If you’re a practising professional in applied linguistics, our doctorate will allow you to work on topics that reflect the multidisciplinary nature of the field, and that go beyond classroom-based language learning and teaching. You’ll be introduced to dynamic and challenging concepts and methods that reflect the role language plays as a communication tool in everyday life, and use these to reflect critically and constructively on your current experience and context. The course is split into two distinct stages. In stage 1, you’ll create a research portfolio consisting of three 7,000-word papers. In stage 2, you’ll produce a 59,000-word thesis, based on original research linked to your professional practice. For both stages, you’ll be assigned a subject specialist supervisor. Our supervisors are experienced in most areas of applied linguistics, including contemporary approaches, like corpus-driven studies on testing or material compilation, and issues relating to sociocultural adaptation and social cohesion in a migration context. You can see a full list of research areas in the Supervision and support section below. You’ll work in a collaborative environment with strong links to Anglia Ruskin’s research networks. We host and take part in many research oriented events for staff and postgraduate students, including regular Faculty and departmental research seminars and international conferences. Our staff contribute to the Research Unit for Intercultural and Transcultural Studies (RUITS), Anglia Research Centre in Media and Culture (ARCMedia) and Cultures of the Digital Economy Research Institute (CoDE), who organise many events that you’ll be welcome to attend. These events, along with our online environment, will help you connect with other research students from a range of disciplines.

This Professional Doctorate will give you the unique opportunity to research an issue or problem of particular significance to your practice, demonstrating your leadership and developing your expertise. We’ll give you many opportunities for career development and training, in areas like writing up a paper for publication; placing an academic article; giving a conference paper; the doctoral writing style; updates on research methods and literature searches; internet training; editing skills for doctoral research; subsequent monograph publication; and dealing with festivals, agents, and publishers. In conjunction with Anglia Ruskin’s research support, you can request specific support for writing-up, conference papers, general research methods and other research skills if you need it.