The objective of the M.A. Program 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. LING Core, which will expose every student to the fundamental concepts of our field. Beyond the Core, students should select courses that fit their particular interests and career goals.
36 credit hours of graduate-level course work plus a comprehensive examination on the coursework.
All students must complete the following courses (12 credits):
Students must round out their knowledge of language by choosing eight additional classes (24 credits). Up to 6 hours of these elective courses are allowed from another department with approval of the Graduate Advisor. The remaining hours must be taken from the Department of Linguistics & TESOL.
Students with no prior study in linguistics (as indicated by an official transcript) will be encouraged to complete the following three leveling courses before enrolling in more advanced courses:
These leveling classes will be counted towards the 24 credit elective-course requirement.
The M.A. Comprehensive Examination should be taken during the final long semester of study; exceptions to this policy must be approved by the MA Linguistics advisor.
The exam is given twice each year, in the fall semester (early November) and the spring semester (early April); a specific exam date will be announced at the beginning of each semester.
Before applying, please review this useful checklist for all applicants to our graduate programs, which details the materials that you need to submit when applying.
Be sure to read the Admissions Requirements (PDF) for Linguistics & TESOL graduate programs.
NOTE: Effective in the Spring Semester 2007, the M.A. Comprehensive Exam will be based on these Revised Degree Requirements, regardless of the student's catalog year.
These degree requirements are effective for students entering Spring 2011 or later. Older program requirements can be downloaded as PDFs: pre-2006 MA Linguistics requirements and 2006-2010 MA Linguistics requirements.
You can contact us directly at ling.advisor@uta.edu for more information about admissions.