Master of Arts in Digital English Studies (MADES)
In an era where the rise of digital technologies and AI tools is fundamentally transforming English education and language studies—our Master’s programme in Digital English Studies stands as the very first to directly address this profound shift. Our innovative curriculum uniquely integrates rigorous training in traditional English studies—deep reading, contextual analysis, cultural sensitivity, creative imagination, intercultural competence, critical thinking, and narrative skills—with practical, hands-on expertise in digital tools for solving real-world challenges. By fostering digital competence, critical reflection, and intercultural understanding, we empower students to harness these technologies to enhance human creativity and productivity, contributing to societal flourishing, and navigate the ethical risks of a digitally mediated world.
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Director’s message
Why choose MADES?
MADES programme offers an immersive one‑year experience with small‑class teaching, close teacher–student relationships, and dynamic interaction that foster personalised learning. Complemented by diverse extracurricular activities in art, culture, and the humanities within a vibrant English‑medium environment, the programme ensures students enjoy a rich and memorable academic and personal journey.
Programme Highlights
Career Prospects
Programme Information
Curriculum Overview: The curriculum is composed of required courses, electives, and a capstone project, totaling 30 credits, covering recent developments in English linguistics and digital technology. Some of the highlighted courses include:
Required Courses
DES501: Digital English Linguistics: Innovation and Development
DES502: New Media, Discourse, and Society
DES503: Research Methods in Applied Linguistics
DES504: Corpus Linguistics: Fundamentals and Practice
Elective Courses
DES601: Introduction to Digital Research Tools and Resources
DES602: Advances in Digital English Linguistics
DES603: Data Visualisation for English Communication
DES604: Digital Literary Stylistics and the Practice of Creativity
DES605: Computer-Assisted English Language Learning
DES606: Technologies of Writing: Multimodality and Meaning
DES607: Digital Perspectives on Spoken English
DES609: Special Topics in Digital Linguistics
DES612: Language, Creativity and Technology
CDS521: Foundation of Artificial Intelligence (offered by the School of Data Science)
CDS524: Machine Learning for Business (offered by the School of Data Science)
Capstone Project
DES610: Capstone Project: Solving Real-world Issues
Recommended/ Supplementary Readings
Duration of Study: minimum 1 year and maximum 3 years (full-time mode) or minimum 2 years and maximum 5 years (part-time mode)
Staff: The programme will be taught by faculty members of the Department of English at Lingnan University, who are highly qualified teachers and researchers in their respective fields. Due to the highly interdisciplinary nature of the programme, the programme may invite experts from other units of Lingnan University, such as the School of Data Science, to lecture on relevant subjects.
All applicants will automatically be considered for scholarships upon application to the programme. No separate application is required.
Merit-Based Credential Scholarship
Applicants who meet one of the following criteria will automatically be awarded the Outstanding Credential Scholarship in the form of tuition waivers:
- IELTS overall band score 7 / TOEFL 97 or 5.0 / CET-6 600 or above
- Bachelor’s degree (4-year full-time mode) from a double-first-class or 985&211 university in Mainland China
- Bachelor’s degree (4-year full-time mode) from a university ranked within the QS Top 300
- Outstanding performance during interview
Entrance Scholarship
The programme offers 3 to 4 Entrance Scholarships in the form of tuition waivers to applicants with exceptional backgrounds or those who can make special contributions to Lingnan University. Selection criteria include academic excellence, interview performance, international experience, and diversity, among other factors.
Performance Scholarship
MADES students whose GPA ranks in the top ten at the end of the first semester will automatically be awarded Performance Scholarships.
All scholarships will be awarded at the end of the first semester.
Important note: Each student may receive only one scholarship throughout the programme. If a student qualifies for more than one scholarship, they will receive the single highest-value award (or as determined by the programme). No student will be granted multiple scholarships.
Degree
Applicants should hold a relevant bachelor’s degree, such as in English studies, or other disciplines related to literature, linguistics, communication, media studies or business, etc. awarded by a tertiary education institution recognised for this purpose by Lingnan University; or have obtained an equivalent qualification; or have provided satisfactory evidence of academic and professional attainment.
Language proficiency
MOI is English: An applicant whose degree or, exceptionally, alternative qualification deemed equivalent from a tertiary institution is using English as the medium of instruction (MOI) will need no proof of English language proficiency.
MOI is not English: An applicant whose degree or, exceptionally, alternative qualification deemed equivalent from a tertiary institution is not using English as the medium of instruction (MOI) for the programme should obtain a minimum score of 79 or 4.0 (internet-based test) in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), a band score of 6.0 or above in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or a total score of 450 or above in College English Test Band 6.
Applicants who have not yet fully met the language requirements may also be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account their academic background, work experience, interview performance, and other relevant factors.
Language qualifications other than TOEFL, IELTS, or CET-6 will be considered on a case-by-case basis, which may include an equivalent score in a recognised test, or an equivalent qualification (such as CEFR, CEA, HKALE, GCE, HKDSE, etc.) as proof of an applicant's English language proficiency. Preference will be given to applicants with an IELTS score of 7.0 or higher, or a TOEFL score of 97 or higher.
IELTS and TOEFL Validity: Lingnan University only accepts IELTS and TOEFL results that are within the validity period of 2 years from the time of submission of an admission application for the specific intake cohort. The validity period of CET-6 is 5 years from the time of submission of an admission application.
Submission of Supporting Documents
Please upload the scanned copies of the following supporting documents to Online Application System. Applications with incomplete/ missing document will not be processed.
- Copies of identity card, passport, or any other identity document(s) of home country;
- Original valid official English test report (Submit ONE of the followings):
- TOEFL: Internet-based: 79 or above
- IELTS (Academic): Band 6.0 or above
- CET6: Score of 450 or above
Certifying letter issued and stamped by the Registry or signed by the Registrar of the university confirming the medium of instruction of your WHOLE degree programme was English.
- Certificate of academic/ professional qualifications
- For applicants who have completed bachelor's degrees:
Certificates of academic/ professional qualifications (Photocopy)
Applicants who obtained degrees from Mainland China should provide the copies of (1) degree certificate (學士學位证书), (2) graduation certificate (普通高等學校畢業證書), (3) Online Verification Report of Higher Education Degree Certificate (中國高等教育學位在線驗證報告) and (4) Online Verification Report of Higher Education Qualification Certificate (中國高等教育學歷在線驗證報告) issued by the CHESICC (學信網) in both Chinese and English.
Applicants from Chinese Mainland with qualifications awarded by overseas universities should provide Online Query of Overseas Credentials Evaluation Reports 國(境)外學歷學位認証書 issued by the Chinese Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) (教育部留學服務中心) (applicable to applicants from the Chinese Mainland with qualifications awarded by overseas universities).
For applicants who have not completed current bachelor's degrees:
Official copy of Testimonial of Study (with official Registry stamp).
Online Verification Report of Student Record (中國高等教育在線學籍認證報告) issued by the CHESICC (學信網) in both Chinese and English.
- For applicants who have completed bachelor's degrees:
- Official Transcript and Grading Scheme
- Final transcript (both Chinese and English) with a complete record of courses attended, examination results, overall result and date of award issued by the Registry of your institution.
- Grading System of your transcript with a stamp of the Registry/University.
- Applicants who have graduated from overseas universities are required to request the Registry of their universities to transmit the official transcript directly via email to the MADES programme at [email protected].
- Confidential Recommendation Forms completed by at least 1 referee
- Submission methods (Choose ONE of the followings):
Directly post the completed and signed forms in a sealed envelope to our office by the referee;
(Mailing address: MADES Office, 301 Ho Sin Hang Building, Lingnan University, 8 Castle Peak Road, Tuen Mun, N. T., Hong Kong, Tel.: 2616 7793
The programme office accepts electronic recommendation letters directly sent by your referees’ official company/university email accounts.
- Submission methods (Choose ONE of the followings):
Tuition Fee
Tuition Fee: The tuition fee for the MADES programme is HKD178,000 per year for the 2027-28 intake.
Application Period
6:00AM, 1 September, 2026 - 6:00PM, 30 June, 2027
Contact Us for more information
If you would like to know more about the programme, contact our admission advisor at [email protected] or +852 26167793.
Important Note: Please rely on official channels for admission information and do not trust any information from unverified sources.
Programme Operation, Management, Quality Assurance and Enhancement
To ensure the quality operation of the MADES programme, a Programme Director has been appointed to take full responsibility of the day-to-day operations of the programme.
A Programme and Curriculum Committee (PCC) has been set up to monitor and assure satisfactory operation of the programme. It reports to the Department Board and to the PSC
An Admissions Panel, consisted of the Programme Director as Chairman and two teaching staff, will be set up to conduct interviews and screen applications.
A Board of Examiners (BoE) will be set up to oversee assessment and examination matters, and make recommendations of students for graduation.
An Advisory Board will be set up to give advice on programme matters. The role of the Advisory Board is to act as an interface between the community and the programme.
A Staff-Student Consultation Committee will be set up to discuss matters concerning the programme and the students. It provides a platform for students to express their views on the programme and individual courses, and for the Department to solicit student feedback on specific aspects of the programme and courses for continuous improvement.