Language and Intercultural Communication (MSc)

This interdisciplinary Masters programme provides a critical, practical and globally informed understanding of language and intercultural communication across a wide range of professional and social contexts.

Postgraduate virtual open days

Join our online event to learn about the Education postgraduate programmes available at Moray House. Our Programme Directors will give you an insight into each programme, and you'll have a chance to ask them your questions.

Date: 17 - 19 November

Location: Online

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Our MSc Language and Intercultural Communication programme is founded on the view that effective intercultural communication is increasingly important in diverse multilingual and multicultural societies, international workplaces, digital environments, education, public services, and global mobility. We explore how language and culture shape interaction, identity, inclusion and power in contemporary societies.

Students will develop critical, reflective and transferable skills that can be applied across a broad range of professional fields. Our graduates are critically engaged, independent thinkers who are well equipped to navigate and contribute to diverse intercultural environments in an increasingly interconnected world.

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Visit the University’s Degree Finder for detailed entry requirements, fees, international grade equivalency, language requirements and to apply.

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Key facts (MSc Language and Intercultural Communication)

Programme duration: 1 year

Full-time or part-time: Full-time

Location: On campus

Entry requirements: UK 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent in a relevant discipline

International qualifications

Previous language teaching experience: Not required

Programme courses

Programme cost

Scholarships and funding

Why study Language and Intercultural Communication at the University of Edinburgh?

The programme is designed with a strong research focus across its courses
Courses are taught by internationally recognised experts in the field
Meet with representatives from large international teacher recruitment agencies to discuss careers in language teaching and attend interviews for teaching posts.

How you will learn on the MSc Language and Intercultural Communication programme

The masters degree programme (a total of 180 credits) is divided into two semesters with a dissertation at the end of the year. Students must complete:

compulsory and option courses (120 credits)
dissertation (60 credits).

Details of courses offered in the 2026-27 academic year are available on the Degree Programme Table. Information about 2027-28 courses will be made available in spring 2027.

Course descriptions (2026-27)

Support for your Masters studies

You will have access to a range of support services if you need them throughout your degree.

We will assign you to a Student Advisor in your first few weeks at Edinburgh. This should be the first person to contact if you need help. They can guide you to other University service teams depending on what support you need.

Support for your studies

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Dr Ashley Simpson, co-head of our Institute for Language Education, gives a brief overview of the programme.

Careers in Language and Intercultural Communication

Our graduates are employed worldwide in all areas of intercultural language education.

Example roles include:

teaching language and intercultural communication in all school levels
training other language teachers
designing curricula, policies and materials
undertaking research into the development of language and intercultural communication.

The skills you develop can be applied across a broad range of professional fields, including:

education
policy
international business
media
community engagement
migration
cultural industries
global organisations

One of our core compulsory courses, Language and Intercultural Communication Pedagogy, contains micro-teaching activities. These allow students to hone their teaching skills by creating content for and delivering sessions.

Every year, representatives from large teacher recruitment agencies visit to discuss the benefits of becoming an intercultural language teacher. They also interview students short-listed for teaching posts.

Our programme tutorials are also great chances to network, discuss potential PhD research opportunities and learn from leading experts.

We are keen to show our students what it is like to work in a high-quality research environment, and we provide a good introduction for anyone interested in pursuing research at PhD level.

The University of Edinburgh's Careers Service supports all current students (and graduates for up to 2 years) to develop their potential and achieve satisfying and rewarding futures.

Join in and make use of:

individual appointments
group sessions
wider campus-based activity
online services and resources

We also deliver a diverse programme of face-to-face and online events throughout the academic year.

Visit the Careers Service website

Our Language and Intercultural Communication students

Deborah Dunkel

video

'I can tell that I've grown a lot as an academic, in my writing and in my research, during my time at Moray House.'

Dongchen (Helen) Yu

'This is a very new and forward-looking programme with strong teaching resources, and it is also a new field that has attracted many scholars to explore internationally during the past decade.'

Fees and funding for Language and Intercultural Communication

Annual tuition fees are listed on the Postgraduate Study Programme Fees pages related to your desired exit level and duration of study.

MSc Language and Intercultural Communication – 1 Year (Full-time)

If you receive an offer of admission, either unconditional or conditional, you will be asked to pay some of your tuition fees in advance as a deposit. This deposit is required to secure your offer. If you fail to pay your deposit by the stated deadline, your offer may be withdrawn.

The deposit for this programme is £1,500.

The payment details below should only be used to pay your fee deposit.

Deposit Policy Guidelines

How to pay your deposit

Payments can be paid in full by card or bank transfer using the University's online payment system.

Find out how to pay your deposit, including information about the available payment methods and what to do if you have any questions about your payment.

Guidance on how to pay your deposit

Scholarship opportunities are subject to change each year. We are pleased to offer a number of School-specific scholarships, but students are encouraged to seek out opportunities from the University and external funding bodies.

More information about available scholarships and funding can be found on our Scholarships and Studentships page.

Scholarships and studentships