Applied Linguistics - TEFL | Linguistics

Can you learn a new language the same way you learned your mother tongue? How does our brain cope with multiple languages? Is there a teaching pedagogy that is the most effective?

This Master's track focuses on research into second or foreign language learning and teaching. You study the learning process and the use of new languages and the track allows you to focus your research on your language of choice: English as a second language, Dutch, French, German, Swedish, Chinese, etc. The skills and knowledge you acquire in this track are highly valued in areas of language teaching and testing, educational publishing, language policy making, and linguistic research.

You will approach second language acquisition from many angles, including linguistics, (social and cognitive) psychology, social interaction, and language teaching and assessment. The dynamic aspects of language development—how a wide range of factors (e.g. a learner's age, motivation, the amount of input) affect the learning process—receives particular attention. As such, our MA track trains you to become an all-round expert on second language development.

While this is not a teacher training programme, there is ample opportunity to discuss teaching-related issues and it is possible in some cases to do a language teaching internship.

Read more about the Department of Applied Linguistics.

Facts & Figures

Degree: MA in Linguistics
Course type: Master
Duration: 12 months (60 ECTS)
Croho code: 60815
Language of instruction: English
Start: September
Faculty: Arts

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Why study this programme in Groningen?

Applied Linguistics is a truly international programme that welcomes students from all over the world.
Classes are taught entirely in English.
Students are encouraged to use their own language (learning and teaching) experiences as the basis for their individual linguistic enquiries and research.
Our programme is small, which means that students benefit from small, intimate classes and close collaborative relationships with the other students as well as instructors.
It is possible to switch to the Research Master programme 'Language and Cognition' after this programme.
Following up this 1-year programme with the 1-year LVHO programme will award you with a teaching qualification and may be a great alternative to the regular 2-year educational master programme, giving you a firm research-based foundation for being a teacher.

Programme

The Master's track Applied Linguistics at the University of Groningen is a unique track designed to teach all students about the important theories and methodologies within the fields of second language learning, development, and teaching in the first semester.

The programme encompasses various fields of study, because learning and using a second language may be approached from many different angles. Students will explore and discuss the factors that relate to second language development, including cognition, psychology, social interaction, language teaching, and culture. In addition to theoretical and teaching paradigms, students will also take classes in statistics and research methodology essential for conducting applied linguistics research.

The second semester is meant for you to specialize in your preferred field. During this specialization, you will also write a Master's thesis on a topic of choice and take a course and/or do an internship that fits your interests. For the internship, some students decide to gain work experience doing research on creating language tests. Yet others might prefer to work in publishing or choose to gain research experience in one of the labs affiliated with the University of Groningen. It's sometimes also possible to combine the internship with thesis research, for example by examining the effects of different teaching methods during a teaching internship.

	Semesters
CoursesCourse Catalog >	1a	1b	2a	2b
Essential Statistics (5 EC)
Teaching Methodology/2nd Language Dev. (10 EC)
Theory of 2nd Language Development (10 EC)
Research Methodology Language Development (5 EC)
Computer-Assisted Language Learning (5 EC, optional)
Computer-Assisted Language Learning (10 EC, optional)
Master's Thesis in Applied Linguistics (20 EC)
MA Work Placement in Applied Linguistics (5 EC, optional)
MA Work Placement in Applied Linguistics (10 EC, optional)

Programme options
Master's Placement (specialization) This Master's track includes an optional work placement for which you are awarded ECTS credit points. It is your responsibility to find a placement yourself, but the Office for Student Affairs can offer help with this where necessary.

Study abroad

Study abroad is optional

Entry requirements

Transfer options

Transferring from...

University of Groningen

All Research universities

Study programme	Organization	Transition
English Language and Culture	University of Groningen	No additional requirements
Dutch Language and Culture	University of Groningen	No additional requirements
European Languages and Cultures	University of Groningen	No additional requirements
Minorities & Multilingualism	University of Groningen	No additional requirements
Linguistics	University of Groningen	No additional requirements
American Studies	University of Groningen	Additional requirements More information: With a premaster/minor in Linguistics
Information Science	University of Groningen	Additional requirements More information: With a premaster/minor in Linguistics
International Relations and International Organization	University of Groningen	Additional requirements More information: With a premaster/minor in Linguistics
Middle Eastern Studies	University of Groningen	Additional requirements More information: With a premaster/minor in Linguistics
Classics (part-time)	University of Groningen	Additional requirements More information: With a premaster/minor in Linguistics
Communication and Information Studies	University of Groningen	Additional requirements More information: With a premaster/minor in Linguistics

Study programme	Organization	Transition
English Language and Culture	All Research universities	Additional requirements More information: With a specialization or premaster/minor in Linguistics
European Languages and Cultures	All Research universities	Additional requirements More information: With a specialization or premaster/minor in Linguistics
Dutch Language and Culture	All Research universities	Additional requirements More information: With a specialization or premaster/minor in Linguistics
Linguistics	All Research universities	No additional requirements
Minorities & Multilingualism	All Research universities	No additional requirements

Admission requirements

Specific requirements	More information
previous education	Students with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Groningen in: Linguistics Minorities and Multilingualism Dutch Language and Culture English Language and Culture European Languages and Cultures are directly admissible to this Master's track. This also applies to students who have earned these Bachelor's degrees from other Dutch research universities, with one addition: Students with a BA in English Language and Culture, Dutch Language and Culture, European Languages and Cultures or any other foreign language have to have specialized in linguistics during their BA. Students with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Groningen in: American Studies Communication & Information Sciences International Relations and International Organization Middle-Eastern Studies Greek and Latin Language and Culture/ Classics Information Science with a Faculty Minor (30 ECTS) in Linguistics, are also admissible to this Master's track.
language test	Additional requirements English: A VWO diploma or a subject certificate for VWO English (mark 6 or higher), minimum requirement of TOEFL iBT 100 (with a minimum of 25 on writing skills), or IELTS 7 (with a minimum of 6.5 on all items). Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a minimum score of 185. This does not apply if you completed an English-taught bachelor programme at the University of Groningen. In this case, you do not need to show a certificate for English.
other admission requirements	Students who are not eligible for direct admission can apply for this MA programme and may then be offered a pre-master programme ranging from 30 to 60 ECTS. This pre-master programme is tailored to your background and is an excellent preparation for the MA programme in Applied Linguistics. Note that you cannot apply directly for a pre-master programme, as this is only decided on by the Admissions Board for the MA programme to which you apply. General information about the pre-master programme can be found here. Checklist needed for your application

Registration procedure

Note: it's only possible to a very limited extent to start in February. For more information, please contact the study advisor.

Application deadlines

Type of student	Deadline	Start course
Dutch students	15 August 2025	01 September 2025
EU/EEA students	01 May 2025	01 September 2025
non-EU/EEA students	01 May 2025	01 September 2025

Admission requirements

Specific requirements	More information
previous education	Students with a Bachelor's degree of a research university in Linguistics, with a specialization in linguistics, or with a sufficient number of linguistics courses and research components are eligible for admission to this Master's track.
language test	Additional requirements English: A VWO diploma or a subject certificate for VWO English (mark 6 or higher), minimum requirement of TOEFL iBT 100 (with a minimum of 25 on writing skills), or IELTS 7 (with a minimum of 6.5 on all items). Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a minimum score of 185. This does not apply if you completed an English-taught bachelor programme at the University of Groningen. In this case, you do not need to show a certificate for English.
other admission requirements	To assess whether your educational/academic background meets the specific programme requirements, we will consider the level and curriculum of your previous studies. This evaluation is carried out by our Admissions Office and the Admissions Board. Students who are not eligible for direct admission can apply for this MA programme and may then be offered a pre-master programme ranging from 30 to 60 ECTS. This pre-master programme is tailormade to your background and is an excellent preparation for the MA programme in Applied Linguistics. Note that you cannot apply directly for a pre-master programme, as this is only decided on by the Admissions Board for the MA programme to which you apply. General information about the pre-master programme can be found here. Checklist needed for your application

Registration procedure

Note: it's only possible to a very limited extent to start in February. For more information, please contact the study advisor.

Application deadlines

Type of student	Deadline	Start course
Dutch students	15 August 2025	01 September 2025
EU/EEA students	01 May 2025	01 September 2025
non-EU/EEA students	01 May 2025	01 September 2025

Tuition fees

Nationality	Year	Fee	Programme form
EU/EEA	2024-2025	€ 2530	full-time
non-EU/EEA	2024-2025	€ 18700	full-time
EU/EEA	2025-2026	€ 2601	full-time
non-EU/EEA	2025-2026	€ 19200	full-time

Practical information for:

Dutch students International students

After your studies

Job prospects

Upon graduation, students will obtain an MA degree in Linguistics with a specialization in Applied Linguistics.

Due to the varied options in the second semester, there is no one particular job our students tend to end up in. Some of our graduates end up in research positions, for example at a university or a research institute. Others become educational specialists, go back to teaching or continue with a teaching degree in their chosen language. Some also end up at teacher training institutes or work at language policy institutes (e.g. at provincial, national or international level). We also have quite a few graduates who have found positions in material development or language testing (e.g., Noordhoff Publishing Company, Diataal, or the Dutch CITO).

Despite the differences between our graduates and where they end up, it should be noted that many of the skills our students acquire are transferable. Our graduated students are specialized in teaching languages and language development, possess excellent analytical and writing skills (especially in English), and have obtained the capacity to analyze and solve problems. Therefore, our students are a great asset to a variety of companies and institutes and almost all of our students find a job within a few months after graduation.

Job examples

Material developer
Publisher
Teaching specialist
Communication specialist
Curriculum developer
Educational policy maker/ adviser
Educational specialist
Language policy maker/ adviser
Language researcher/ linguist
Language teaching professional
Language testing expert
Language tutor

Research

Research in Applied Linguistics focuses on the process of learning and using a second language. It covers various fields of study because learning and using a second language can be approached from many different angles, including cognition, psychology, social interaction, language teaching and culture.

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Contact

Ask Your Question Here (please fill in this contact form, we will answer you as soon as possible.)
Questions? Send Us An Email!
Email: tefl rug.nl
Sjors van Ooij (Study Advisor)
Email: studyadvisor-al rug.nl
Nora de Beer (Student Ambassador)
Admission Office (Contact form)
Telephone: +31-(0)50 363 8976

NL Scholarships

The University of Groningen offers NL Scholarships to international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who want to do their master’s in the Netherlands. Read more on the NL Scholarships and on how to apply.

Research Master

Are you interested in a research oriented career? Please also check our Research Master's Programme of Linguistics.

Study associations

ZaZa

Study association ZaZa is the study association for the study Dutch Language and Culture and Linguistics at the University of Groningen.

As a study association for Dutch Language and Culture and Linguistics, naming the association after our beloved alphabet seemed a perfect fit. After all, what are language and literature without letters? Take the first and the last letter of our alphabet, double them, add a touch of creativity and there it is, our name ZaZa. The goal of ZaZa is to unite students with a passion for the Dutch language/literature and linguistics by organizing both events related and unrelated to our studies. That goal is pursued with the help of eleven active committees, two lustrum committees and two advisory committees.

http://www.zaza-nederlands.nl