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Linguistics, Master of Arts

The Master of Arts in linguistics emphasizes theory and research, preparing students for academic and non-academic careers. The Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures has particular strengths in phonology, syntax, and language acquisition.

Overview of the Program

The phonology curriculum emphasizes current theoretical perspectives, including optimality theory, and the collection, description, and interpretation of novel phonological and phonetic data. Courses feature extensive work in data analysis and problem-solving, focusing on the construction and evaluation of phonological theories, particularly in light of new empirical data.

The syntax curriculum includes the dual emphases of empirical and theoretical perspectives. It offers a variety of foundational courses that build analytic and argumentation skills, as well as specialized coursework on current issues in syntactic theory. The courses consist of intensive work in problem-solving, combining the discovery and description of new linguistic data with the exploration of the implications of such facts in testing and constructing syntactic theories.

The curriculum in language acquisition includes courses that provide an overview and analysis of current second language acquisition research. Work focuses on experimental research investigating the influence of the first language, environmental and contextual factors, and related topics.

Learning Outcomes

The master's degree in linguistics is intended for students who want to pursue a PhD in linguistics or are interested in linguistics-related professional areas. Students are expected to:

• be familiar with the basics of theoretical linguistic approaches to phonology and syntax, be able to analyze linguistic data using formal theoretical linguistics approaches, and be familiar with the basics of applied phonetics and approaches to multilingual language acquisition research;
• be familiar with the basics of empirical research in linguistics and be able to use appropriate software and methods to understand original research;
• be able to write a formal research paper in syntax and phonology demonstrating a critical evaluation of a particular problem or issue they have investigated;
• be familiar with the basics of multilingual language acquisition from a theoretical and empirical perspective;
• formulate a research project by the end of their third semester if they have articulated the goal of continuing to a PhD program in linguistics; and
• possibly explore course options in areas related to their professional development if they are not planning on continuing to a PhD program in linguistics.

Program Requirements

The Master of Arts in linguistics requires a minimum of 34–37 s.h. of graduate credit. Students must maintain a Graduate College major program grade-point average of at least 3.00. The degree is offered with two options: without a thesis (34 s.h.) and with a thesis (37 s.h.). A student's advisor must approve all courses that count toward the degree. All courses must be taken on an A–F graded basis.

Core Courses

Students complete the following set of required core courses in phonetics, phonology, syntax, and language acquisition for a total of 22 s.h.

• LING:3005: Articulatory and Acoustic Phonetics (3 hours)
• LING:5000: Proseminar: Morphosyntax (1 hour)
• LING:5010: Introduction to Syntax (3 hours)
• LING:5020: Introduction to Phonology (3 hours)
• LING:6010: Syntactic Theory (3 hours)
• LING:6020: Phonological Theory (3 hours)
• LING:6080: Topics in Second Language Acquisition (3 hours)
• One of the following:
  • LING:6040: Linguistic Structures (3 hours)
  • LING:6050: Language Universals Linguistic Typology (3 hours)

Electives

Students are encouraged to use electives to focus on a specialized area, such as data analytics. With advisor permission, additional non-linguistics courses may be considered as elective options.

• Students not completing a thesis take 12 s.h. of linguistics courses (prefix LING) numbered 4000 or above, excluding LING:4010, LING:4050, LING:4900, LING:6900, and LING:7900. These may include a maximum of 6 s.h. total from LING:4195 Linguistics Lab II, LING:5090 Special Projects, and LING:7100 Special Projects.
• Students completing a thesis take 15 s.h. of linguistics courses numbered 4000 or above, excluding LING:4010, LING:4050, LING:4900, and LING:7900. This may include a maximum of 9 s.h. total from LING:4195 Linguistics Lab II, LING:5090 Special Projects, LING:6900 Master's Thesis, and LING:7100 Special Projects. Students must take at least 3 s.h. in LING:6900 Master's Thesis.

Admission

Applicants to the MA program in linguistics must submit an application to the Graduate College, including three letters of recommendation. Applications for admission should be submitted as early as possible for the following academic year. Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College.

Career Advancement

Career opportunities in linguistics can be found in academia, government, industry, and the non-profit sectors. A number of companies, such as Microsoft, Xerox, Apple, Hewlett-Packard, and other high-tech firms, regularly hire employees with linguistics degrees. Opportunities also exist for government work, for example, as a special agent linguist for the FBI.

Sample Plan of Study

Sample plans represent one way to complete a program of study. Actual course selection and sequence will vary and should be discussed with an academic advisor.

Linguistics, MA

Plan of Study Grid (Manual) Academic Career

• First Year:
  • Fall:
    • LING:3005: Articulatory and Acoustic Phonetics (3 hours)
    • LING:5000: Proseminar: Morphosyntax (1 hour)
    • LING:5010: Introduction to Syntax (3 hours)
    • Elective or focus course (3 hours)
  • Spring:
    • LING:5020: Introduction to Phonology (3 hours)
    • LING:6010: Syntactic Theory (3 hours)
    • Elective or focus course (3 hours)
• Second Year:
  • Fall:
    • LING:6020: Phonological Theory (3 hours)
    • LING:6080: Topics in Second Language Acquisition (3 hours)
    • Elective or focus course (3 hours)
  • Spring:
    • LING:6040 or LING:6050: Linguistic Structures or Language Universals Linguistic Typology (3 hours)
    • Elective or focus course (3 hours)