Explore our Intercultural Communication for Business and the Professions taught Master's degree.

P-X9PJ full-time;
P-X9PT part-time

MSc

1 year full-time;
2-4 years part-time

2 October 2023

Applied Linguistics

University of Warwick

Intercultural Communication for Business and the Professions MSc provides you with a wide range of in-depth knowledge and skills related to intercultural communication. Analyse and investigate communication across cultures at Warwick's Department of Applied Linguistics, ranked 3rd in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.

This programme provides you with a wide range of in-depth knowledge and skills, and enables you to focus on aspects of intercultural communication that are relevant to people working either in business or in other professions.

Our core modules develop your ability to analyse, explain and investigate effective communication across cultures. Optional modules enable you to select particular areas in which you want to specialise, according to your own intellectual interests or career aspirations.

The programme concludes with an empirical piece of research, which will allow you to put your knowledge into practice and further hone your practical skills in carrying out systematic research.

Lectures, seminars, workshops and experiential practice sessions. In addition, you will carry out guided reading and complete assessed work for each module, such as assignments, portfolios of materials and oral presentations.

You will be introduced to research methodologies which will help you carry out your research for your dissertation or major project. You will complete this in the summer with the support of a supervisor. Several of the modules will also help prepare you for living and working in an unfamiliar culture.

Class size will vary depending on type of module (core or optional) and teaching session (lecture or seminar), ranging from around 10 students (for some optional modules) to around 70 students (for core module lectures).

There are 10 weeks in each term. For both terms one and two, you will usually have 8 weeks of teaching contact with the remainder of each term dedicated to module related reading, assignment work and optional tutorials.

Programmes within the department of Applied Linguistics are assessed through a variety of methods depending on the module choices you make. Examples of the types work you might submit for assessment include individual academic essays, examinations, group projects and presentations.

Reading lists

Most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library. If you would like to view reading lists for the current cohort of students you can visit our Warwick Library web page.

Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us.

2:i undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a related subject.

• Band B
• IELTS overall score of 7.0 (with a minimum 6.5 in reading and writing, plus a minimum of 6.5 in one of speaking and listening, with no component under 6.0)

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

Understanding Culture

While the idea of culture can seem relatively straightforward, how we understand it has become quite a contested area in the study of intercultural communication. This module will give you a better understanding of the idea of culture, introducing a range of conceptualisations of culture that have been developed in different disciplinary areas. Importantly, you’ll gain a critical perspective on culture and a deeper understanding of your own experience of communicating interculturally in everyday life and in the workplace.

Exploring Professional Communication

Communication plays a central role in business and other professions. This module will introduce you to theoretical approaches, models and concepts that will help you understand the complexities of professional communication in different socio-cultural contexts. You’ll explore a wide range of authentic examples that occurred in different workplaces around the world. The module develops your ability to identify, describe, and analyse different types of communication in various professions, using different analytical and theoretical frameworks and approaches.

Culture, Identity and Adaptation

This module focuses on recent research in the area of cultural identity, adaptation, and growth. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, it explores major theories of cultural adaptation, including stress, learning, and identity. The module also provides you with the opportunity to start researching these issues for yourself. The practical development sessions will enable you to reflect on your own identity and cultural adaptation, promoting your own growth towards intercultural personhood. Assessment is by a reflective portfolio and analytical commentary on your reflection.

Leadership, Teamwork and Culture

What is leadership? What is teamwork? And what role does culture play in this context? This module will address those questions by introducing you to theoretical approaches, models and concepts that will help you understand the complexities of leadership, teamwork and culture. It focuses on the crucial role of communication and follows some of the most recent debates around leadership, teamwork, and culture. You’ll analyse these notions in action by exploring numerous real-life examples of how leadership and teamwork are actually done in different socio-cultural and intercultural contexts.

Research Methods

This module will familiarise you with current issues in researching culture and communication in business and professional contexts. It will help you develop essential skills in designing a research project. You’ll be introduced to a range of data collection methods and analytical approaches, as well as up-to-date ethical issues in research. Term One will focus on quantitative research methods and Term Two will focus on qualitative methods. The module is designed to prepare you to begin work on your dissertation at the end of Term Two.

Dissertation, or Experiential Placement and Major Project

You’ll be allocated a supervisor who will provide guidance in Term Three during the process of carrying out your own research.

• Crisis Communication
• Globalisation and Diversity in the Workplace
• International Business
• Intercultural Coaching and Development
• Language and Interaction in Context
• Management Across Cultures
• Marketing Across Cultures
• Media and Intercultural Communication
• Public Relations Across Cultures
• Teaching Language and Culture

We have revised the information on this page since publication. See the edits we have made and content history.

This is a holding content block which does not currently display on the page. To make it live, update the copy above, change the Title to remove the brackets, and delete this sentence.