Overview
About the programme
Discourse Studies researchers study how, through language, people participate in, normalise or disrupt cultural and social structures, norms and practices, e.g. in public communication, institutional talk or conversation. They use a wide range of methodological and theoretical tools to study written and spoken meaning making, including face-to-face interaction, print and digital media.
For example, researchers in the School explore and problematize political discourse in the media; social media mourning; decoloniality and discourse; the role of discourse in constructing power structures in academia; workplace intercultural communication; discourses of marriage; the discursive construction of gender in children's fiction and of morality in public and private discourse.
As a PhD student at The Open University UK, you will be part of a vibrant international community of discourse researchers: DiscourseNet. International Association of Discourse Studies.
Programme Structure
Potential research projects:
- Discourse and politics
- Workplace discourse including intercultural communication and pragmatics
- Topics combining discourse analysis with corpus linguistics or ethnography
- Narrative and argumentation
- Social media narratives
- Critical discourse analysis of identity construction in print media or fiction
- Representation of marginalised groups and/or of poverty
- Language and gender
- Linguistic practices and (im)mobility
- Communicative practices in the informal economies of the Global South and the Global North
Admission requirements
Academic requirements
GPA: Upper Second Class
English requirements
TOEFL iBT: 87
Other requirements
Entry requirements:
- Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent). If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English.
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees are shown in AUD and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.
- International: 23,987 AUD / year (≈ 12,705 GBP / year)
- Domestic: 9,451 AUD / year (≈ 5,006 GBP / year)
Living costs
Milton Keynes, United Kingdom: 1,601-2,539 AUD / month. The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.
Key information
- Duration: Full-time 36 months (3–4 years), Part-time 72 months (6–8 years)
- Start dates & application deadlines: Starting October 2027, apply before Jan 2027
- Language: English (TOEFL iBT 87)
- Delivered: On Campus
- Campus Location: Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
- Disciplines: Linguistics
