Graduate Programs

Explore our Graduate Programs

As scientists, we seek to explain why the many language patterns we identify take the form that they do, and to understand how linguistic structure arises. Graduate students in the Department of Linguistics work with leading scholars whose research ranges from field linguistics to lab-based experimental approaches, sociolinguistics, and applied linguistics.


students working on group activity in classroom

Master’s Degree in Language Teaching Studies

This 11-month intensive graduate program is a terminal degree for teachers of English and/or teachers of other languages. Only under exceptional circumstances do we admit students to work toward an MA in General Linguistics.

LTS prepares leaders in language education. In this era of globalization, the program serves the evolving needs of both majority and minority language learners. Students can specialize in more than one language, including minoritized languages such as the Indigenous languages of the Pacific Northwest. 

LTS Master's Degree Requirements (prior to Fall 2024) 

LTS Master’s Degree Requirements (a/o Fall 2024) 
ling-graduate-programs

Doctorate Degree in Linguistics

Tailored to the individual student’s needs and professional goals, the PhD program in Linguistics combines a foundation in functional linguistic theory with a strong preparation in empirical research methods, both in laboratory and field settings. The PhD program cuts across the College, with support from the fields of East Asian and Romance Languages, Psychology, Neuroscience, Anthropology, and Computer Science.

Our strengths include:

  • Descriptive linguistics
  • Language revitalization
  • Historical/typological/areal linguistics
  • First and second language acquisition
  • Second language teaching
  • Laboratory phonology and phonetics
  • Sociolinguistics
  • Corpus linguistics

Cecilia Staggs

The Influence of Social Information on Speech Intelligibility

“The goal of my study is to analyze the ways that language ideologies within the US Latino community interact with social expectations related to speech production, and ultimately influence how intelligible listeners perceive a speaker to be. Intelligibility refers to a listener’s ability to transcribe the speech and has been found to be susceptible to factors external to the speech stream like language ideologies and listeners’ expectations.”

—Cecelia Staggs, PhD candidate, 2025


Funding your Graduate Studies

Explore the best ways to get help paying for school. Find costs and funding information for the MA in Language Teaching Studies, support for the PhD program in Linguistics, and general support at the college and university level.

Funding and Research Support


linguistics graduate student cohort group photo
Resources for the Graduate Community

Events

2024 Electrochem PNW Conference
Sep20
2024 Electrochem PNW Conference Sep 20 Willamette Hall
Graduate Employee Day of Teaching
Sep25
Graduate Employee Day of Teaching Sep 25 Willamette Hall
The Achievement of James Joyce
Sep28
The Achievement of James Joyce Sep 28 Baker Downtown Center
Theatre Arts - New Student Welcome Party
Sep30
Theatre Arts - New Student Welcome Party Sep 30 Miller Theatre Complex
Countdown to Election 2024, with Lynn Vavreck
Oct1
Countdown to Election 2024, with Lynn Vavreck Oct 1 Erb Memorial Union (EMU)
Department of History Undergraduate Get-Together
Oct1
Department of History Undergraduate Get-Together Oct 1 McKenzie Hall
Free Navarasa Dance Workshop at the UO Campus
Oct4
Free Navarasa Dance Workshop at the UO Campus Oct 4 Gerlinger Annex
Oregon Cyber Resilience Summit 2024
Oct8
Oregon Cyber Resilience Summit 2024 Oct 8 Erb Memorial Union (EMU)
Department of History Coffee Hour
Oct8
Department of History Coffee Hour Oct 8 McKenzie Hall
How to Use Career Resources on Campus for International Students
Oct8
How to Use Career Resources on Campus for International Students Oct 8