Do I need to speak multiple languages for the MA Cross-Cultural Communication?

Not required, but additional working languages strengthen the degree significantly. The course is grounded in communication across cultures and contexts; language competence enriches the work without being a barrier to entry.

Is the MA Cross-Cultural Communication a translation or interpreting degree?

No — translation and interpreting are referenced as one strand among many. The MA is for senior communicators, EDI specialists and intercultural researchers. Students wanting translation or interpreting specifically should look at our Translation Studies or Interpretation Studies routes.

Can I take the MA Cross-Cultural Communication part-time?

Yes — over 24 months. Online and distance routes support working professionals with evening tutorials and weekend masterclasses. The applied project and dissertation can be built around live briefs from your own organisation.

What kinds of dissertations do MA Cross-Cultural Communication students produce?

Past dissertations have covered intercultural challenges in multinational team formation, lingua franca dynamics at a London university, and the role of cultural mediators in NHS interpreting. Topics are your choice, supervised and ethically reviewed from proposal stage.

Will the MA Cross-Cultural Communication support doctoral study?

Yes — the research-methods module and the dissertation produce work at PhD-application standard for students continuing to doctoral research. Several graduates each year progress to PhD programmes in intercultural or applied linguistics fields.

MA Cross-Cultural Communication in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MA Cross-Cultural Communication at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a one-year UK postgraduate degree for experienced practitioners and graduates preparing for senior intercultural roles in international development, global corporates, diplomatic services, multicultural education and the cultural sector. The course is research-led and grounded in current intercultural pragmatics, sociolinguistics and applied communication scholarship.

You graduate with a research-informed grasp of intercultural communication as a discipline, an applied intercultural project portfolio, and a 12,000-to-15,000-word dissertation on a question of practical and scholarly significance.

Key Features

Intercultural research methods module — qualitative and mixed-methods design for intercultural settings.
Applied intercultural project — design and run a substantial communication intervention.
Comparative discourse strand covering political, institutional and media discourse across cultures.
Diversity, equity and inclusion deep dive with current UK and international frameworks.
Industry-led masterclasses from senior intercultural practitioners across NGO, corporate and diplomatic settings.
12,000–15,000 word dissertation on an intercultural communication topic, supervised by an active researcher or practitioner.

What You Will Learn

The MA Cross-Cultural Communication is structured around the dual demands of senior intercultural work — research literacy that engages with the contemporary scholarship and applied competence to design, run and evaluate communication across cultures.

Contemporary intercultural theory — beyond Hofstede into critical, dynamic and constructivist frameworks.
Intercultural pragmatics at advanced level — face, politeness, indirectness across language pairs.
Sociolinguistics of multilingualism — translanguaging, code-switching, lingua franca dynamics.
Comparative discourse — political, institutional, media discourse across cultures and languages.
EDI scholarship and practice — intersectionality, structural approaches, current UK and global frameworks.
Global organisational behaviour — multinational teams, virtual collaboration, conflict, hybrid culture.
Research methods — ethnography, interview, discourse analysis, mixed methods for intercultural research.
Communication evaluation — qualitative and quantitative measurement of intercultural intervention.

Who This MA Is For

Working intercultural practitioners (trainers, global HR, EDI specialists, international programme managers).
Bachelor's graduates in modern languages, communications or international studies progressing to specialist work.
Diaspora and multilingual professionals consolidating informal expertise into a postgraduate credential.
Career-changers from education, NGO or government work moving into intercultural specialist roles.

Career Pathways

The MA Cross-Cultural Communication positions graduates for senior intercultural roles across UK, EU and international employers. Typical destinations include:

Senior Intercultural Trainer (consultancy, in-house global L&D)
Global HR Adviser (multinational corporate, international NGO)
Head of Diversity & Inclusion (FTSE corporate, public-sector body)
International Programme Director (NGO, foundation, cultural institution)
Cross-Cultural Consultant (independent practice, boutique consultancy)
Senior International Development Adviser (DFID-tradition organisations, foundations)

The MA also opens doctoral routes in intercultural communication scholarship and senior in-house roles across major international employers.

Entry Requirements

A UK 2:2 honours degree (or international equivalent) in a related subject, OR a 2:2 in any subject with two years of relevant professional experience.
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement (max 1 page) outlining your motivation, relevant experience and intended specialism.
Two academic or professional references.
Applicants without a related undergraduate degree may be considered with significant industry experience and a written sample.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.