Master of Arts in Linguistics

At the 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳, the MA program provides students with a solid foundation in all of the core areas of linguistics, including:

  • Phonetics
  • Phonology
  • Morphology
  • Syntax
  • Semantics
  • Pragmatics

Additional advanced courses provide depth and enrichment in one or more specific areas of linguistics, with a focus on both theoretical/formal and experimental/empirical linguistics. The MA in Linguistics prepares students for further work at the PhD level in Linguistics or related fields, or for employment in teaching or industry.

The Department of Linguistics at the 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ is strongly engaged in collaborative research and is devoted to involving graduate students in research. MA students in Linguistics work closely with faculty on developing their own research interests and participate in faculty members’ research projects. For ongoing research in the Department, see our . Additionally, MA students have the opportunity to work as research or teaching assistants.

Program Requirements

The Linguistics MA program is a 32-credit program designed to be completed in two years, as either a traditional or research-focused degree program. 

Students pursuing a traditional MA in Linguistics program will complete 32 credit hours of coursework during the first three semesters and write their MA essay in the final semester. 

Students engaged in a research-focused MA in Linguistics will complete: 

  • Twelve credits of coursework during the first semester 
  • Eight credits of coursework and four credits of research in the second semester 
  • Four credits of coursework and four credits of research in the third semester 
  • A master's thesis during the final semester 

A research-focused MA in Linguistics is especially ideal for students with a previous degree in Linguistics planning to pursue subsequent PhD-level training.

 

Core Courses: 12 Credits

Choose three of the following core courses:

  • LING 410: Introduction to Language Sound Systems (Fall)
  • LING 420: Introduction to Grammatical Systems (Spring)
  • LING 425: Introduction to Semantic Analysis (Fall)
  • LING 426: Morphology (Fall)

 

Track Courses: 12 Credits Required

Phonetics/Phonology
  • LING 410: Introduction to Language Sound Systems (Fall)
  • LING 426: Morphology (Fall)
  • LING 427: Topics in Phonetics and Phonology (Spring)
Morphology
  • LING 405: Historical Linguistics (Fall)
  • LING 410: Introduction to Language Sound Systems (Fall)
  • LING 420: Introduction to Grammatical Systems (Spring)
  • LING 426: Morphology (Fall)
  • LING 428: Lexical Semantics (Spring)
Syntax
  • LING 420: Introduction to Grammatical Systems (Spring)
  • LING 460: Syntactic Theory (Fall)
  • LING 461: Constraint-based Syntax (Spring)
  • LING 462: Experimental Syntax (Fall)
Semantics/Pragmatics
  • LING 425: Introduction to Semantic Analysis (Fall)
  • LING 428: Lexical Semantics (Spring)
  • LING 465: Formal Semantics (Spring)
  • LING 466: Pragmatics (Spring)
  • LING 468: Computational Semantics (Fall)

 

Advanced Elective Courses: 8 Credits Required

  • LING 404: History of Linguistic Thought (Spring)
  • LING 405: Historical Linguistics (Fall)
  • LING 424: Introduction to Computational Linguistics (Spring)
  • LING 427: Topics in Phonetics and Phonology (Spring)
  • LING 428: Lexical Semantics (Spring)
  • LING 450: Data Science for Linguistics (Spring)
  • LING 460: Syntactic Theory (Fall)
  • LING 461: Constraint-based Syntax (Spring)
  • LING 462: Experimental Syntax (Fall)
  • LING 465: Formal Semantics (Spring)
  • LING 466: Pragmatics (Spring)
  • LING 468: Computational Semantics (Fall)
  • LING 481: Statistical and Neural Computational Linguistics (Spring)