Dissertation in Linguistics or Applied Linguistics

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Key facts

UNE unit code: LING599

*You are viewing the 2026 version of this unit which may be subject to change in future.

Start

Year Long Honours - Period 1 - Online
Year Long Honours - Period 2 - Online
Year Long Honours - Period 3 - Online

24/7 online support

Intensive schools

Supervised exam

Credit points

UNE student studies on a laptop on her lounge at home

This unit allows qualified students to take their studies to a higher level in a specific area of linguistics.

You will complete a dissertation of 18,000 words (±10%) written under the close supervision of a member of staff, on a topic negotiated with the supervisor.

If you obtain a good grade in the dissertation unit you will be well equipped to pursue a higher research degree in linguistics.

Offerings

Teaching period	Mode/location
Year Long Honours - Period 1	Online
Year Long Honours - Period 2	Online
Year Long Honours - Period 3	Online

*Offering is subject to availability

Intensive schools

There are no intensive schools required for this unit.

Enrolment rules

Pre-requisites

Candidature in the MAppLing and minimum average mark of 80% in Linguistics coursework and subject to discretion and availability of an appropriate supervisor and permission of the LING599 Unit Coordinator (or nominee) and (if proposed research topic is in Applied Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Second Language Acquisition or a related area) completion of LING561

Restrictions

LING600

Notes

Students may contact the Unit Coordinator to start preparing and discussing a LING599 proposal:

once they are roughly halfway through their coursework, and
have a promising record that indicates they are likely to end up with an average of 80% in their coursework (see unit Prerequisites).

However, permission to formally enrol in & commence LING599 will only be granted if and when:

the student has completed all or almost all of their coursework units,
depending on their proposed area of research, they have completed LING561 (see Prerequisites above), and

a Linguistics staff member is happy with the student’s proposal and agrees to supervise their thesis.

Please refer to the student handbook for current details on this unit.

Unit coordinator(s)

Arvind Iyengar

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:

formulate and investigate research questions pertaining to linguistics and/or applied linguistics;
exercise higher order, independent research skills;
apply advanced analytical abilities, in using a broad range of research materials, often from several media, in order to answer research questions;
demonstrate high level written communication skills through the production of a research dissertation, based upon the student's own hypothesis and independent research; and
use methodology appropriate to the topic, and express arguments and hypotheses in the discourse of the discipline.

Assessment information

Assessments are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.

Title	Must Complete	Weight	Offerings	Assessment Notes
Dissertation - Assurance Task	Yes	100%	All offerings	The dissertation will be written in stages with verifiable fortnightly oral presentations (in person or online) by the student. Verbal and written feedback from the supervisor will be given at every stage No. Words: 18,000

Title

Must Complete

Weight

Offerings

Assessment Notes

Dissertation - Assurance Task

Yes

100%

All offerings

The dissertation will be written in stages with verifiable fortnightly oral presentations (in person or online) by the student. Verbal and written feedback from the supervisor will be given at every stage

No. Words: 18,000

Learning resources

Textbooks are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.

Note: Recommended material may be held in the University Library — purchase is optional.

Doing a Successful Research Project: Using Qualitative or Quantitative Methods

ISBN: 9781137306425

Davies, M. B., Palgrave MacMillan 2014

Note: Students should consult their LING599 Supervisor about which is the most appropriate text for their individual project.