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) 
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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

Introduction to Zotero (Workshop)
Apr16
Introduction to Zotero (Workshop) Apr 16 Allan Price Science Commons & Research Library
Environmental Connect
Apr16
Environmental Connect Apr 16 Erb Memorial Union (EMU)
Research opportunities in France
Apr17
Research opportunities in France Apr 17 Gerlinger Hall
gradCONNECT: International Graduate Student Time Together
Apr17
gradCONNECT: International Graduate Student Time Together Apr 17 Mills International Center
Spring Career & Internship Expo
Apr17
Spring Career & Internship Expo Apr 17 Erb Memorial Union (EMU)
Morse Bookmarks: The Political Development of American Debt Relief
Apr17
Morse Bookmarks: The Political Development of American Debt Relief Apr 17 William W. Knight Law Center
Nurturing Resilience in the Face of Adversity: Women, Youth, and Caregiver Experiences in Latin America
Apr17
Nurturing Resilience in the Face of Adversity: Women, Youth, and Caregiver Experiences in Latin America Apr 17 Erb Memorial Union (EMU)
“Re-imagining the Other/Ourselves: Finding the Human in the Age of AI”
Apr17
“Re-imagining the Other/Ourselves: Finding the Human in the Age of AI” Apr 17 Knight Library
Jerusalem in the Late-Ottoman Era (Mid-19th Century to 1917) and the Changes During the British Mandate (1922-1948)
Apr17
Jerusalem in the Late-Ottoman Era (Mid-19th Century to 1917) and the Changes During the British Mandate (1922-1948) Apr 17 Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall
Creative Writing Reading Series Presents: Henri Cole
Apr17
Creative Writing Reading Series Presents: Henri Cole Apr 17 Gerlinger Hall