course-details-portlet

ENG3920

Master's Thesis in English Linguistics and Language Acquisition

Choose study year
Credits 60
Level Second degree level
Course start Autumn 2024
Duration 2 semesters
Language of instruction English
Location Trondheim
Examination arrangement Master's thesis with oral defense

About

About the course

Course content

Course content

An academic work of approximately 30,000 words excluding preface, references, footnotes and appendices, on a topic within language acquisition, language processing, language and cognition and/or English linguistics.

All students must write an abstract of the thesis of approx. 1/2 - 1 page. The abstract will be written in both English and Norwegian and be placed first in the document, before the table of contents.

The thesis must be written in English.

Learning outcome

Learning outcome

A candidate who has passed this course

Knowledge

  • has acquired substantial knowledge in the domain of the thesis topic

Skills

  • is able to write an academic thesis of ca. 30,000 words in English on a topic in language acquisition, language processing, language and cognition and/or English language and linguistics. The thesis must be written in English.
  • is able to define a suitable research topic for such a thesis, compile an adequate bibliography, and utilize source materials in accordance with academic citation standards
  • is able to relate their writing to relevant specialist scientific literature, make appropriate use of such literature in analysis and argumentation, and apply theoretical notions in a productive and insightful fashion
  • is able to provide such a thesis with a coherent and orderly structure and formulate ideas in a clear and precise fashion

General competence

  • is able to write fluent English without many errors in grammar, spelling and style
  • is able to produce a manuscript that has been adequately revised and edited with regard to readability, typographical errors, pagination, and other presentational requirements

Learning methods and activities

Learning methods and activities

Individual supervision.

Please see link for the numbers of hours of supervision eligible for your master’s thesis https://i.ntnu.no/wiki/-/wiki/Norsk/Masters+agreement+-+Faculty+of+Humanities

Compulsory assignments

  • approved topic for the master’s thesis
  • approved research question/project outline and disposition (1-3 pages)
  • at least one supervision session, individually or in groups, after the project outline has been approved

Compulsory assignments

  • Approved topic for the master’s thesis
  • Approved research question/project outline and disposition (1-3 pages)
  • At least one supervision session, individually or in groups

Further on evaluation

About the assessment

The master's thesis must be written in English. The final assessment of the thesis is adjusted through an oral defense in English of about 30 minutes. The oral examination will be cancelled if the thesis has been failed by the examiners.

It is not possible for students who have been awarded a passing grade for the master's thesis in English to have a new master's thesis in English assessed (cf. the academic regulations for NTNU, §5-9).

Students whose master's thesis has been assessed as a Fail (F) may apply to the department to submit a new thesis (cf. the additional academic regulations of the Faculty of Humanities).

Specific conditions

Admission to a programme of study is required:
English Linguistics and Language Acquisition (MPHFENG)

Required previous knowledge

Requires admission to M. Phil. in English Linguistics and Language Acquisition, as well as a completed bachelor's degree in English language or in Linguistics, or equivalent approved education. Only candidates with a minimum of 20 ECTS in English language/linguistics courses will be considered for acceptance.

Subject areas

  • English Language
  • English
  • English Linguistics

Contact information

Department with academic responsibility

Department of Language and Literature