Program Overview

Introduction to the PhD in Linguistics

The PhD in Linguistics at George Mason University trains students in the science of language, specializing in core areas such as phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. The program integrates these core areas with the study of second language acquisition and/or computational linguistics, preparing students for positions in academia, industry, government, and organizations concerned with language and second language acquisition.

Admissions

Applicants to the PhD in Linguistics must meet the admission standards and application requirements for graduate study as specified in Graduate Admissions. Specific information can be found in Application Requirements and Deadlines.

Policies

For policies governing all graduate degrees, see Graduate Policies. The Banner Code for this program is LA-PHD-LING.

Degree Requirements

The total credits required for the PhD in Linguistics is 72. Students should be aware of the specific policies associated with this program.

Optional Linguistics Foundation Course

• LING 500: Linguistic Variation (3 credits)

Core Courses

Students select courses from the following areas:

• General Linguistics: Select eight courses from the list (24 credits)
  • LING 731: Phonetics
  • LING 732: Phonology A
  • LING 733: Phonology B
  • LING 735: Morphology
  • LING 736: Syntax A
  • LING 737: Syntax B
  • LING 638: Semantics and Pragmatics 1
  • LING 738: Semantics and Pragmatics 2
  • LING 671: Computational Linguistics I
  • LING 771: Computational Linguistics II
• Language Acquisition: Select two courses from the list (6 credits)
  • LING 642: Second Language Acquisition 1
  • LING 742: Second Language Acquisition 2
  • LING 741: First Language Acquisition
• Research Methodology: Select one course from the list (3 credits)
  • LING 714: Experimental Methods
  • LING 715: Statistical Methods in Linguistics
  • LING 716: Linguistic Field Methods
  • LING 717: Computational and Quantitative Methods in Linguistics
• Qualifying Papers:
  • LING 898: Advanced Qualifying Research 1 (3 credits)
  • LING 899: Advanced Qualifying Research 2 (3 credits)

Two Seminars

Students select 6 credits from the following:

• LING 800: Advanced Seminar in Linguistics (3 credits) Students take two seminar courses in two chosen fields. Seminar topics change every time they are offered and may be repeated for credit.

Electives

Choose four to five graduate LING courses not used to fulfill another requirement (except for LING 998 and LING 999), or other approved courses (12-15 credits). If LING 500 Linguistic Variation is taken, four electives are required.

Advancement to Candidacy

The student is advanced to candidacy for the PhD degree once they have successfully presented and defended a written dissertation proposal, completed all 48 course credits, and completed a minimum of 3 credits of 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal.

Dissertation

Once enrolled in LING 999 Doctoral Dissertation, students must follow the university's continuous registration policy. Students apply to this degree a minimum of 12 dissertation credits (LING 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal and LING 999 Doctoral Dissertation combined) with at least 3 credits of LING 999 Doctoral Dissertation.

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the PhD in Linguistics, students will be able to:

• Understand the core concepts of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
• Develop a thorough knowledge in a subfield of linguistics.
• Show proficiency in research methodology.
• Write and verbally present in an organized academic style, appropriate for the field of linguistics.
• Effectively analyze linguistic data and information to arrive at informed conclusions.