Take your Master's in Forensic Linguistics and Speech Science in one of the best Linguistics Departments in the world. We are placed 3rd in the QS World Rankings 2024.
Why Lancaster?
- Join a world-leading department with links to intelligence, investigative, and evidential research centres and projects
- Learn from experts in the two fields of forensic linguistics and forensic speech science, and benefit from their practical experience
- Focus your degree on the topics that interest you the most
- Use your degree to enter or enhance your career in the security, protection, or intelligence sectors
- Gain hands-on experience using our outstanding resources including tools and labs equipped for eye-tracking, phonetics, and corpus linguistics
- Join events hosted by FACTOR (Forensic Linguistics, Cybersecurity, and Technology Research) with activities and talks that complement and enhance your course
How easy is it to fool a voice authentication system? Can we identify cybercriminals from their words? Are those texts really from a long-lost friend … or is this a sophisticated AI-powered phishing scam?
In an era of state-sponsored disinformation operations, organised cyber-terrorism, and rapidly evolving AI technology, the advanced knowledge and skills this Master’s offers puts you ahead of the game for an exciting and fulfilling specialist career.
Prevent, protect, prepare, pursue
There has never been more information at our fingertips, but this mass of spoken and written data poses new challenges.
How do we establish the authenticity of a recording when AI-generated deepfakes are increasingly convincing? How do we find a few credible threats among millions of ordinary posts? Can we track whether a series of fraudulent communications came from a single criminal or a decentralised crime syndicate?
The challenges faced by security, protection, and intelligence roles are evolving at an unprecedented pace. Specialists working in these fields might analyse voices from noisy surveillance recordings to identify a prime suspect, or assess emerging disinformation campaigns to establish their potential origins.
This MSc offers a distinct opportunity to bring together analyses of both written and spoken language. With this grounding, you can take a deep dive into many of the most critical issues of our time, from spoofing and deception to anonymous threats and organised crime.
Security at scale
The Department of Linguistics and English Language at Lancaster University has a world-leading reputation in corpus linguistics and phonetics – foundational components in forensic linguistics and forensic speech science. On this programme, you’ll learn about state-of-the-art tools, methods, and frameworks, and you’ll have opportunities to use our fully equipped labs.
We’re a thriving hub of cutting-edge intelligence, investigative, and evidential research, and Lancaster University is further strengthening this with a £19m investment in Security & Protection Sciences.
Alongside the arrival of the National Cyber Force in Lancashire, we’re part of the North West Cyber Corridor that links us to GCHQ in Manchester. During your studies you’ll have the opportunity to learn about some of the flagship work being carried out at, and in collaboration with Lancaster University, including:
- The Security Lancaster Institute (SL)
- The Security, Privacy, Identity and Trust Engagement NetworkPlus (SPRITE+)
- The Cyber Security Research Centre (CSRC), an NCSC/EPSRC Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSR)
- The Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST)
- The N8 Policing Research Partnership (N8PRP)
You’ll have the chance to learn the core analytical components that contribute to forensic language analyses, such as corpus linguistics, sociolinguistics, phonetics, and speech technology. You’ll be encouraged to critique, test, validate, and apply what you’ve learned on a range of challenging cases and datasets.
You’ll consider pressing issues and sensitivities in the field, including ethical considerations and regulatory matters. You’ll have the opportunity to work on research projects that materially move forensic linguistics and forensic speech science forward.
From our close collaborations with security organisations and practitioners, you’ll be at the centre of the conversations taking place among those actively working in the field, and as a result, you’ll get a glimpse of what it takes to work at the forefront of one of the most critical, high-stakes fields of our time.
