Linguistics MA
Program Purpose
Full program information, including detailed descriptions of measures of student learning and current data generated by those measures is available on the College of Humanities assessment summary
The purpose ofthe Linguistics MA program is closely related to the department's definition of linguistics, which is the scientific study of language. The program aims to prepare the student to become a language professional, go on to aPhD program, or go into the world as a competent practitioner of the skills expected of a linguist. The linguistics curriculum develops such skills as analyzing language in its sound, structure, and meaning. Students can choose to focus on four emphases within the program. These are: 1. Corpus Linguistics/Linguistics Computing, 2. Language Acquisition, 3. Language and Society, 4. General Linguistics.
Curricular Structure
LINGUISTICS MA
Required courses:
- LING 601: Sounds (3 credit hours)
- LING 602: Structures (3)
- LING 603: Meanings (3)
- LING 604: Research Design (3)
- One of the following courses: LING 651, LING 652, LING 653, LING 654 (3 credit hours)
- Thesis or project (6 credit hours) plus oral defense
Electives (12 credit hours):
LING 545: Psycholinguistics
LING 550: Sociolinguistics
LING 551: Anthropological Linguistics
LING 558: Historical-Comparative Linguistics
LING 580R: Problems in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
LING 581: Natural Language Processing
LING 590R: Readings in Linguistics
LING 599R: Academic Internship: Linguistics
LING 601: Linguistic Foundations: Sounds of Language
LING 602: Linguistic Foundations: Structures of Language
LING 603: Linguistic Foundations: Meanings in Language
LING 615: Analogical Modeling of Language
LING 640: Language Acquisition
LING 651: Advanced Phonology
LING 652: Advanced Morphology
LING 653: Advanced Syntax
Ling 654: Advanced Semantics
ELANG courses (500-600 level) approved by the student's committee can also be used as electives.
Learning Outcomes
Research Skills
Access and discern credible sources of relevant information about language in order to interpret and organize the ideas of previous researchers.
Collect and analyze language data in ethical and responsible manners using a variety of methods.
Communicate ideas clearly both in writing and orally with attention to the nuances of language as well as the backgrounds and cultures of their audiences.
Strive for excellence by working hard and humbly learning from failures, with sights set on the long-term goal of perfection and eternal life.
Develop the ability to learn new skills and techniques quickly, and manage and organize time and attention in a productive manner.
Evidence of Learning
Direct Measures
1. Course assignments
2. Course exams
3. Thesis (external reviews)
Indirect Measures
1. Department and College surveys of M.A. graduates
2. University-administered survey of alumni
3. University course evaluations
Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement
1. The program is evaluated annually based on a formal report to the Graduate School. The Graduate School distributes funding to the program based on numerous factors: enrollment, time students are taking to complete the program, publication rates of faculty, regular updates of student advisement documents, etc.
2. Information from the report is presented annually to faculty, and areas of potential improvement are discussed.
3. Plans for improvements are formulated by the graduate coordinator in consultation with graduate faculty.