Graduate Admissions

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree Program

Admission requirements are not rigid, and the Department encourages applicants with varying backgrounds. A BA in linguistics is not the most usual preparation for the MA program in Linguistics, nor is it necessarily more desirable than other possible preparations. Linguists traditionally have identified their interest in the field relatively late; successful linguists have come from areas as diverse as teaching, English literature, foreign languages, law, anthropology, history, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer science. Students who enter without having taken at least one general linguistics course should work through a modern introductory text on their own before starting classes in August.

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required for applicants whose language of education was English, and it is recommended for all applicants. Visit the Educational Testing Service GRE website for information about the format of the GRE, exam dates and locations, registering for the exam and ordering score reports. In addition, upon entry into the MA program, native speakers of English are required to have proficiency equivalent to three years of college-level study in a language other than English; MA students who lack this level of proficiency will need to acquire it in addition to their linguistics training. Applicants whose language of education was not English must show evidence of English proficiency by earning a score of 550 or higher on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Doctoral Program

The ideal background for a student entering the doctoral program would include substantial preparation in linguistics (the equivalent of a strong BA or an MA in linguistics or a closely related field) plus extensive knowledge and experience in the use of at least one foreign language or another skill that is useful in linguistic research. Students with preparation in related areas, but with less background in linguistics and little knowledge of other languages, will be admitted to the MA program instead of directly to the PhD.