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  • Intercultural Communication for Business and Professions (MA)

Contact our course team

Department of Applied Linguistics and Communication
email: linguistics@bbk.ac.uk

Admissions tutors

Dr Lisa McEntee-Atalianis

  • Duration
      • Two years part-time or one year full-time.
  • Attendance
      • Two–three evenings a week.
      • October–July part-time; October–September full-time.
  • Location
      • Central London.
      • Please note: this programme is not available online or via distance learning.
  • Entry requirements
      • Normally at least a second-class BA honours or equivalent. Preferred subjects include languages, linguistics, communication, TESOL, translation studies or business management. Other subjects can be considered if you have relevant professional/personal experience.
      • Work experience in an intercultural context is desirable, but not essential.
      • International candidates whose first language is not English must have an IELTS score of at least 6.5 or equivalent within the last two years.
      • In cases of non-standard applications, applicants will be required to produce evidence of academic writing skills and may be required to attend an interview.
  • Teaching

    • Lectures, seminars, workshops and student presentations.

  • Assessment

    • A range of assessment methods, including essays, oral presentations, journals and portfolios.

  • Fees (2009/2010)
      • Part-time (home/EU students): £2568 pa
      • Part-time (overseas students): £6168 pa
      • Full-time (home/EU students): £3390 pa
      • Full-time (overseas students): £12,336 pa
  • Funding

    • Applicants with a strong academic background may apply for a Departmental MA Bursary or for British Council funding (for international students).

  • When to apply
      • You should apply as early as possible.
  • Make your application
Prospective students >> All our courses >> Postgraduate courses, 2010/2011 entry >> Languages >> Intercultural Communication for Business and Professions (MA)

Intercultural Communication for Business and Professions (MA) - 2010/2011 entry


Why study this course at Birkbeck?

  • Multidisciplinary programme bringing together applied linguistics, language studies, communication studies and business studies.
  • Seeks to bridge the gap between theory and practice and encourage you to carry out action research on your personal and professional experience. 
  • Established links with professional bodies such as SIETAR and charities such as CISV and Raleigh, with work placements encouraged.

This programme offers you an opportunity to raise your cross-cultural awareness and enhance your intercultural communicative competence in international business settings, to reflect on your own culture and language use, and to develop the professional and business communication skills necessary to proceed to careers in the international business world.

It focuses on intercultural communication skills, including written, oral and interpersonal skills, and is specially designed for language and communication graduates who are looking to develop a career in international organisations or the business sector, and business graduates who would like to improve their professional and business communication skills to enhance their employability.

The programme benefits from a combination of knowledge-based and skills-oriented training, world-class experts in intercultural communication, Birkbeck’s flexible and student-friendly support, and London’s position as an international multicultural and multilingual city.

Over the past two years, some students have successfully found work placements with leading organisations such as CISV and Raleigh.

What will I be studying?

You will take two core modules, two option modules from a range of subjects and a dissertation.

Core modules: 

  • Language and Cross-Cultural Communication
  • Research Methods and Design.

Option modules:

  • Bilingualism
  • Discourse and Social Interaction
  • Global Englishes
  • Introduction to Applied Linguistics
  • Introduction to Communication Studies
  • Issues in Translation
  • Language Behaviour and Brain Mechanisms
  • Linguistic Analysis
  • Marketing Communications
  • Professional and Business Communication
  • Pragmatics
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Second Language Acquisition
  • Sociolinguistics.

Please note: not all options are offered every year.

The dissertation (15,000 words) is designed to bring together knowledge and skills learnt in different taught modules.

Study resources

Birkbeck College Applied Linguistics Society, an official University of London society, was formed to bring together students interested in applied linguistics and related fields (for example, multilingualism, intercultural communication, TESOL) in the London area.

Birkbeck’s Centre for Multilingual and Multicultural Research hosts visiting scholars from all over the world and runs regular research seminars given by speakers from overseas and other UK institutions. The Centre also supports postgraduate training in applied linguistics, bilingualism, intercultural communication and translation. 

Make your application

You can apply online from the link below.

What can I go on to do?

If you are interested in further research, we offer a PhD/MPhil in Applied Linguistics.

Our graduates find employment in various fields, based on their interests and areas of expertise, including in international business, translation, education administration, intercultural consultancy, publishing, government, and tourism/hospitality.

Last modified: 11 Mar 2010 14.52

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