Do you know more languages than the one you are reading now? Chances are, you are bilingual or multilingual. We live in a world where multilingualism is the norm and monolingualism the exception.
This comes with challenges and possibilities, for individuals, societies, and organizations. Do you want to take the lead in dealing with these challenges and possibilities? Then this is the MA programme for you!
This Multilingualism Master’s track trains you to become a diversity manager specialized in linguistic and cultural diversity. You will develop expertise on bilingualism and multilingualism from a variety of angles: sociolinguistic, educational, cognitive, cultural, historical, management and policy. You will learn how to do your own linguistic research, but also how to manage linguistic diversity in various settings, such as the workplace, in education, and on regional, national and transnational levels. You will deal with day-to-day issues such as helping companies overcome (intercultural) communication problems, design effective language policies or give schools advice on how best to teach pupils with diverse language backgrounds.
Upon finishing the Multilingualism Master’s track, students will receive a MA degree in Linguistics.
Semesters | ||||
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CoursesCourse Catalog > | 1a | 1b | 2a | 2b |
Essential Statistics (5 EC) | ||||
Minority Languages: The Case of Frisian (5 EC) | ||||
Language Planning and Policy (10 EC) | ||||
The Multilingual Mind (5 EC) | ||||
The Multilingual School (5 EC) | ||||
Internship (10 EC, optional) | ||||
Language, Narrative and Values (10 EC, optional) | ||||
Ma Thesis Multilingualism (20 EC) |
Programme options |
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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 programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
Duitse Taal en Cultuur | 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 |
English Language and Culture | All Research universities |
Additional requirements More information:With a specialization or premaster/minor in Linguistics |
Franse Taal en Cultuur | 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 |
Study programme | Organization | Transition |
---|---|---|
Minorities & Multilingualism | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
Linguistics | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
English Language and Culture | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
European Languages and Cultures | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
Dutch Language and Culture | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
American Studies | 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 |
Information Science | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:With a premaster/minor in Linguistics |
Specific requirements | More information |
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previous education |
Students with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Groningen in:
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:
with a Faculty Minor (30 ECTS) in Linguistics, are also admissible to this Master's track. These students can enrol in Studielink.nl and then get in touch with us to receive an admission letter. This admission letter must be taken to the Student Desk of the Faculty of Arts (https://www.rug.nl/let/onze-faculteit/organisatie/diensten-en-voorzieningen/bsz) where a Declaration of Admissions to Final Exams (VTAE) must be filled in to complete the enrollment. Students from other backgrounds (such as other Arts degrees, or degrees in the Social Sciences or Law) are also very welcome to apply to the programme. Please get in touch with the programme coordinator to determine whether you need to complete a pre-master programme before enrolling. |
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. If you have a VWO diploma a language test is not required. |
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. |
Note: it's not possible to start in February. For more information, please contact the study advisor.
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 |
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. These students can enrol in Studielink.nl and then get in touch with us to receive an admission letter. This admission letter must be taken to the Student Desk of the Faculty of Arts (https://www.rug.nl/let/onze-faculteit/contact/) where a Declaration of Admissions to Final Exams (VTAE) must be filled in to complete the enrolment. Students from other backgrounds (such as other Arts degrees, or degrees in the Social Sciences or Law) are also very welcome to apply to the programme. Please get in touch with the programme coordinator to determine whether you need to complete a pre-master programme before enrolling. |
language test |
Additional requirements English: 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. |
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. |
Note: it's not possible to start in February. For more information, please contact the study advisor.
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 |
Nationality | Year | Fee | Programme form |
---|---|---|---|
EU/EEA | 2024-2025 | € 2530 | full-time |
non-EU/EEA | 2024-2025 | € 18700 | full-time |
Practical information for:
Upon graduation students hold a (60 ECTS) MA degree in Linguistics with a track in Multilingualism from the University of Groningen. A student's career after that depends on the kind of person they are. The field of multilingualism is open for enterprising minds. Being one of the main challenges in a globalizing world, multilingualism creates many issues, situations and problems that can be solved only by experts.
Language is central to studying human behavior and activities. A degree in Linguistics can therefore also see you into a career in related fields such psychology, social-, computer- or education sciences. Many of the skills a Linguistics MA teaches are transferable. You will probably find that your analytical competence, ability to write, and capacity to solve problems will significantly improve after completing an MA degree.
We encourage our students to complete a 10 EC internship in a field of their interest. In the first term of the MA, a career event is organised to give students information and resources to realise their internship.
With your MA-degree you could become a diversity manager, policy consultant, or an advisor to (inter)national governmental organizations and NGOs. You could also become an expert on dealing with multilingualism in education and companies, or on advising government agencies on language policies. You may also choose to pursue a career as lecturer or researcher in higher education.
Through a combination of a research-driven approach and knowledge of applying theory to real life situations, our programme prepares students for the following jobs:
The Multilingualism Laboratory
The Dutch northern provinces carry a long tradition of research into multilingualism, especially the Fryslan province. These regions have been a multilingual area for centuries, where closely related endogenous languages and language varieties co-exist with exogenous varieties like English, German and Low-Saxon. Since the 1960s many immigrant languages, mainly belonging to different language families, have been added to this repertoire. The standardisation and official recognition of Frisian as a national language have resulted in a rather extensive infrastructure of language research, for instance on the fields of cultural heritage, education and language policy. Thus, Fryslân and the other northern provinces of the Netherlands offer an excellent natural setting for conducting ground-breaking multidisciplinary research on multilingualism.
We believe that a multidisciplinary approach is the only answer to the many questions multilingualism confronts us with. That is why our research groups are encouraged to closely collaborate and inspire each other, fueling innovative solutions, recommendations, and policy advice. By combining approaches from different backgrounds, (fundamental) research on multilingualism becomes truly innovative, able to combine societal needs with scientific questions.
Research areas
The research on multilingualism innovatively combines cognitive, sociological and technological approaches to language in a natural setting. Research areas are:
Language, Culture and Society
Investigating the complex relationships of globalization, migration and expressions of linguistic and cultural identity in multilingual contexts to ensure an open, democratic and fair society.
Language, Cognition, and Variation
Investigating language processing in the individual’s mind in combination with language variation in a multilingual society, and its consequences for language change and language learning, with the intention to develop new techniques to facilitate language learning.
Language, Equity and Social Justice
Investigating how language in societies, schools or organisations can contribute to equity, peace and social justice and how forms of linguistic discrimination (linguicism, accentism or racism) can lead to inequity.
Are you interested in a research oriented career? Please also check our Research Master's Programme of Linguistics.
If you have any questions or doubts about your studies, you can always contact the study advisor. He or she knows all the ins and outs of the program and personal planning. Study advisors are impartial and everything that is discussed is treated confidentially. They can also help you find the right institutions and student desks for your problems.