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 credit hours plus thesis) or Plan II (32 credit hours) according to the regulations set forth in earlier pages of this catalog, except that a minimum of 12 credit hours of 500-level courses is required.

Minimum prerequisites for pursuing the M.A. in Linguistics are 12 credit 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 credit hours of core course work, including 3 credit hours in each of the following areas: phonology (502, 503), morphosyntax (512), psycholinguistics (560, 565, 567, 568), sociolinguistics (531, 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 credit 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.


Native American Languages of the Southwest Concentration

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.

Plan I (thesis): Complete 24 credit hours of course work in linguistics plus at least eight thesis credit hours.
Plan II (non-thesis): Complete 32 credit hours of course work in linguistics.

The candidate chooses one of three focus areas:

  • field research on Native American languages
  • issues in bilingual education
  • 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 credit hours of appropriate courses from the M.A. but at least 18 credit hours must be work beyond the M.A. At least 24 credit hours must be completed at UNM and at least 18 credit 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 (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)
    • •   typology (513, 517, 548, or a seminar on a relevant topic)
  4. at least one methods course
  5. three advanced seminars in the areas of preparation for the comprehensive examination.

These required courses include some that were required for the M.A. 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.:

  • reading, writing, and conversational ability in a language other than the student’s native language (this requirement may be fulfilled by four semesters of college language courses with a grade of "B" or better)
  • knowledge of the structure of a non-Indo-European language
  • course work in statistics up to and including analysis of variance or the equivalent

Before advancing to candidacy, Ph.D. students are required to complete one qualifying paper and submit it to a refereed journal once it is approved by a committee of qualified faculty, and to prepare and present a dissertation prospectus.

Contact the department for more detailed information on admissions and requirements for the M.A. and Ph.D. programs or consult the Department of Linguistics Web site.


Speech and Hearing Sciences Concentration

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: LING 502 or 503; LING 504; LING 522; LING 523; LING 531; LING 532, 533, or 535; LING 567.

Requirements for students who have a master’s degree in Linguistics: LING 506; SHS 507; SHS 510; SHS 530 or LING 560; SHS 550; SHS 536; 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 or 503); 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. 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 to a maximum of 12 Δ, 3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)



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 433. Sociolinguistic Variation. (3)



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



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



LING 447 / 547. Introductory Old English. (3)



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, no limit 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 510. Statistical Methods in Linguistics. (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 533. Sociolinguistic Variation. (3)



LING 534 / 334. Language and Gender. (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. Introductory Old English. (3)



LING 548. Grammaticization. (3)



LING 554. Seminar in Linguistic Theory. (3, no limit 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. (1-3, no limit Δ)



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



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



LING 697. Qualifying Paper. (3-9, may be repeated once 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. Navajo Verb System II. (3)



NVJO 315 [315 / 515]. Advanced Navajo. (3)



NVJO 401 [401 / 501]. Navajo Linguistics. (3)



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



NVJO 511 / 311. Navajo Verb System I. (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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