Language and Intercultural Communication MSc
Awards: MSc
Study modes: Full-time
Funding opportunities
Programme website: Language and Intercultural Communication
I wanted to continue my studies at Edinburgh because I knew that its high standards for academic excellence make for a great learning experience and because the programme allows me to explore my research area further. I also really enjoy living in Edinburgh and exploring the city and surrounding area.
The MSc in Language and Intercultural Communication is an interdisciplinary degree programme that aims to provide a pedagogically grounded and practical understanding of issues surrounding the study of language and intercultural communication.
It is based on the premise that, to help learners develop into multi-lingually and multi-culturally aware world citizens, language teachers must work for maximum integration between language and culture teaching.
While this is now a desired goal of foreign language courses in the European context, and also in Asia, Australia and the USA, a growing body of literature suggests that the study of language and intercultural communication is not approached in a critical and engaged manner in the classroom. This lack of critical engagement may have a detrimental effect on deep culture learning.
Building on existing strengths and developments in intercultural language education, this programme will introduce specialised theories, concepts and principles that see intercultural communication as a form of social practice embedded in potentially shifting global processes. It contributes to the creation of autonomous and reflectively thinking practitioners, who can deploy their teaching skills in rapidly changing contexts of intercultural language teaching provision.
Why Edinburgh
The programme is designed with a strong research focus across its courses and is taught by internationally recognised experts in the field.
Who this programme is for
It is designed for both pre-service and in-service language teachers interested in developing and enhancing the skills necessary for a professional career in language and intercultural communication.
The programme is also suitable for individuals working in intercultural language education policy, as well as graduates interested in undertaking further postgraduate research at PhD level.
The programme (a total of 180 credits) is divided into two semesters with a dissertation following at the end of the year.
It is made up of taught compulsory and option SCQF Level 11 courses totalling 120 credits. The dissertation carries 60 credits.
Course breakdown
Semester 1
You will complete four compulsory courses in Semester 1 (September - December):
- Language and Intercultural Communication Pedagogy (20 credits)
- Language Education for Intercultural Citizenship (20 credits)
- Critical Topics in Intercultural Communication Studies (20 credits)
- Sources of Knowledge: Understanding and analysing research literature (10 credits)
Semester 2
You will complete one compulsory course and two option courses in Semester 2 (January - April).
Compulsory course:
- Conceptualising Research: Foundations, Assumptions and Praxis (10 credits)
Each option course is worth 20 credits. One of the options must be from the list of SCQF Level 11 courses below.
These courses are offered to all Moray House School of Education and Sport students on the languages Masters programmes (MSc TESOL, MSc Language Education):
- Bilingual Education (20 credits)
- Corpus Linguistics and Language Teaching (20 credits)
- Critical literacies and critical pedagogies in L1 and L2 contexts (20 credits)
- Evaluation and Design of TESOL Materials (20 credits)
- Global Englishes for Language Teaching (20 credits)
- Intercultural Language Learner Identity (20 credits)
- Investigating Individual Learner Differences (20 credits)
- Language Awareness for Second Language Teachers (20 credits)
- Language Testing (20 credits)
- Online Language Learning (20 credits)
- Second Language Teacher Education (20 credits)
- Teaching Languages to Young Learners (20 credits)
- Teaching Text Across Borders (20 credits)
- Text, Discourse and Language Teaching (20 credits)
- Theory and Practice of Second Language Learning (20 credits)
The second option can be either:
- one further course from the list above, or
- one course from the wider Moray House or University Masters courses (20 credits at SCQF Level 11) subject to approval by the Programme Director.
Dissertation
You must complete a 12,000-word dissertation in Semester 3 (May-August):
- Dissertation: MSc Language and Intercultural Communication (60 credits)
(Revised 4 October 2024 to change 'core' to 'compulsory')
Find out more about compulsory and optional courses
We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.
| Award | Title | Duration | Study mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSc | Language and Intercultural Communication | 1 Year | Full-time | Programme structure 2024/25 |
On completion of the degree, you can expect to be employed worldwide in all areas of intercultural language education.
Example roles include:
- teaching language and intercultural communication in primary, secondary and tertiary levels
- training other intercultural language teachers
- designing intercultural language curricula, policies and materials
- undertaking empirical research into the development of democratic competencies for intercultural citizenship
Every year we have the pleasure to accommodate representatives from large teacher recruitment agencies, who talk to our students about the benefits of becoming an intercultural language teacher, in addition to conducting interviews with candidates who are short-listed for language teaching posts.
The MSc in Language and Intercultural Communication is also a good introduction to undertaking further research at PhD level.
These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 July 2025.
A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a relevant discipline.
Applicants do not need to have language teaching experience to enter this programme. Applicants may also be considered on the basis of employment or relevant experience.
Students from China
This degree is Band C.
If applicants are studying in a Chinese university on our priority list, they must have a minimum overall average of 80% for courses and at least 80% on the dissertation. For applicants at any recognised university not on our priority list, they must have an average of 85% for courses and 80% on the dissertation.
International qualifications
Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:
English language requirements
Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.
English language tests
We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:
- IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
- TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
- C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
- Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
- PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 65 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
- Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 7 in each component.
Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.
Degrees taught and assessed in English
We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:
We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).
If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.
Find out more about our language requirements:
Tuition fees
| Award | Title | Duration | Study mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSc | Language and Intercultural Communication | 1 Year | Full-time | Tuition fees |
Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.
Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:
- borrowing money
- taking out a loan
- family support
- personal savings
- income from work
- employer sponsorship
- scholarships
Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study
GREAT scholarship: Mexico
One GREAT scholarship will be available to applicants from Mexico who apply for 2024 entry. This award is for £10,000 towards postgraduate taught (Masters) degree tuition. Further details on eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found on the GREAT scholarship website.
India Merit Scholarship
The University is offering a new international scholarship for the most academically gifted Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Masters students applying from India. These awards cover £5,000 towards tuition fees for PGT Masters students studying on campus during the 2024/25 academic year. The Scholarships will be tenable for the first year of study only and will be automatically deducted from your student tuition fee balance.
UK government postgraduate loans
If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.
The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:
- your programme
- the duration of your studies
- your tuition fee status
Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.
Other funding opportunities
Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:
- Postgraduate Admissions
- Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
- Contact: Admissions Office
- Programme Director, Dr Michele Saraiva Carilo
- Contact: LIC@ed.ac.uk
- Moray House School of Education and Sport
- Old Moray House
- Holyrood Campus
- Edinburgh
- EH8 8AQ
- Programme: Language and Intercultural Communication
- School: Education and Sport (Moray House)
- College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Applying
Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.
MSc Language and Intercultural Communication - 1 Year (Full-time)
Due to high demand, this programme operates a gathered field approach to admissions, with two application deadlines as noted below.
Each application round has a decision deadline, also listed below, but note that we may make offers to the strongest candidates on an ongoing basis, in advance of the published decision deadline.
We strongly recommend that you apply as early as possible, especially if you intend to apply for funding. Applications may close earlier than published deadlines if there is exceptionally high demand. If you are considering applying for our pre-sessional English Language programme, please make sure you apply in Round 1.
Please note that for an application to be reviewed, it must be a complete application by the deadline with all supporting documentation uploaded, including references and transcripts. English language documentation can be submitted later but if you have already met the English language entry requirements for your programme at the time of application, your application may be considered more competitive in selection than applications where an English language test still needs to be taken.
Selection deadlines
| Round | Application Deadline | Places awarded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 January 2025 | 17 April 2025 |
| 2 | 29 May 2025 | 30 June 2025 |
Deadlines for UK/Scotland fee status
After Round 2, if there are still places available, applications will remain open only to applicants who are eligible for the UK/Scotland fee rate, including the EU/EEA Pre-settled Scotland fee status. Applications will remain open no later than 30 June 2025 and may close earlier than this if the programme becomes full, so we strongly recommend you apply as soon as possible.
If you apply with another fee status after 29 May 2025, your application will be rejected.
(Revised 18 October 2024 to add application deadlines and selection process information)
You must submit one reference with your application.
Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:
Further information
- Postgraduate Admissions
- Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
- Contact: Admissions Office
- Programme Director, Dr Michele Saraiva Carilo
- Contact: LIC@ed.ac.uk
- Moray House School of Education and Sport
- Old Moray House
- Holyrood Campus
- Edinburgh
- EH8 8AQ
- Programme: Language and Intercultural Communication
- School: Education and Sport (Moray House)
- College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences