Master's Degree Programme in
Language Sciences
Enrolment from 2008/2009

Summary
Academic year 2025/2026

Level of qualification

Master's Degree Programme

Ministerial degree code

LM-39 (Linguistics)

Language

Italian and English

Attendance

Open

Where

Department of Linguistics and Comparative Cultural Studies, Palazzo Cosulich, Dorsoduro 1405, 30123 Venice
For further information please contact the Linguistic Campus, campus.linguistico@unive.it

Head of studies

Prof. Chiara Branchini, Teaching committee coordinator (chiara.branchini@unive.it)


Access to the programme

Unlimited entry subject to assessment of minimum requirements.
Quotas for non-EU students residing abroad: 20 places, among which 1 is reserved for Chinese students residing in China, according to the Marco Polo Programme.

  • English Linguistics. Can only be accessed through selection process;
  • Double Degree «Master’s Degree in Science Languages» (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice) and  «Master of Arts in Italienstudien» (Goethe-Universität di Francoforte). Can only be accessed through selection process.

Admission requirements

To be admitted to this Master's Degree Programme students must possess a proper individual educational background and the minimum curricular requirements. A certified knowledge of English at minimum level B2 is also required.
Details about the assessment procedures are available in the webpage dedicated to admission and enrolment

Admission with international qualification

Applicants with international qualification must have obtained a bachelor’s degree that is the result of at least 3 years of study. The preliminary evaluation of the qualification is mandatory. Procedures and deadlines are available on the online platform Apply.
International qualification will be evaluated by the designated teaching committee after the pre-evaluation procedure carried out on the online platform.
Further details in the webpage dedicated to admission and enrolment with an international qualification.


Course overview

The Master’s Degree Programme develops advanced linguistic and cultural understanding of the chosen foreign language and the ability to interact with multidisciplinary and multicultural research groups. According to the chosen programme, students will be able to examine in depth: the historic-diachronic evolution of the chosen language (philological/informatic methods for the interpretation and editing of texts); the themes and didactic tools and methods for teaching italian as a foreign language and foreign languages to italians; linguistic tools for the analysis of obstacles to language and the linguistic acquisition in cases of deafness; the formal analysis of language; theoretical and methodological tools of advanced research on mental processes of language and cognition, within a multy-disciplinary framework of cognitive sciences and application to cultural, scientific and technological areas (experimental research on language and cognition, natural language processing; virtual conversational agents).

Languages that are active for this programme: Albanese, French, English, Italian Sign Language (LIS), Modern Greek, Polish, Portuguese/Brazilian, Romanian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, German, Swedish.

Curricula

  • English Linguistics (Double Degree);ù
  • Language Sciences.

Double and Joint Degree

Ca' Foscari University of Venice offers international educational programmes designed in collaboration with one or more partner universities, entailing the attendance of part of the study path abroad. At the conclusion of these programmes, selected students obtain a Double Degree (a diploma from Ca' Foscari and one issued by the partner university) or a Joint Degree (single degree jointly awarded by the member universities of the consortium delivering the programme), depending on the provisions of the agreements with the partner universities and the different national regulations.

Double and Joint Degrees available:

  • Joint Master’s Degree in English and American Studies with Otto-Friedrich Universität (Bamberg Germany); Karl-Franzens Universität (Graz Austria); Université Paris Cité (France);  Jagiellonian University in Krakov (Poland);  Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (Spain)
    Non-degree awarding univerisities: Pécsi Tudományegyetem (Pécs Hungary); City College of the City University of New York (USA).
    Admission: selection process.
  • Double Degree with Goethe-Universität (Frankfurt)
    At the end of the study path, upon completion of all the exams and the thesis defense, students will receive a double degree: Master's Degree in Language Sciences at the University Ca 'Foscari University of Venice; Master of Arts in Sprachwissenschaft from the Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main.
    Admission: selection process.
  • Double Degree with University of Bucharest
    At the end of the study path, upon completion of all the exams and the thesis defense, students will receive a double degree: Laurea Magistrale in Scienze del Linguaggio - Percorso: Language Sciences from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice; Master of Arts in English Linguistics from the University of Bucharest.
    Admission: selection process.
  • Double Degree with University of Nova Gorica
    At the end of the study path, upon completion of all the exams and the thesis defense, students will receive a double degree: Laurea Magistrale in Scienze del Linguaggio - Percorso Language Sciences from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice; Magister/magistrica slovenistike (Master of Slovenian studies) from University of Nova Gorica.
    Admission: selection process.
  • Double Degree with Higher School of Economics - Moscow
    At the end of the study path, upon completion of all the exams and the thesis defense, students will receive a double degree: Master's Degree in Language Sciences at the University Ca 'Foscari University of Venice; Master in Russian as a Foreign Language in Cross-Linguistic and Cross-Cultural Perspective from the Higher School of Economics di Mosca.
    Admission: selection process.

Examination assessment and graduation

Educational activities include classroom teaching, workshops and internships, in order to acquire wide-ranging skills that can be readily transferable into the world of work.
Knowledge gained by students will be assessed through written and oral exams during their entire university career.
The final exam consists in writing a thesis, which must possess the characters of originality, exhaustive documentation and scientific investigation and which will be discussed with a committee of university professors and experts.

Access to further studies

Professional Master’s Programmes and PhD programmes.


Occupational profiles

Graduates holding this Master’s degree qualify for high-responsibility roles in institutions, organisations, and associations, both public and private, focusing on lifelong learning, international cooperation, and research at national and international levels. They can also work in public service institutions and organisations, as well as those focused on reception, integration, and inclusion, or in entities involved in specialised and literary publishing.

With proficiency in a selected language at C1 to C2 levels, graduates can communicate effectively at any professional tier. Their strong foundational knowledge in specific academic fields equips them with the ability to make independent judgements in their professional endeavours and supports ongoing professional growth.

Graduates have the option to pursue teaching careers, provided they complete the necessary training pathways as outlined by current regulations. They may also secure positions in translation, including interpreting Italian Sign Language (LIS), after finishing a specialised training programme.