Graduate Certificate or Diploma of Linguistics overview
Both graduate certificates and diplomas offer the chance to take up time-efficient study into the field, taking six months and one year of full-time study respectively. Part-time options make them even more flexible, taking up to one year for certificates and two years for diplomas.
The University of Queensland provides graduate certificates to students across disciplines, as does the University of Sydney for diplomas. Students can expect to learn a variety of practical skills throughout both, with units in:
- Language teaching methodology
- Second language acquisition
- Global employment and migration
- Academic English for postgraduate study
- Language of business
- Global media industries
This list is far from exhaustive; there are a great deal more options to choose from when taking on these programs.
Employment options
The employment options specified here are well-suited to graduates from these programs, as they provide sound foundational knowledge. Language teaching, for instance, is a fantastic way to leverage skills gained. Copy editing is another potentially valuable contribution. It’s even possible to help others through speech therapy.
Scholarships and funding
The best scholarships are only available at higher degree levels, but there are plenty of good ones for students taking graduate certificates or diplomas. Some of these include:
- The Humanities and Languages Equity Scholarship, providing $20,000 to students of linguistics. These are awarded to students experiencing demonstrable financial hardship.
- General Sir John Monash Scholarships, providing $65,000 pa to students across all disciplines who’ve already made plans to study at an overseas institution. Students must argue the merits of their chosen discipline and institution to apply.
- CMU-A Downer-Rann Scholarships provide Carnegie Mellon students from any discipline with a 60% tuition waiver or up to $10,000 depending on whether the Academic Merit option has been chosen or not.
These opportunities tend to reopen annually.
Prerequisites and selection process
All these programs only require a bachelor degree from any discipline to enter. Although more competitive programs may require a credit GPA (65%) attained throughout the prior study, this isn’t normally the case.