Master of Arts (Malay Linguistics) - School of Humanities

This field of study is to serve the needs of scholars and practitioners working in various areas of Malay Linguistics who are interested in furthering their research studies in this area. The Research involves a consideration of various related theories and techniques, language and linguistics issues, semantics & pragmatics of Malay language, psycholinguistics, discourse analysis and Malay language studies in general.

Candidates who join this programme have the option of choosing part-time or full-time status to suit their personal and work schedule.

Research Thrust Areas :

• Phonetics
• Phonology
• Morphology
• Syntax
• Sociolinguistics
• Psycholinguistics
• Semantics
• Discourse Analysis
• Pragmatics
• Historical and Comparative Linguistics of Austronesian Languages
• Development History of Malay Linguistics
• Theoretical Linguistics
• Applied Linguistics
• Corpus Linguistics
• Sociophonetics
• Neurolinguistics
• Clinical Linguistics
• Critical Discourse Analysis
• Lexicography & Terminology
• Cognitive Linguistics
• Phonetics of Malay Dialects
• Phonology of Malay Dialects
• Grammar of Malay Language

Expertise available in the following School:
School of Humanities

Applicants should possess the following:

A. Bachelor's degree in related area

1. CGPA of at least 2.75 / 4.00; or

2. CGPA between 2.50 - 2.74 with the following additional conditions: or

a) Research experience for at least one year; or
b) Work experience in related field for at least one year; or
c) At least one (1) academic publication in the relevant field; or
d) Grade B for major / elective courses; or
e) Grade B+ for final year project

3. CGPA between 2.00 - 2.49 (Bachelor's Degree with Honours) with the following additional conditions: or

a) Research experience for at least five (5) years; or
b) Work experience in related field for at least five (5) years; AND
c) At least one (1) academic publication in the relevant field; or
d) Grade B for major / elective courses; or
e) Grade B+ for final year project

 (Applicable for International Applicants Only)

The minimum score for each programme can be vary from the below list, candidates are required to check for each programme requirements.

• A minimum of Band 5 for IELTS; or
• A minimum score of 40 for TOEFL (Internet-based); or
• A minimum of Band 7.5 for TOEFL Essentials (Online); or
• A minimum score of 154 for Cambridge English: Advance (CAE)/Proficiency (CPE) /Preliminary (PET) /First (FCE)/ Linguaskill Online min. score 154; or
• A minimum score of 47 for Pearson Test of English (PTE); or
• A minimum of Band 109 for CIEP Level (ELS); or
• A minimum of Band 3.5 for Malaysian University English Test (MUET)

Exemption is given to candidate if:

• English is the candidate’s mother tongue or National Language; or
• Candidate graduated from an Institution of Higher Learning in which the medium of instruction at Bachelor and/or Master degree level is English (statement of proof required)

• Full-time: Min 2 semesters / Max 6 semesters
• Part-time: Min 4 semesters / Max 12 semesters

** Fees are subject to change

** New fees to be imposed starting from Academic Session 2025/2026 (October 2025 intake onward)

** Fees are subject to change