MA Forensic Linguistics

Study the Forensic Linguistics MA at Aston University, home of the world-leading Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics, to take your linguistics skills to the next level and improve the delivery of justice through the analysis of language.

Course outline and modules

This one year Forensic Linguistic masters course is designed to help linguistics students take their studies to the next level and enter the exciting discipline of forensic linguistics. Alongside advanced language-description modules, you will learn about legal and forensic contexts, and how linguists critically engage with the language of law and provide linguistic evidence in a variety of legal contexts.
What you’ll learn

The Forensic Linguistics MA course aims to expand your linguistic analysis skills and understanding so that you can apply them to forensic texts, and in forensic and legal contexts.

You will learn from some of the world’s leading academics in the field of forensic linguistics, based at our research institute - the Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics.

There is a strong ethos throughout this programme of forensic linguistics as an application of linguistics. You will study and improve your knowledge and abilities in the linguistic analysis of spoken and written language, in contexts such as police interviews and courtroom interactions, and you will learn how linguists apply their methods to aid police investigations and provide evidence in court.

The course has strong links with the police so you will get unique access to real-world data for your coursework.

Our course is applied in nature, giving you a chance to gain valuable hands-on experiences involving real forensic and legal data. It includes practical project work as well as academic essay assessments.

Successfully completing the taught parts of the course will enable you to progress onto completing a 15,000-word research dissertation as the final part of the course. Dissertation projects allow students to research an area in depth and are an excellent grounding for PhD study or for employment beyond the programme.

Career prospects

The Careers service offer a tailored programme for MA Forensic Linguistics students exploring opportunities in police and security services and broader employment as well as the opportunity of PhD study.

Graduates of the MA in Forensic Linguistics go on to a whole variety of careers, but the course is particularly suited to those who want to further their careers in intelligence roles with the police, the security services or the city/financial services. The course is also an excellent foundation for studies at PhD level for students interested in a career in research in this important and growing area, as well as those whose existing careers would be advanced by specialised training.