For the first time in its history, Oxford University has introduced a one-year master’s degree program in English language.

Coursework:

Areas of study will include the history, structure, and use of the English Language; social and cultural influences on its development and use; and theoretical and analytical approaches that have been used to study English.

Eligibility criteria:

Applicants should have a good degree in English, linguistics, or a related subject. Students who have a first language other than English will also need to meet Oxford’s general requirements for English Language proficiency by achieving the required levels on IELTS/TOEFL.

Fee details:

The tuition fee for 2012 is £14,550. Scholarships covering the full fee plus a contribution towards living costs are on offer for outstanding applicants; some of these are available by competition to all international students on all courses (e.g. Clarendon scholarships), but there will also be up to two such scholarships available specifically for students on this Master’s course.

According to Professor Deborah Cameron of the English Faculty who is organizing the course, “The newly introduced Master’s program is not a course in English Language Teaching or English as a Foreign Language, but a course for people who have an academic interest in the history, structure and use of the English Language around the world.” She also believes that Oxford’s unique resources for studying, coupled with its faculties’ expertise in the subject, will attract excellent students from around the world. Like many English departments in the UK, the Oxford English Faculty has specialized, mainly in the study of English Literature.

Applications open from October 2012 and close in March 2012.