Arts & Humanities

Master of Arts (Linguistics)

The Master of Arts in Linguistics is a postgraduate programme that provides advanced study of language structure, language use, and linguistic theory. The programme trains graduates for careers in academia, language research, translation, language planning, and applied linguistics.

Core areas include phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, discourse analysis, and applied linguistics. Students engage with both theoretical linguistics and practical language analysis.

The programme is offered by the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, and Maseno University. UoN charges KES 21,000 per unit with total programme cost of approximately KES 441,000. KU charges KES 216,000/year for MA in English and Linguistics.

Students develop competencies in linguistic analysis, language description, research methods, language documentation, translation, and language teaching. The programme includes coursework, examinations, research project or thesis, and oral defence.

UoN tuition is KES 21,000 per unit with total programme cost of approximately KES 441,000 over four semesters (~KES 220,500/year). KU charges KES 216,000/year. Entry requires a Bachelor's degree with at least Second Class Honours in Linguistics, English, or related field.

Graduates pursue careers as university lecturers, language researchers, translators, language planners, speech therapists, and applied linguistics consultants in universities, research institutes, publishing, and government.

Skills Required

Phonetic and Phonological Analysis
Morphological and Syntactic Analysis
Semantic and Pragmatic Analysis
Sociolinguistic Research
Psycholinguistic Research
Discourse Analysis
Language Documentation and Description
Translation and Interpretation Theory
Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching
Research Methods in Linguistics

Key Subjects

Phonetics
Phonology
Morphology
Syntax
Semantics and Pragmatics
Sociolinguistics
Psycholinguistics
Discourse Analysis
Applied Linguistics
Research Methods

Certifications

LSA Linguistics Certification
IPA Phonetic Certification

Specializations

Theoretical Linguistics

Focuses on theoretical linguistics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, generative grammar, and analysing language structure and theory.

Sociolinguistics

Examines sociolinguistics, language and society, variation, multilingualism, language policy, and understanding language in social contexts.

Applied Linguistics

Covers applied linguistics, language teaching, second language acquisition, materials development, and applying linguistics to practical language problems.

Translation Studies

Focuses on translation, interpretation, theory, practice, terminology, and translating between languages professionally.

Psycholinguistics

Examines psycholinguistics, language acquisition, language processing, cognition, and understanding language and the mind.

Computational Linguistics

Covers computational linguistics, natural language processing, corpus linguistics, and applying computing to language analysis.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 220,500
Private, up to: Ksh 249,800
Job market: Moderate

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time, School-based, Online
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 15 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Phonetics
Phonology
Morphology
Syntax
Semantics and Pragmatics
Sociolinguistics
Psycholinguistics
Discourse Analysis
Applied Linguistics
Research Methods

Modules

12 in the programme

Phonetics
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines phonetics, speech sounds, articulation, acoustic phonetics, auditory phonetics, transcription, and analysing speech sounds.
Grammatical Theories
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers grammatical theories, generative grammar, syntax, morphology, and understanding grammatical theory and its application.
Applied Linguistics
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines applied linguistics, language teaching, second language acquisition, materials development, and applying linguistics to practical problems.
Research Methods in Linguistics
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers research methods, design, data collection, analysis, field methods, and conducting research in linguistics, preparing students for their thesis.
Phonology
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines phonology, phonological theory, generative phonology, processes, features, and analysing sound systems.
Morphology and Language Description
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers morphology, word formation, morphemes, inflection, derivation, and analysing word structure and describing languages.
Syntax
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines syntax, syntactic theory, generative grammar, tree diagrams, transformation, and analysing sentence structure.
Sociolinguistics
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers sociolinguistics, language and society, variation, multilingualism, language policy, and understanding language in social contexts.
Semantics and Pragmatics
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines semantics, pragmatics, meaning, context, speech acts, and analysing meaning in language.
Psycholinguistics
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers psycholinguistics, language acquisition, language processing, cognition, and understanding language and the mind.
Discourse Analysis and Communication
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines discourse analysis, conversation analysis, text analysis, communication, and analysing language use in context.
Research Thesis or Project
Year 2Semester 28 creditsCore
Original research thesis or project on a linguistics topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Theoretical Linguistics
Focuses on theoretical linguistics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, generative grammar, and analysing language structure and theory.
Sociolinguistics
Examines sociolinguistics, language and society, variation, multilingualism, language policy, and understanding language in social contexts.
Applied Linguistics
Covers applied linguistics, language teaching, second language acquisition, materials development, and applying linguistics to practical language problems.
Translation Studies
Focuses on translation, interpretation, theory, practice, terminology, and translating between languages professionally.
Psycholinguistics
Examines psycholinguistics, language acquisition, language processing, cognition, and understanding language and the mind.
Computational Linguistics
Covers computational linguistics, natural language processing, corpus linguistics, and applying computing to language analysis.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MA Linguistics programme begins with morning lectures on phonetics, phonology, syntax, or sociolinguistics. Students engage with both theoretical linguistics and practical language analysis. Phonetics sessions cover speech sounds, articulation, acoustic phonetics, transcription, and analysing speech sounds. Phonology sessions examine phonological theory, generative phonology, processes, and analysing sound systems. Morphology sessions cover word formation, morphemes, inflection, derivation, and analysing word structure. Syntax sessions examine syntactic theory, generative grammar, tree diagrams, and analysing sentence structure. Semantics and pragmatics sessions cover meaning, context, speech acts, and analysing meaning in language. Sociolinguistics sessions examine language and society, variation, multilingualism, policy, and understanding language in social contexts. Psycholinguistics sessions cover language acquisition, processing, cognition, and understanding language and the mind. Discourse analysis sessions examine discourse, conversation, text analysis, and analysing language use in context. Research methods sessions prepare students for their thesis, covering linguistic research methods, field methods, and data analysis. Guest lectures from visiting linguists, language researchers, and international scholars provide real-world insights. The programme culminates in a research thesis or project.

The trade offs

In its favour

Kenya's multilingualism, language policy, education needs, and growing language technology create demand for qualified linguistics professionals.
KU offers the programme at KES 216,000/year with full-time and school-based modes providing flexibility.
Career opportunities in academia, research, translation, speech therapy, computational linguistics, and publishing.
Programme provides rigorous analytical and research skills applicable across multiple language-related fields.

Against it

Linguistics is a niche field with fewer direct career positions compared to professional degrees.
Academic and research positions are competitive and may require doctoral qualifications.
Maseno fee structure for this exact programme not independently verified.
Programme requires aptitude for abstract analysis and formal theory, which may challenge some students.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 188 arts & humanities courses

Public216k to 221k

216k at Kenyatta University221k at University of Nairobi

Private138k to 250k

138k at KCA University250k at Daystar University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

UoN MA Linguistics 441K/2yr=220.5K/yr. KU 216K/yr. Daystar ~249.8K/yr. KCA unverified.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. LSA supports linguistics research globally. African language associations support African language research. The programme's linguistics focus attracts LSA, language documentation, and research funding.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LSA Research Funding
African Language Research Funding

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate linguistics studies at recognised universities.
LSA Research Funding
FellowshipKsh 300,000
LSA supports linguistics research globally, providing fellowships for postgraduate study in linguistics.
African Language Research Funding
GrantKsh 250,000
African language associations support African language research, providing grants for postgraduate study and documentation.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: The programme accepts graduates from linguistics, English, education (English/Linguistics), and related fields. KU requires mean score of B in English and Linguistic courses. UoN offers full-time, part-time, and ODeL modes. Two-year programme with thesis or project option.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework40% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework essays, linguistic analysis papers, seminar presentations, language description projects, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination30% of the mark
Written examinations covering phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and sociolinguistics, conducted at end of each semester.
Language Description Project
Practical30% of the mark
Assessment of language description project, including phonetic transcription, morphological analysis, syntactic analysis, and language documentation.
Research Thesis or Project
Research100% of the mark
Original research thesis or project on a linguistics topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). University of Nairobi offers MA in Linguistics through its Department of Linguistics and Languages. Kenyatta University offers MA in English and Linguistics. Maseno University offers MA in General Linguistics. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate linguistics training.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. UoN offers MA in Linguistics through its Department of Linguistics and Languages. KU offers MA in English and Linguistics. Maseno offers MA in General Linguistics. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate linguistics training.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

University Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 500,000
Teaches linguistics in universities, conducting research and training future linguists and language professionals.
Language Researcher
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 450,000
Conducts research on languages, overseeing documentation, description, analysis, and supporting language research and preservation.
Translator
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 450,000
Translates between languages, overseeing translation projects, terminology, and supporting cross-language communication.
Language Planner
Low demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 500,000
Develops language policy and planning, overseeing policy, standards, and supporting language policy in government and institutions.
Speech and Language Therapist
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 500,000
Provides speech and language therapy, overseeing assessment, intervention, and supporting individuals with communication disorders.
Computational Linguist
High demandKsh 150,000 to Ksh 600,000
Works in language technology, overseeing NLP, corpus tools, speech systems, and supporting language technology development.

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as university lecturers, language researchers, translators, language planners, and applied linguistics consultants in academia and government.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

Praat
SoftwarePrimary
Phonetic analysis software for speech analysis, phonetic research, acoustic analysis, and phonological studies.
ELAN
Software
Annotation tool for language documentation, transcription, multi-tier annotation, and analysing audio and video language data.
SPSS
Software
Statistical software for linguistic research, survey analysis, and research data analysis.
NLTK
Software
Natural language toolkit for computational linguistics, text processing, corpus analysis, and NLP research.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Linguistics is just about learning languages.
Linguistics is the scientific study of language structure, use, and theory, not about learning to speak multiple languages.
Linguistics only leads to teaching careers.
Linguistics opens careers in research, translation, speech therapy, computational linguistics, publishing, and language technology.
Linguistics is not a rigorous discipline.
Linguistics involves rigorous scientific analysis, theory, research methods, and data analysis comparable to other sciences.
There is no demand for linguistics graduates in Kenya.
Kenya's multilingualism, language policy, education, and technology needs create demand for qualified linguistics professionals.
A master's in linguistics is redundant after a BA.
The master's provides advanced analytical skills, research capability, specialisation, and career progression to senior academic and professional positions.
Linguistics is only about English.
Linguistics studies all languages including African languages, and the programme emphasises description and documentation of Kenyan and African languages.