Academic Programs Catalog

College of Arts and Letters

Department of Linguistics, Languages and Cultures

Graduate Study
Linguistics - Doctor of Philosophy

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Arts and Letters, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

To be considered for admission to the Doctor of Philosophy degree program in linguistics, an applicant must:

  1. Have the results of the Graduate Record Examination General Test forwarded to the department.
  2. Submit to the department a master's thesis or other sample of written work as evidence of the applicant's ability to conduct doctoral–level research.
  3. Include in the letter required by the college a 700–1000 word statement of purpose and summary of academic background.

To be admitted to the program on regular status, an applicant must have:

  1. A bachelor’s or master's degree in linguistics or related field.
  2. A grade–point average of at least 3.50 in courses completed in all previous undergraduate or graduate work.

Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Linguistics

The student must:

1. Complete all of the following courses (12 credits). Any of the following courses or their equivalents may have been completed prior to enrolling in the Doctor of Philosophy degree program in linguistics.
LIN 824 Phonological Theory I 3
LIN 827 Phonetics I 3
LIN 834 Syntactic Theory I 3
LIN 837 Semantics and Pragmatics I 3
2. Complete two of the following courses, on of which must be LIN 825 or 835 (6 credits):
LIN 825 Phonological Theory II 3
LIN 828 Phonetics II 3
LIN 835 Syntactic Theory II 3
LIN 838 Semantics and Pragmatics II 3
An 800-level 3-credit Linguistics seminar or independent study in syntax, phonology, phonetics, semantics or pragmatics may be substituted for one course above.
3. Pass the comprehensive examination by submitting two research papers of a quality consonant with a presentation at a peer-reviewed conference in the subfield in two different areas of linguistics and passing an oral examination for each paper. At least one of the papers must be in phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, or pragmatics.
4. Ph.D. students who have successfully defended their first comprehensive examination paper can use it in lieu of the M.A. Plan B examination and file for M.A. in passing.

Academic Standards

The student must:

  1. Maintain a cumulative grade–point average of at least 3.50.
  2. Not accumulate more than 6 credits with a grade below 3.0 in LIN courses.