World top three for Linguistics (QS World University Subject Rankings 2024)
2nd in the UK for Overall Research Quality, in Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021)
Boost your CV with a higher level degree from a world-class department
Take your Postgraduate Certificate in Corpus Linguistics in one of the best Linguistics Departments in the world. We are placed 3rd in the QS World Rankings 2024.
Lancaster’s Postgraduate Certificate in Corpus Linguistics (Distance) is a one-year online programme, whose main aim is to equip students with core skills that will allow them to analyse large amounts of linguistic data (corpora) using cutting-edge computational technology. Students will also learn about the structure of the English language.
Course information
Lancaster University, with a specialised corpus research centre - The ESRC Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science, CASS - is one of the world leaders in corpus linguistics. We build corpora such as the British National Corpus 2014 and the Trinity Lancaster Corpus, and develop innovative corpus tools such as #LancsBox, Lancaster Stats Tools online and CQPweb. In 2015, Lancaster University was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for innovative corpus linguistic research.
During your studies, you will learn from experts in the field and will be given access to a wealth of corpus resources. You will be able to acquire core skills in corpus linguistics and data analysis, which will help you grow professionally.
After completing the course, you will have the option to continue onto the MA in Corpus linguistics by taking specialisation courses and writing a dissertation.
Taster webinar and free lectures
You are invited to get a taste for the subject and some of the Department's specialisms by viewing our taster webinar and free lectures.
Have you studied our MOOC?
If you are currently studying on our FutureLearn Corpus Linguistics: Method, Analysis, Interpretation MOOC, or if you actively participated and completed the course within the last three years, you are eligible to apply for our MOOC entry route for this programme. By doing so, you would not take the first core module of the programme, Fundamentals of Corpus Linguistics, but would be expected to submit two written assessments, in January of year 1, using the knowledge you developed through the MOOC. This entry route has a fee discount of £500 which will be deducted from the first year of your fees.
2:1 Hons degree in a related subject is normally required. We will also consider applications where you have a degree in other subjects, have a 2:2 or equivalent result and/or extensive relevant experience. In these cases, you should clearly demonstrate how your experience and skills have prepared you for postgraduate study.
We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously. For example, we normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.5 in reading and writing and 6.0 in listening and speaking or TRINITY ISE (C1/C2). We also consider other English language qualifications.
Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk
You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
The module develops key skills in corpus design and data collection. Building on a long tradition of corpus development at Lancaster University and providing specific examples from recent projects such as the British National Corpus 2014, Guangwai Lancaster Corpus of L2 Chinese or Trinity Lancaster Corpus, the module offers both theoretical knowledge and practical skills for the students to be able to build their own corpus.
The module offers a practical introduction to key corpus linguistic techniques such as concordance analysis, the analysis of wordlists and ngram lists, keyword analysis and collocation analysis. It also provides an overview of practical applications of corpus methods in a wide range of areas of linguistic and social research.
The module offers a practical introduction to the statistical procedures used for the analysis linguistic data and language corpora. The module provides an overview of the main statistical procedures (e.g. Correlation, cluster analysis and factor analysis, T-test, ANOVA, chi-squared test and regression models) used in the field of corpus linguistics together with examples of application of these methods.
| Year 1 (60 credits) | |
|---|---|
| Home | £3,750 |
| International | £3,750 |
Cost per 20 credit Module (2024-25) Home £1,250; International £1,250
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small College Membership Fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.
For students starting in 2023 and 2024, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2025 have not yet been set.
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
For most taught postgraduate applications there is a non-refundable application fee of £40. We cannot consider applications until this fee has been paid, as advised on our online secure payment system. There is no application fee for postgraduate research applications.
For some of our courses you will need to pay a deposit to accept your offer and secure your place. We will let you know in your offer letter if a deposit is required and you will be given a deadline date when this is due to be paid.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
If you are studying on a programme of more than one year’s duration, the tuition fees for subsequent years of your programme are likely to increase each year. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.
Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.
If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.
| Scheme | Based on | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Based on {{item.eligibility_basis}} | Amount {{item.amount}} |
We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.
Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.
You can now try lectures, practical exercises, quizzes etc. from the MA in Corpus linguistics programme in our taster course. Just follow these two simple steps:
This webinar introduces a new Master’s Programme (MA) in Corpus linguistics and a new PG Certificate (PGCert) in Corpus linguistics offered by Lancaster University. The webinar starts with a short introduction to corpus linguistics (lecture) and a brief hands-on session demonstrating newest software tools in the field. We also discuss the structure of the programme, entry requirements and the student experience.
This short lecture introduces basic linguistics concepts used in corpus linguistics. It is the second lecture of a lecture series introducing corpus linguistics from a new module on Fundamentals of corpus linguistics offered by Lancaster University as part of an MA programme, PGCert and also individually for credit.
This lecture introduces basic concepts of statistics in Corpus Linguistics. It is a part of the new online MA programme in Corpus Linguistics at Lancaster University.
As an alternative to taking a complete Master's course, you can take our individual specialist postgraduate modules for institutional credit.
Short Courses in Corpus Linguistics
The information on this site relates primarily to 2024/2025 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.
The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.
More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.
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