will increase from year to year. The tuition fees payable are dependent on the year of commencement and the courses selected and are subject to increase during the period of study.

For further information on Fees and Payment please see: https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/fees-payments

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

Learning Outcomes

1. apply established theoretical frameworks critically and creatively at an advanced level to the description, analysis and explanation of linguistic data and language use;

2. identify sources of linguistic data, and evaluate the reliability of those sources and their relevance to theoretical issues;

3. research complex language phenomena using a variety of sources and techniques, and communicate this research to both specialist and non-specialist audiences; and

4. apply a sophisticated understanding of language and its use to real-world language contexts.