MA Phonetics

Study for an Master's degree in Phonetics at UCL with this one year taught programme.
Programme Specification (PDF)

Aims of the MA programme in Phonetics

Phonetics is the study of speech sounds. Phoneticians study how we produce speech and how we perceive it. In the phonetics laboratory we analyse speech using computers. Modern phonetics is a scientific discipline drawing on both the sciences and the humanities.

The Master's degree in Phonetics at UCL will give you a thorough grounding in phonetics. Perhaps you already have some knowledge of the subject; perhaps you are a strongly motivated beginner. You must already have a good first degree and (if not a native speaker) demonstrate proficiency in English:

For example,

• IELTS: 7.0, with a minimum of 6.0 in each of the sub-tests; or
• TOEFL: (paper-based) 600 plus 5 in the Test of Written English; (computer-based) 250 plus essay rating 5.

See further details. UCL also provides an intensive pre-sessional course of English.

You will learn about

• phonetics and phonology, and the nature of pronunciation;
• speech and hearing, and how they can be studied in the laboratory;
• the detailed phonetics of English;
• (optionally) the detailed phonetics of some other language, e.g. Japanese.

We will also teach you

• to perceive, describe, classify and reproduce the whole range of speech sounds and prosodic features used in languages in any part of the world
• to transcribe English from a spoken record or from ordinary spelling
• to use laboratory techniques to analyse speech.

Tutorials

Most of our teaching is done in small groups of ten students or fewer. You will also be assigned to a named member of the academic staff who will act as your tutor and supervise your dissertation.

Teaching staff (faculty)

The director of the programme is Prof. John Wells, the author of the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Others who will teach you include

• Michael Ashby (pronunciation editor of the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary),
• Jill House,
• Mark Huckvale,
• Paul Iverson and
• John Maidment.

You can read about them and their research interests by following the hyperlinks.

Dates, timetable

The MA programme (full-time) lasts one calendar year, starting in September. Or you could study part-time, taking two years. Teaching is currently concentrated on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday each week. In a typical week your contact hours might be as follows:

You might spend another twenty hours a week working on your own.

Options

The available option subjects vary from year to year. Typically you might be able to choose among:

• Phonetics of Modern Greek
• Phonetics of Japanese
• Phonetics of French
• (other languages might be available)
• Intonation
• English Accents
• Pragmatics

Assessment

You will be assessed first by written examinations and practical tests in May and then by a dissertation of about 10,000 words to be submitted in September, at the end of the programme. The examination papers are

1. General phonetics and phonology
2. Experimental phonetics
3. Phonetics and phonology of English
4. Option.

Dissertation topics

The range of possible topics is very wide. In 2000, dissertations submitted dealt with the following topics:

• intonation in Hong Kong English
• the phonetics of Cypriot Greek
• fricatives produced by Japanese learners
• vowel quality in Caribbean and British English
• [l] and [r] in Korean
• voice quality and the laryngograph
• the intonation of English and Modern Greek
• the phonology of anglicized Japanese words

What could I do with an MA in Phonetics?

Many graduates of the UCL MA in Phonetics go on to teach in colleges or universities, either directly or after taking a PhD. Others go into lexicography, speech technology, or other related fields.

How much will it cost?

For current figures, please check the UCL Graduate Prospectus. For 2000-2001 the fee was (UK/EU) £2,740, (overseas) £9,510.

Please visit http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/financial-matters/scholarships/graduate/index.shtml for an overview of departmental and UCL scholarships and other sources of funding available.

The Department also provides bursaries to cover part of the tuition fees. You can find details on the UCL web site.

Living in London

As a guide, a single student might need at least £8,500 for a calendar year in London, to cover accommodation, food, books, travel and other expenses.

Enquiries and applications

Write to the Graduate Secretary, Department of Phonetics and Linguistics, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, or e-mail.

For a brief taste

Whether or not you're not ready to take on a full year's MA programme, you could try the intensive two-week Summer Course in English Phonetics that we hold every August. We recommend this course as a preparation for the MA in Phonetics.

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Last revised 2004 09 03