M.A. Degree Program
M.A. Degree Course Requirements
The requirements for the M.A. degree consist of thirty-three hours of graduate coursework, a written Research Proposal, and an oral examination.
Thirty-three hours of graduate work consisting of:
Required Courses
LING 794 Proseminar
LING 705 Phonetics I
LING 712 Phonology I
LING 725 Syntax I
One of the following acquisition courses:
LING 709 First Language Acquisition I
LING 715 Second Language Acquisition I
One of the following processing courses:
LING 735 Psycholinguistics I
LING 738 Neurolinguistics I
One of the following research methods courses:
LING 720 Research Methods in Linguistics
LING 741 Field Methods in Linguistic Description
LING 782 Research Methods in Child Language
Two Electives (2 courses - 6 credit hours) to be determined by the student and the student’s advisor. Electives are NOT to include LING 850, LING 851, LING 852, or LING 998.
One advanced II-Level Course or Linguistics Seminar (1 course – 3 credit hours)
Advanced II - Level Courses
LING 107 Phonetics II
LING 714 Phonology II
LING 716 Second Language Acquisition II
LING 726 Syntax II
LING 727 Morphology
LING 731 Semantics
LING 737 Psycholinguistics II
LING 739 First Language Acquisition II
LING 742 Neurolinguistics
Linguistics Seminar Courses
LING 807 Seminar in Phonetics
LING 814 Seminar in Phonology
LING 822 Seminar in First Language Acquisition
LING 826 Seminar in Syntax
LING 831 Seminar in Semantics
LING 837 Seminar in Psycholinguistics
LING 842 Seminar in Neurolinguistics
LING 860 Seminar in Second Language Acquisition
LING 910 Linguistics Seminar: _ _ _ _ _ _
Research
One Research Seminar Course (1 course – 3 credit hours)
One of the following Research Seminar courses to be determined by the student and the student’s advisor. During the course, students will complete a written Research Proposal and an oral presentation (Oral Examination).
LING 850 Topics in Research in Experimental Linguistics
LING 851 Research in Language Acquisition and Processing
LING 852 Research in Field and Formal Linguistics
The written paper and oral defense should include a detailed Research Proposal. The Research Proposal has to be completed no later than the semester in which the student completes the 33 hours of course work and the student must be enrolled in LING 850, LING 851, or LING 852 when they submit their Research Proposal. The student will first orally present a draft proposal to the Research Seminar class. Based on feedback from the class and their advisor, the student will then complete and submit the written Research Proposal to their advisor and two additional faculty members. The length of the Research Proposal should be around 10-20 pages (excluding references). The Oral Examination will be the final oral presentation (in the class) of the final written Research Proposal, with questions from the student’s committee and others in attendance. The Oral Examination usually takes place in the last week of the class.
The student’s written Research Proposal will be evaluated by a committee consisting of three faculty members, and reported by a Progress-to-Degree form to the College Office of Graduate Affairs as the outcome of the M.A.’s examination. After completing the written Research Proposal and at least 2 weeks before the final oral Examination date, the committee will request the department Graduate Program Coordinator to submit the pre-approval paperwork to the College Office of Graduate Affairs.
The committee will evaluate the M.A. Research Proposal using the M.A. Research Proposal rubric. A student will pass if all components were rated Outstanding, Very Good, or Acceptable. A student will fail if any of the components are judged “Unacceptable”. If the student fails, they are given two weeks to revise the Research Proposal. If any of the components are again judged “Unacceptable”, the student will not receive an M.A. degree.
Student must ensure completion of all graduation requirements before and following the written Research Proposal and Oral Examination. Please see the College Office of Graduate Affairs M.A. Degree Checklist.
Waiving of M.A. Course Requirements
Students who have previously acquired knowledge similar to that provided in a graduate LING course can ask the course instructor and DGS for a waiver. If the waiver is granted, the waived course needs to be replaced by a different LING graduate course, excluding LING 850, LING 851, LING 852, or LING 998.
Timetable
The M.A degree program is expected to take 2 years (33 credit hours).
Year 1:
Complete 18-21 credit hours (3-4 courses/semester) consisting of core and elective courses.
Year 2:
Complete 12-15 credit hours (2-3 courses/semester) consisting of core and elective courses.
Complete a written Research Proposal and an Oral Examination of the Research Proposal.
Students should take the Oral Examination no later than the semester in which the student is enrolled for their thirty-third hour of course work applicable to the M.A. in Linguistics and the student must be enrolled in LING 850, LING 851, or LING 852 when they submit their Research Proposal.
The department will consider petitions for exceptions to any of the requirements listed in this section.
Masters Program Profile
The Masters Program Profile provides statistics about the Linguistics M.A. program which includes acceptance rates, mean GRE scores, and number of years to degree.