Language and Communication

The PhD in Language and Communication from Cardiff University invites candidates to undertake substantial, detailed and focused research. The PhD programme empowers candidates both to produce innovative research and to develop themselves as independent and intellectually creative scholars.

The PhD in Language and Communication Language and Communication from Cardiff University Cardiff University is a degree which offers candidates the opportunity to research a topic that interests and excites them and falls within the expertise of staff in the Centre for Language and Communication Research.

Programme aims

• The research programme offers knowledge and expertise to take you on to a role in higher education, or employment requiring high-level skills in research or advanced subject knowledge.

• The programme recruits a diverse range of Home/EU and international students who want to engage in a research environment characterised by world-leading research expertise in social, applied and interactional areas of human communication, language and linguistics.

Distinctive features

• We offer the opportunity to become involved in a wide range of staff research projects.

• We offer teaching opportunities on the undergraduate programme, and PhD students can undertake the School’s unique ‘Learning to Teach’ programme, accredited by the Higher Education Academy.

• We run regular research seminars featuring staff and visiting speakers, together with a weekly postgraduate research seminar series and the academic session is rounded off with an annual postgraduate research conference.

• Full-time PhD students are allocated study spaces with computing facilities, networked information and access to email and the internet.

• Funding across the period of a PhD candidature is available for students to attend conferences and workshops, or undertake library/archive visits related to their PhD studies.

Career prospects

Postgraduate study in the School is a gateway to a wide variety of careers within and beyond academia.

Example employers in the UK include: Cardiff University, HMRC, Mencap, Poetry Wales Magazine, Teach First and the Welsh Government, with jobs that include Lecturer, Crime Intelligence Analyst, Librarian, Recruitment Consultant, Teacher, Writer.

Research environment

• The School takes the training of research students very seriously, providing the facilities and supervisory guidance to help them flourish intellectually and work productively. 

• The School has a dedicated suite of PhD research rooms with excellent networked IT facilities. 

• Each student has a conference budget and is given a contribution to photocopying costs, as well as free printing facilities.

• We regularly check with students what training they need and ensure that it is provided. Our PhD students can apply to get teaching experience with us and our unique “Learning to Teach” programme is accredited by the Higher Education Academy. 

• The Arts and Social Studies Library is well-stocked with books and academic journals in all our subject areas, while also possessing substantial electronic resources and specialist collections such as Cardiff Rare Books