Introduction

Welcome to postgraduate study in the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film at Queen Mary, University of London. We offer two types of postgraduate degree programmes: Taught MA programmes and PhD Programmes.

Students on all programmes are encouraged to engage fully with the research culture of the School, and to attend the research seminars.

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Funding

The School welcomes applications for funding and offers Queen Mary Principal's Studentships and Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Studentships for doctoral study and, may, on occasion, offer an MA Bursary.

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MA Bursaries
The School may occasionally offer a bursary to its most highly qualified applicants on selected programmes. Any applicant for admission to one of the selected programmes will be automatically considered for a bursary, there is no separate application form. Master’s bursaries are normally to the value of home tuition fees, although they may be awarded to overseas applicants.

For 2012/13 entry, the School will be awarding one Claussen Simon MA Bursary to our most highly qualified candiate applying for the MA in Anglo-German Cultural Relations.

Claussen Simon Bursary (MA in Anglo-German Cultural Relations) Closing date: 4 May 2012

Queen Mary £1000 bursaries These are available to help with tuition fees for home students (UK/EU) graduating from QM in 2012 only, and take up a place on a taught QM Masters programme in 2012/13.

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Queen Mary Principal's Studentships
Each year Queen Mary offers research studentships to its most highly qualified applicants for doctoral study. The awards allocated to Humanities and Social Science departments total more than £1 million per annum. The terms of the awards are as follows:

• Research studentships generally include payment of tuition fees (either home or overseas) for three years and an annual stipend at the relevant research council rate. All studentships are full-time. Holders of Queen Mary research studentships will receive teaching training and will have the opportunity to undertake a few hours of teaching each week in the second and third years of their study.
  

The competition for Research Studentships for 2012/13 entry closed on 31st January 2012. Candidates whose applications are received after this date will be considered for admission, but not for funding.

Full details of availability and deadlines for 2013/14 entry are expected to be announced in December 2012.

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Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
These may be awarded to cover tuition fees and a maintenance grant for UK residents (both UK citizens and EU nationals). EU nationals not resident in the UK are eligible for a fees only award. Non-EU nationals are not eligible for AHRC awards, with the exception of persons who have been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain and who can demonstrate a relevant connection to the UK.

The AHRC competition for 2012/13 entry closed on 31st January 2012. Candidates whose applications are received after this date will be considered for admission, but not for funding.

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Research training

The School of Languages, Linguistics and Film delivers a research training programme compulsory for students on all MA programmes in the School, dealing with time management, IT and the choice of essay and dissertation topics. Research students are also encouraged to attend these sessions.

The Learning Institute at Queen Mary delivers research training and development opportunities to all research students in such areas as dissertation management (i.e., how to finish on time), academic publishing, research ethics, knowledge transfer, funding your research, and developing an academic career.

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MA programmes

Our master's programmes offer students grounding in research methods and skills, an introduction to the critical theories and approaches relevant to the area of study, and a choice of more specialised options. They are an essential preparation for students who wish to continue to doctoral work and are also of interest to those who want to broaden their intellectual horizons. Students are from a wide variety of backgrounds and age groups and come both from the UK and overseas.

All courses are available both full-time and part-time.

Further details about these programmes and the current academic contact can be found at the links given below:

MA in Anglo-German Cultural Relations Convenor: Professor Rüdiger Görner This programme enjoys the support of the German Embassy in London and Robert Bosch Ltd.

MA in Comparative Literature Convenor: Professor Leonard Olschner

MA in Documentary Practice Convenor: Mr Eugene Doyen

MA in Film Studies Convenor: Professor Janet Harbord

MA in Linguistics Convenor: Dr Devyani Sharma

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MA modules

Core and optional modules offered by the School are shown in the Directory of MA Modules where you will also find the current, or most recent, reading list for each module. The schedule for modules being offered in the current academic year are shown on the appropriate MA timetable.

If you are in receipt of an offer, further information about your programme will be sent to you in August. You will be asked to complete and return a form with your preliminary choice of optional modules prior to commencing the programme.

When you arrive for the start of your programme, you will be required to confirm the modules you are taking for assessment during the academic year using the online module registration system MySIS. This must be completed no later than two weeks after the programme has started.

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Research degrees

The School aims to provide a stimulating and nurturing environment for postgraduate research. We are privileged to include many academics of the highest national and international research reputation, encompassing a wide range of fields from French, German and Russian Studies, Iberian and Latin American Studies, Linguistics and Film Studies to Literary and Cultural Studies, Modern Critical Theory and Cultural Theory, History of Ideas and Modern Continental Philosophy. Staff research interests and information on how departments of the School performed in the last Research Assessment Exercise can be found in the section on Research.

We receive financial support for projects from sources including AHRC, the ESRC and the Leverhulme Trust, and a number of staff members are fellows of the Royal Society of Arts, the AHRC Peer Review College, the British Academy and the Association of Art Historians respectively. Our postgraduate students enjoy the use of the facilities provided by the Arts Research Centre, and the Lock-keeper's Cottage Graduate Centre.

Prospective research students are welcome to approach the School at any time in the academic year. You are strongly advised to consult a potential supervisor with a draft research proposal, or the appropriate Graduate Studies Convenor for your chosen subject area within the School, before making a formal application.  We are happy to discuss research proposals and to provide advice both on academic matters and on possible sources of funding. We are open to proposals for research within individual Departments and also to proposals requiring co-supervision, either within the School or involving other Schools in the Faculty.

Research degree programmes available thoughout Queen Mary are listed on the College website. Information shown for each programme will contain a link to the online application form specific to that programme.

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How to apply

Application process
It is recommended that an application is made before August, for the forthcoming academic year (unless you are also applying for funding when you may need to apply much earlier).

Later applications for admission may be considered. However, if you are applying for an MA programme, we cannot guarantee that a decision will be made in time for you to take the programme in the year you wish to study. In such cases, an offer of a deferred place for the following year may be made.

Application Checklist The application form is available online. We strongly recommend using the online application process, although the form is also available to download and a hard copy is provided with the QM Postgraduate Prospectus. You will also need to provide two reference letters, at least one of which must be an academic reference. It is your responsibility to ensure that you obtain two references to support your application. You should include any degree transcripts that you have already obtained. Please provide copies, not the original documents. If the transcript is in a language other than English, a certified translation must also be provided. Overseas applicants from non-English speaking countries should provide proof of English language proficiency. It may be advisable to provide a personal statement to explain why you wish to apply for the programme and provide any further information in support of your application. PhD applicants must also submit the following documents: Research proposal (1200-1500 words) which should begin with the title of your project. Writing sample in English (flexible word length, but maximum 10,000 words). Personal statement in which we recommend that you include: Why you would like to undertake a PhD in your discipline. Why Queen Mary is the right place for you to undertake this research. What research training and professional preparation you have already received.

English language
If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence of your proficiency in English. The College's preferred test is the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) and the School will normally require a score of at least 7.0, plus 7.0 in the writing element. Further details of English Language Requirements and a comparison table that shows how the IELTS compares with scores of other tests which are accepted by the College for entry are available on the College website.

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Enrolment

Once you are in receipt of an offer, have met the terms of your offer and confirmed your place with the Admissions Office, joining instructions will be sent to you.

MA programmes for 2012/13 begin on Monday 24th September 2012. Joining instructions will be sent out from August and Enrolment takes place towards the end of September each year.

PhD programmes can begin at specific times throughout the academic year depending on the month in which you are starting your studies. Enrolment takes place at the beginning of each month. However, a September enrolment is recommended, which will also be expected if you are successful in obtaining College funding.

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Further information

For information about admissions, accommodation, fees, funding and international students, or to order the Queen Mary Postgraduate Prospectus, please visit the College website.

For more information about postgraduate study in the School, please contact:
Postgraduate Studies
Tel: +44 20 7882 8332
Email: sllf-pg@qmul.ac.uk