Programme structure
The duration of this programme is four semesters.
It consists of a Master’s thesis (60 credits ) and a series of courses (60 credits), 120 credits in total. The selected courses should be relevant to the work on the Master’s thesis.
The Master’s thesis in English language will normally comprise 80-100 pages. No matter the type of thesis, substantial bibliographic competence is required. The empirical material can be gathered from texts, electronic corpora, oral recordings and – particularly for older English – from manuscripts. The theoretical and methodological basis for the thesis is secured through the methods course and the linguistics courses at 4000 level (particularly from Group 2).
The table below shows the structure of the MA degree:
| 4. semester | ENG4190 – Master's Thesis in English Language (continued) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3. semester | ENG4190 – Master's Thesis in English Language (continued) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2. semester | Course from group 2 | Modern language course from group 1 | Method course at 4000 level | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1. semester | Language history course from group 1 | Course from group 2 | Freely chosen course | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 ECTS credits | 10 ECTS credits | 10 ECTS credits | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Guidelines for selecting courses:
Obligatory courses:
Choose one of the following method courses(10 credits):
- ENG4100 – English Language Research: Methods and Thesis Outline (discontinued) (10 credits), or
- LING4101 – The Theory of Science in Linguistics (theory of science in linguistics) (10 credits)
50 credits elective courses:
- Maximum 30 credits from Group 1. Group 1 contains courses where Bachelor and Master students are taught together (joint 2000/4000 level). At least one course in language history and one in modern language should be included. If this requirement is fulfilled in the Bachelor’s degree, it does not apply to the Master’s degree, and you can choose freely among the courses in Group 1. If you have taken a 2000 level course, the same 4000 version of that course will not give you credits due to overlap.
- Minimum 20 credits from Group 2. Group 2 contains courses that are exclusively for MA students (4000 level only).
- Up to 20 credits may be chosen freely among other language courses common to the Language programme . Non-linguistics courses (civilization/literature from English-speaking areas) can be chosen if the course is relevant to the Master's thesis and has been approved by the supervisor. These 20 credits can replace courses from group 1.
Group 1:
* Please note that the Department does not offer all courses each semester. Information about when a course is taught can be found in the course description.
- ENG4151 – Systemic Functional Grammar, introduction (discontinued)
- ENG4152 – Varieties of English Texts
- ENG4154 – Old English, Introduction (discontinued)
- ENG4155 – Aspects of Chaucerian Language and Literature (discontinued)
- ENG4156 – History of the English Language
- ENG4157 – Semantics and Pragmatics
- ENG4158 – Translation into English (discontinued)
- ENG4159 – Accents of English in the British Isles (discontinued)
- ENG4160 – Language and Settlement in Britain, ca. 200-1000 A.D (discontinued)
- ENG4163 – World Englishes
- ENG4164 – The World of Beowulf (discontinued)
Group 2:
* Please note that the Department does not offer all courses each semester. Information about when a course is taught can be found in the course description.
- EDID4010 – Teaching English in Secondary School (discontinued)
- ENG4102 – Phraseology in English
- ENG4103 – Historical English Syntax
- ENG4106 – Contrastive analysis: Syntax, lexis, discourse
- ENG4108 – Tense and Aspect in English (discontinued)
- ENG4110 – Older English Philology and Literature (discontinued)
- ENG4115 – Texture and Linguistic Structure (discontinued)
- ENG4116 – Second Language Acquisition
- ENG4117 – Analysing advanced learner English
- SPR4105 – Bilingualism in society and in the classroom (discontinued)
List of courses in English (sorted by semester taught)
All teaching is conducted in English, and the thesis should be written in English.
The Master’s degree can be taken part-time, by choosing to complete less than full workload each semester. See rules for part-time studies here.
Contact your Studiekonsulent (student advisor) if you have any questions regarding structure and accomplishment.
Diploma and degree
The diploma is issued when you have completed the courses that meet the requirements for a degree. Read more about diplomas.