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:

a graduate phonology course (502 or 503)
an advanced course in phonetics or phonology (a seminar in phonetics or phonology)
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)
at least one methods course
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.

Keys and Symbols Reference