Graduate Program

Degrees Offered

Master of Arts in Linguistics (M.A.)
Concentration: Native American Languages of the Southwest.
Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (Ph.D.)
Concentration: Speech and Hearing Sciences.

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.

Master of Arts in Linguistics

The Department of Linguistics offers the Master of Arts (M.A.) 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 the Graduate Program section 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 coursework may not be counted toward the degree.

Candidates for the master's degree must complete 21 credit hours of core coursework, including 3 credit hours in each of the following areas: phonology (502, 503), morphosyntax (512), psycholinguistics (560, 565, 567, 568), sociolinguistics (533, 534, 539, or a seminar on a relevant topic), 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.

Concentration in 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 in the College of Education. The concentration is designed to fit with the department’s interest in functional grammar and sociolinguistics.

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

Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics

Admission to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Linguistics is highly selective. The following criteria must be met: 1) completion of coursework 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 credit hours of graduate coursework. 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.

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 three of the following four areas:
• discourse/syntax (523, 529, or a seminar on a relevant topic);
• cognitive linguistics (519, 525, or a seminar on a relevant topic);
• sociolinguistics (533, 534, 539, 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.

Required Research Skills

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;
coursework 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.

Concentration in Speech and Hearing Sciences

The Department offers a concentration in Speech and Hearing Sciences for students in the doctoral program 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 533; LING 567.

Requirements for students who have a master’s degree in Linguistics: LING 506; LING 560 or SHS 530; SHS 507; SHS 510; SHS 536; SHS 550; 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 Ph.D. in Linguistics.

Keys and Symbols Reference