The objective of the M.A. in Linguistics is to provide
students with a solid foundation in linguistic analysis. To this end, the
centerpiece of the M.A. program is the M.A. Core, with its two components:
breath requirements and depth requirements. Regardless of degree option, every
student in the M.A. Program will be exposed to the fundamental concepts of our
field. Beyond the Core, students may select courses that fit their particular
interests and career goals. Emphases within the M.A. Program include grammatical
analysis, sociolinguistics, and teaching English to speakers of other
languages. Students interested in issues of literacy and translation may elect
to spend one or two semesters studying at the Graduate Institute of Applied
Linguistics (GIAL), located in South Dallas (near Duncanville); while UTA and
GIAL do not cross-list courses, special arrangements have been made between the
two institutions for transfer credits. Contact Dr.
Laurel Stvan, the Linguistics M.A. Advisor, for details.
(Please note, this page describes the curriculum for MA students who started the program BEFORE the Fall semester of 2006. Students starting in Fall 2006 or later should check the new catalog requirements here.)
M.A. Thesis Degree Plan: 24 hours course work
plus one hour thesis writing course (LING 5100) plus six hours thesis credit
(LING 5698).
M.A. Thesis Substitute Degree Plan: 30 hours course work
plus one hour thesis writing course (LING 5100) plus three hours thesis
substitute credit (LING 5392) plus written examination plus oral defense of the
thesis substitute.
M.A. Non-Thesis Degree Plan: 36 hours course work
plus comprehensive written examination on the course work.
A. Depth: 5 courses, 15 credits, one course from each of the following
areas:
1. LING 5320 (Phonological Theory)
2. LING 5330 (Formal Syntax) or
LING
5332 (Discourse Grammar)
3. LING 5310 (Sociolinguistics) or
LING
5311 (Sociolinguistics of Society) or
LING
5314 (Historical and Comparative Linguistics)
LING
5351 (Spoken Discourse)
4. LING 5380 (Field Methods) or
LING
5360 (Non-Western Linguistic Structures) or
LING
5303 (Contrastive & Error Analysis in TESFL)
5. LING 5370 (Survey of Linguistic
Theories) or
LING
5371 (Survey of Theories in Applied Linguistics) or
LING
5372 (Readings in Linguistics)
B. Breadth: 2 courses; 6 credits, one course from two (2) of the
following areas
1. LING 5321 (Advanced Phonological
Theory) or
LING
5322 (Laboratory Phonology)
LING
5348 (Pedagogical Phonology of English)
2. LING 5304 (Pedagogical Grammar of
English) or
LING
5331 (Advanced Formal Syntax) or
LING
5333 (Functional Typological Grammar) or
LING
5334 (Morphology) or
LING
5335 (Language Universals and Typology) or
LING
5350 (Text Analysis)
3. LING 5305 (Second Language
Acquisition) or
LING
5345 (Semantics)
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M.A. in Linguistics Admissions Requirements
In
evaluating candidates for admissions to its graduate degree programs, the
Linguistics Faculty has adopted a comprehensive approach that is sensitive to
the diversity of backgrounds of its applicants. To this end, the following
constellation of quantitative and qualitative factors has been established to
make explicit the range of criteria upon which admissions decisions will be
based. These factors are then applied to the Evaluation Metrics established in
section B of this document.
(for
information about Fellowships/Scholarships, CLICK HERE)
A)
Admission Factors
1) Quantitative Factors
a) For M.A. program
applicants, undergraduate grade point average (GPA) is determined by the UT
Arlington Graduate School. For Ph.D. program applicants, GPA is based on all
graduate work completed.
b) For every applicant, Graduate Record
Examination (GRE) scores are based on all three parts of the general exam:
verbal, quantitative, and analytical (V+Q+A).
2) Qualitative Factors
a) Letters of
recommendation: Each applicant must present three (3) letters of recommendation
that clearly indicate that the applicant is prepared for and capable of
successful graduate study in linguistics at UT Arlington. The letters should
further indicate that the applicant is capable of completing the appropriate
degree program.
b) Personal Statement:
Each applicant must write a statement that explains how graduate study in
linguistics is related to both his/her previous academic training and his/her career
goals. The statement will be evaluated on the degree to which it is clear,
reasonable, and consistent with the research and teaching agenda of the current
faculty in linguistics at UT Arlington. It should also convey a level of
commitment and maturity commensurate with the applicant’s desired degree
goals.
c) Undergraduate
Preparation: Applicants must have passed the following six courses or
reasonable equivalents as determined by the graduate advisor (UT Arlington
equivalents are noted in parentheses):
• English composition (ENGL 1302);
• college-level mathematics (MATH 1302);
• a laboratory science (any 1000-level
course in BIOL, CHEM, GEOL or PHYS; LING 5322 may also be used to fulfill this
requirement);
• linguistic analysis, with a grade of “B”
or better (LING 3311/5300);
• phonetics and phonology, with a grade of
“B” or better (LING 3330); and
• grammar and morphology, with a grade of
“B” or better (LING 3340).
Prospective students lacking any of these
prerequisite courses may enroll in them at UT Arlington. The English, math and
science courses listed above are offered each semester; the linguistics courses
are offered in the spring semester of each year, thereby preparing otherwise
qualified applicants for unconditional graduate-school enrollment in the
following fall semester.
d) Previous Graduate
Work (Ph.D. Applicants only): Ph.D. applicants must present at least 30
semester credits of previous graduate-level coursework (in any field, not
necessarily linguistics).
B)
Evaluation Metrics
Admission criteria for the M.A. in Linguistics program are listed in the Graduate Catalog pages here:
The website
for the UTA Office of Research and Graduate Studies
provides additional information about graduate study at UTA and about the
admission process, including general testing requirements and other
paperwork. Students may apply for
admission on-line or request application materials be sent via post.
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Students
who decide to pursue the Non-Thesis Degree Plan or the Thesis-Substitute Degree
Plan must sit for the M.A. Comprehensive Examination. The exam, which is
usually taken in the final semester of a student’s program of study,
covers material from four core areas of linguistics:
Part
I, Phonological Theory
Part
II, Survey of Linguistic Theories/Readings in Linguistics
Part
III, Grammatical Theory
Part
IV, Sociolinguistics/Historical Linguistics
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Graduate
School Fellowships (new students only)
The
UT Arlington Graduate School provides a limited number of fellowships for new
graduate students. Fellowships, when available, will be awarded on a
competitive basis. Nominees for a UTA Graduate School Fellowship in Linguistics
will be selected based on the following criteria:
Linguistics
Scholarships (new and continuing students)
The
UT Arlington Program in Linguistics also provides a limited amount of funding
to students pursuing a Graduate Degree in Linguistics. These “Linguistics
Scholarships” are awarded on a competitive basis, with the minimum
criterion being a GPA of 3.3, calculated as follows:
For
new students: GPA as computed for the admissions process.
For
returning students:
·
part-time students: the most recently completed 9 credit hours of
letter-graded courses completed as a Linguistics Graduate Student at UT
Arlington.
·
full-time students: the most recently completed academic semester
in which the student took least 6 hours of letter-graded courses.
The
maximum amount that shall be awarded to any scholarship applicant enrolled
full-time during the award period will be $1000 for the academic year.
Students who are awarded scholarships but who are not enrolled for a least 9
credit hours will have the total amount of the scholarship prorated to reflect
the percentage time enrolled (e.g. 3 credit hours per semester = $333 for the
academic year).
Because
the amount of funds available for Linguistics Scholarships fluctuates from year
to year, there may be occasions upon which the number of applicants exceeds the
number of students that can be supported. In such circumstances, applicants
will be ranked according to the GPA criterion specified above; those students
with the highest GPAs will receive preference in funding. Moreover, returning
students will also be evaluated as to whether or not they are making reasonable
progress toward the completion of their degree, with preference given to those
students who have taken fewer than 12 credit hours of courses titled
“Thesis” or 18 credit hours of courses titled
“Dissertation.”
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