Graduate Program

Application Deadlines

  M.A. Ph.D.
Fall semester:  March 31 December 15
Spring semester: October 31   None accepted    
Summer semester:   March 31 None accepted
  
All applications seeking financial aid must be received by December 15.

Degrees Offered

M.A. in Linguistics

The Department of Linguistics offers the Master of Arts degree in linguistics with flexibility in selection of an area of study. This degree is offered under Plan I (24 hours plus thesis) or Plan II (32 hours) according to the regulations set forth in earlier pages of this catalog, except that a minimum of 12 hours of 500-level courses is required.

Minimum prerequisites for pursuing the M.A. in linguistics are 12 hours of basic linguistics, including introductory linguistic analysis, phonetics, phonological analysis, and grammatical analysis. Deficiencies in these prerequisites may be made up after admission to the program but such course work may not be counted toward the degree.

Candidates for the master's degree must complete 21 hours of core course work, including 3 hours in each of the following areas: phonology (502, 503), morphosyntax (512), psycholinguistics (560, 565, 566, 567, 568), sociolinguistics (531, 533, 535, 539), language change (546), and two of the following three areas: discourse/syntax (523, 529, or a seminar on a relevant topic), cognitive linguistics (519, 525, or a seminar on a relevant topic), and typology (513, 517, 548, or a seminar on a relevant topic). The remaining required hours are selected by the candidate, with the approval of the Graduate Advisor.

Plan I students are required to undergo an oral examination of the master's thesis. Plan II students are required to take a written comprehensive examination.


Computational Linguistics

In addition to the course work for the Linguistics M.A., the concentration in Computational Linguistics requires five prerequisite Computer Science courses: CS 151, CS 201, CS 251, CS 257, and CS 351; three recommended graduate-level Computer Science courses: CS 438, CS 451, and CS 527; and, two elective courses chosen in consultation with the student’s department advisor. If the student has opted for Plan I, they are required to take nine thesis hours in addition to two of the recommended CS courses. One of three Master’s examination questions must address an area of Computational Linguistics.


Native American Languages of the Southwest

The Department of Linguistics offers the M.A. in Linguistics with a concentration in Native American Languages of the Southwest. The program is designed so as to take advantage of the resources in the Departments of Linguistics, Native American Studies, and Anthropology, as well as the College of Education. The concentration in Native American Languages is designed to fit with the department’s interest in functional grammar and sociolinguistics. Candidates for the M.A. degree under the thesis Plan I must complete 24 hours of course work in linguistics plus at least eight thesis hours and candidates under the non-thesis Plan II must complete 32 hours of course work in linguistics. The candidate will choose one of three focus areas: 1) field research on Native American languages, 2) issues in bilingual education, or 3) Navajo studies. Four courses in the chosen focus area, and one course from either of the other two focus areas, are required.


Ph.D. in Linguistics

Admission to the Ph.D. program is highly selective. The following criteria must be met: 1) completion of course work equivalent to the University of New Mexico M.A. in Linguistics with an average of B+ or better; 2) Pass with Distinction on the University of New Mexico M.A. Comprehensive Exam or equivalent, and the submission of a research paper of publishable quality; and 3) willingness of a University of New Mexico Linguistics faculty member to serve as the student’s mentor.

The Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 48 graduate credit course work. This may include up to 30 hours of appropriate courses from the M.A. but at least 18 hours must be work beyond the M.A. At least 24 hours must be completed at UNM and at least 18 hours must be at the 500 or 600 level. Students must fulfill the following requirements: 1) a graduate phonology course (502 or 503); 2) an advanced course in phonetics or phonology (505, 506, or a seminar in phonetics or phonology); 3) a course in each of the following areas: discourse/syntax (523, 529, or a seminar on a relevant topic); cognitive linguistics (519, 525, or a seminar on a relevant topic), and typology (513, 517, 548, or a seminar on a relevant topic); 4) at least one methods courses; and 5) three advanced seminars in the areas of preparation for the comprehensive examination. These required courses include some that were required for the MA and courses taken for that degree may be included as fulfilling the requirements for the Ph.D. as well.

Research skills required for the Ph.D. are 1) reading, writing, and conversational ability in a language other than the student’s native language (this requirement may be fulfilled by 4 semesters of college language courses with a grade of B or better); 2) knowledge of the structure of a non-Indo-European language; and 3) coursework in statistics up to and including analysis of variance or the equivalent.

At the end of their coursework Ph.D. candidates are required to take a comprehensive examination over three areas of specialization.

Contact the department for more detailed information on admissions and requirements for the M.A. and Ph.D. programs or consult the Web site, http://www.unm.edu/~linguist.


Computational Linguistics

The Ph.D. in Linguistics with a concentration in Computational Linguistics requires that the student complete a minimum of 48 hours of graduate credit course work that includes up to 30 hours of appropriate courses from the M.A., but at least 18 hours must be course work beyond the M.A. At least 24 hours must be completed at UNM and at least 18 hours must be at the 500 or 600 level. Students must fulfill the following requirements: 1) One 500-level course each in phonology, grammar and discourse, and computer science beyond what is required for the M.A.; 2) at least one methods course (which may include an appropriate course from Computer Science); 3) three advanced seminars in the areas of preparation for the comprehensive examination; 4) a comprehensive examination over three areas of specialization, two of which shall be in the core areas of linguistics, and one in the area of computational linguistics; 5) reading, writing, and conversational ability in a language other than the student’s native language plus proficiency in a computer language; 6) knowledge of the structure of a non-Indo-European language; and 7) course work in formal modeling or quantitative methods.


Speech and Hearing Sciences

The Department offers a concentration in the linguistics doctoral program for students interested in combining the study of Speech and Hearing Sciences with Linguistics. Requirements for students who have a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology are: LING 504; LING 522; LING 531; LING 567; LING 502 or 503; LING 523; LING 532, 533, or 535. Requirements for students who have a master’s degree in Linguistics: SHS 510; LING 506; SHS 431; SHS 550; SHS 507; SHS 530 or LING 560; one additional SHS course on disorders. Requirements for all students in the concentration: a second graduate course in phonetics and phonology (chosen from LING 502, 503, or 505); LING 529; and the following: graduate level courses in statistics, research methods (not SHS 506), and three seminars in the areas of specialization for the comprehensive examination (specific courses must be approved by the Committee on Studies). Students in the concentration must also meet all other requirements for the Linguistics Ph.D.


Courses

LING 101. Introduction to the Study of Language. (3)



LING 295. Special Topics in Current Language Issues. (3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)



LING 301 [292]. Introduction to Linguistic Analysis. (3)



LING 303. Introduction to Phonetics. (3)



LING 304 / 504. Phonological Analysis. (3)



LING 322 / 522. Grammatical Analysis. (3)



LING 331 / 531. Language in Society. (3)



LING 334 / 534. Language and Gender. (3)



LING 359 / 559. Language and Culture. (3)



LING 367 / 567. Psychology of Language. (3)



LING *401-402. Topics: American Indian Languages. (3, 3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)



LING 406 / 506. Introduction to Experimental Phonetics. (3)



LING 412 / 512. Morphosyntax. (3)



LING 413 / 513. Linguistic Field Methods. (3)



LING 415 / 515. Native American Languages. (3)



LING 417 / 517. Typology and Universals. (3)



LING 425 / 525. Semantic Analysis. (3)



LING 429 / 529. Discourse Analysis. (3)



LING 432 / 532. Spanish-English Bilingualism. (3)



LING 433/533. Sociolinguistic Variation. (3)



LING 435 / 535. Societal Bilingualism. (3)



LING 436 [436 / 536]. Language and Education in Southwest Native American Communities. (3)



LING 440 / 540. Introduction to Linguistics. (3)



LING 441 . English Grammars. (3)



LING 446 / 546. Introduction to Language Change. (3)



LING 447 / 547. Old English. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



LING 449 . Middle English Language. (3)



LING 460 / 560. Child Language. (3)



LING 469L / 569L. Experimental Psycholinguistics. (3)



LING 490 / 590. Topics in Linguistics. (3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)



LING 495. Undergraduate Problems. (1-6, to a maximum of 6 Δ)



LING 498. Reading and Research for Honors. (3)



LING 499. Honors Thesis. (3)



LING 502. Generative Theories of Phonology. (3)



LING 503. Usage-based Phonology. (3)



LING 504 / 304. Phonological Analysis. (3)



LING 506 / 406. Introduction to Experimental Phonetics. (3)



LING 512 / 412. Morphosyntax. (3)



LING 513 / 413. Linguistic Field Methods. (3)



LING 515 / 415. Native American Languages. (3)



LING 517 / 417. Typology and Universals. (3)



LING 519. Cognitive Linguistics. (3)



LING 522 / 322. Grammatical Analysis. (3)



LING 523. Functional Syntactic Theories. (3)



LING 525 / 425. Semantic Analysis. (3)



LING 529 / 429. Discourse Analysis. (3)



LING 531 / 331. Language in Society. (3)



LING 532 / 432. Spanish-English Bilingualism. (3)



LING 533/433. Sociolinguistic Variation. (3)



LING 534 / 334. Language and Gender. (3)



LING 535 /435. Societal Bilingualism. (3)



LING 539. Seminar in Sociolinguistics. (3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)



LING 540 / 440. Introduction to Linguistics. (3)



LING 546 / 446. Introduction to Language Change. (3)



LING 547 / 447. Old English. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



LING 548. Grammaticization. (3)



LING 554. Seminar in Linguistic Theory. (3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)



LING 559 / 359. Language and Culture. (3)



LING 560 / 460. Child Language. (3)



LING 565. Seminar in Thought and Language. (3)



LING 567 / 367. Psychology of Language. (3)



LING 568. Seminar in Psycholinguistics. (3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)



LING 569L / 469L. Experimental Psycholinguistics. (3)



LING 590 / 490. Topics in Linguistics. (3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)



LING 595. Graduate Problems. (1-6 to a maximum of 24 Δ)



LING 599. Master’s Thesis. (1-6, no limit Δ)



LING 699. Dissertation. (3-12, no limit Δ)



NVJO 101-102. Elementary Conversational Navajo for Non-Native Speakers. (3, 3)



NVJO 103. Basic Medical Navajo. (3)



NVJO 105. Introduction to Written Navajo for Native Speakers . (3)



NVJO 201 . Intermediate Conversational Navajo I . (3)



NVJO 202 . Intermediate Conversational Navajo II . (3)



NVJO 206. Creative Writing and Advanced Reading for Native Speakers . (3)



NVJO 311 / 511. Navajo Verb System I. (3)



NVJO 312 / 512. Navajo Verb System II. (3)



NVJO 315 / 515. Advanced Navajo. (3)



NVJO 401 / 501. Navajo Linguistics. (3)



NVJO 495. Undergraduate Problems. (1-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



NVJO 501 / 401. Navajo Linguistics. (3)



NVJO 511 / 311. Navajo Verb System I. (3)



NVJO 512 / 312. Navajo Verb System II. (3)



NVJO 515 / 315. Advanced Navajo. (3)



NVJO 595. Graduate Problems. (1-6)



SIGN 201. Introduction to Signed Language. (3)



SIGN 210. American Sign Language I. (3)



SIGN 211. American Sign Language II. (3)



SIGN 212. Fingerspelling I. (3)



SIGN 214. Lexical Semantics for Transliteration. (3)



SIGN *305. Signed Language Linguistics. (3)



SIGN *310. American Sign Language III. (3)



SIGN 320. American Sign Language IV. (3)



SIGN *352. Language and Culture in the Deaf Community, Part 1. (3)



SIGN 355. Deaf History and Literature. (3)



SIGN *360. The Interpreting Profession. (3)



SIGN 411. Consecutive Interpretation. (3)



SIGN 412. Simultaneous Interpreting. (3)



SIGN 418. Signed Language Interpreting Research. (3)



SIGN 419. Practicum in Signed Language Interpreting. (1-3 to a maximum of 4 Δ)



SIGN 495. Undergraduate Problems. (1-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



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