Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.
The Department of Linguistics guarantees funding of $25,500 plus the cost of tuition per annum for the first two years of the MA program and the first five years of the Ph.D. program to all students accepted to our graduate programs.
Please note that as a condition for receiving this funding you will be expected to apply for any scholarships you are eligible for, either UBC-internally or from your home country.
Funding packages are made up of scholarships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships depending on individual students, year of study, and the financial resources of the department.
All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their graduate education. The database lists merit-based scholarships and awards and allows for filtering by various criteria, such as domestic vs. international or degree level.
Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (GRA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is considered a form of fellowship for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement. Stipends vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.
Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the Teaching Assistants' Union .
Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis. Wages are considered regular earnings and when paid monthly, include vacation pay.
Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans .
All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.
Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.
The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.
International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 20 hours a week.
A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement .
Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.
Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.
Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.
Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.
31 students graduated between 2005 and 2013: 3 graduates are seeking employment; for 1 we have no data (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016). For the remaining 27 graduates:
Sample employers outside higher education, sample job titles outside higher education, phd career outcome survey, career options.
UBC’s Department of Linguistics alumni have a longstanding history of individual achievements and collective success. Since the first Department of Linguistics courses were offered at the University in 1967, our alumni have made a mark for themselves internationally and in a vast diversity of careers.
These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.
2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Applications | 53 | 66 | 84 | 61 | 92 |
Offers | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
New Registrations | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
Total Enrolment | 32 | 34 | 34 | 31 | 32 |
These videos contain some general advice from faculty across UBC on finding and reaching out to a supervisor. They are not program specific.
This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.
Year | Citation |
---|---|
2024 | Dr. Shamei demonstrated that humans employ posture within the vocal tract when speaking, and that the control of posture is similar across gross and fine motor skills. These findings help to unify our understanding of human motor control across different domains. |
2024 | Dr. Adebara's research on Afrocentric Natural Language Processing enables artificial intelligence technologies for 517 African languages and language varieties. This ensures that millions of African people have access to technologies in their Indigenous languages. |
2023 | Dr. Salles advanced the documentation of Pirahã, a vulnerable language spoken in the Amazon, and contributed to destigmatizing a non-standard dialect of Brazilian Portuguese. Her work also provided a fresh take on a long-standing puzzle in the field of linguistics, by proposing that nouns can be licensed by categories other than articles. |
2023 | Dr. Soo examined the perception, recognition and encoding of pronunciation variants in an ongoing Cantonese sound change. Borrowing psycholinguistic paradigms from dialect/language variation, her work offers a contemporary perceptual account of the sound change, showing that listeners distinguish and flexibly map multiple pronunciations to a word. |
2023 | Dr. Huijsmans investigated a set of small words with grammatical functions in ?ay?aju¸Ym (Comox-Sliammon; Central Salish). These encode information about utterance type, source of evidence, speaker certainty, and broader discourse context. This research contributes to documentation available to future language learners, teachers, and researchers. |
2023 | Dr. Angsongna's work explored the word structure and the sound system of Dagaare, a language spoken in northwestern Ghana. His research showed how words are formed and how they differ in the expression of grammatical meanings. This research contributes to the documentation of the language and to the development of linguistic theory. |
2023 | In languages, meaningful words and signs consist of meaningless units, or phonemes. Dr. Tkachman shows how phonemes could emerge from embodied motivations in language evolution. Her research brings together linguistics and cognitive science and demonstrates profound consequences of embodiment in communication and cognition. |
2022 | Dr. Lo studied how Mandarin-English bilinguals use vowel-initial pitch to distinguish certain speech sounds. He found that these bilinguals use pitch as a cue, but to different degrees, when pronouncing and listening to words in Mandarin versus English. This research informs both the flexibility of and limitations in how bilinguals process speech. |
2022 | Dr. Anghelescu examined the prosody of words in Nata, an endangered language of Tanzania. They proposed a novel analysis of tone and vowel harmony in the nominal domain. This research contributes to our understanding of prosodic phonology in both Nata and language more generally. |
2022 | Dr. Johnson developed a new bilingual speech data set and demonstrated a high degree of similarity in voice and sound categories for Cantonese and English. Her research offers insight into the nature of bilingual speech and furthers our understanding of how language interacts with the mind. |
Same specialization.
Specialization.
Linguistics covers the core areas of phonetics, phonology, semantics, and syntax with the possibility of specializing in First Nations languages, African languages, first language acquisition, and experimental linguistics as well as specialized interaction with other disciplines such as art, computer science, music, philosophy, and psychology in the cognitive systems stream.
Program website, faculty overview, academic unit, program identifier, classification, social media channels, supervisor search.
Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update contact details for application inquiries, please use this form .
I read a paper a few years prior that was co-authored by my current supervisor Dr. Molly Babel which helped me imagine the research question of my current PhD project. Upon doing more research on UBC, it became clear that UBC was an ideal choice for me. The graduate students were doing a broad...
UBC was the only school I found that readily provided the type of interdisciplinary support that I needed. Most computational linguistic programs usually focus on either computer science or linguistics and I wanted both. I have been able to develop both linguistic and computing skills on this...
The linguistics department at UBC is well respected and highly regarded, with faculty members working in various subfields. Also, the diverse programs hosted at UBC allow me to take courses from different departments and to easily do interdisciplinary research. Metro Vancouver also features a...
Here, you can choose from more than 300 graduate degree program options and 2000+ research supervisors. You can even design your own program.
Linguistics is a discipline that explores the structure of language, its role in human activity, and its relationship to the biological and psychological human organism. It is considered one of the humanities because it focuses on the relationship between human beings and language, but it is also an exact science because of its systematic explanation of the facts of language and its use of experimental methodology.
The Department of Linguistics offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of MA and PhD in linguistics. It is possible, through the selection of relevant courses, to specialize in a variety of areas of linguistic research. These include the following: theoretical linguistics (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics), first and second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics and sociolinguistics. Detailed information about the programs, for instance, the research areas of professors, course descriptions, and student advising arrangements is provided in the department's student handbook.
The Department participates in a collaborative program in Canadian Studies at the PhD level.
The programs are governed by the general regulations in effect for graduate studies.
For the most accurate and up to date information on application deadlines, language tests and other admission requirements, please visit the specific requirements webpage.
The MA in Linguistics (or the equivalent) is required for admission to the doctoral program.
Candidates must have an adequate knowledge of English. Most of the courses are offered in English. Under the regulations of the University of Ottawa, examinations and assignments may be written in French or in English.
Students enrolled in the Master of Arts in Linguistics at the University of Ottawa may, exceptionally, be allowed to transfer to the doctoral program without completing the master’s. To take advantage of this option, they must:
The transfer must take place within twelve months of initial enrollment in the master's; the student must enroll in the PhD program in the 4th term at the latest. Please note that the minimal admission average requirements for the doctoral program must also be met. Following the transfer, all the requirements of the doctoral program must be met. The total number of course units required is 30 (12 at the master’s and 18 at the doctoral level).
A total of six course (18 units) are required as follows:
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
Compulsory Courses: | ||
6 course units from: | 6 Units | |
Phonology II | ||
Syntax II | ||
Semantics II | ||
12 optional course units in linguistics (LIN) at the graduate level | 12 Units | |
6 additional course units in French as a second language (FLS) | ||
Seminar: | ||
Doctoral Seminar | ||
Comprehensive Examination: | ||
Ph.D. Qualifying Examination | ||
Thesis: | ||
Doctoral Thesis |
All students must take 12 optional course units, chosen in consultation with their advisory committees. All linguistics graduate courses fulfill this requirement, except those which are prerequisites to required doctoral courses ( LIN 5315 , LIN 5317 , LIN 5318 ).
All students must pass 6 course units in FLS (French as a second language), unless:
N.B. Research courses and seminar courses may be repeated if the content of the course is different.
The aim of this seminar is to provide doctoral students with the necessary methodological and professional tools for carrying out research in linguistics. This seminar must be taken in conjunction with their first comprehensive exam. Topics to be covered include: defining a research project; presentation of research results; poster preparation; techniques for writing academic papers, conference abstracts, and reviews; journal submission and review procedures; conference participation; research ethics. Compulsory for doctoral students. Graded S/NS.
All students must satisfy a comprehensive examination requirement. The requirement consists of two substantial research papers, each in a different field, selected in consultation with the student's advisory committee.
All students must spend a minimum of six terms in residence and present a supervised thesis incorporating the results of original research. Transfer students must complete a total of nine terms in residence (master's and doctorate combined).
The requirements listed above are necessary minimums, and the department may impose additional courses if this appears desirable in view of the candidate's previous preparation. Candidates will be informed of any such additional courses at the beginning of their studies.
The passing grade in all courses is C+. Students who fail two courses (equivalent to 6 units), the thesis proposal, or the comprehensive exam or whose research progress is deemed unsatisfactory are required to withdraw.
Students are expected to complete all requirements within four years. The maximum time permitted is six years from the date of initial enrollment in the program.
During the first term of the program, a thesis advisory committee (TAC) is formed for the candidate. The Committee's membership will be determined by the specific interests of the candidate. It will be composed of the supervisor and two to three additional professors. At least one member of the thesis committee, in addition to the supervisor, must be from the Faculty of Arts. The TAC is responsible for guiding the student throughout the program, including course selection, the comprehensive examination, thesis proposal, and thesis defense.
The thesis examining board may include members who are not part of the TAC.
Located in the heart of Canada’s capital, a few steps away from Parliament Hill, the University of Ottawa ranks among Canada’s top 10 research universities. Our research is founded on excellence, relevance and impact and is conducted in a spirit of equity, diversity and inclusion.
Our research community thrives in four strategic areas:
From advancing healthcare solutions to tackling global challenges like climate change, the University of Ottawa’s researchers are at the forefront of innovation, making significant contributions to society and beyond.
The Faculty of Arts is proud of the state of the art research conducted by its professors. In the spirit of showcasing its research to the university community as well as to the general public, the Faculty has created three activities: Dean's Lecture Series, Treasures of the Library, and Excellence Lectures.
For more information, refer to the list of faculty members and their research fields on Uniweb .
IMPORTANT: Candidates and students looking for professors to supervise their thesis or research project can also consult the website of the faculty or department of their program of choice. Uniweb does not list all professors authorized to supervise research projects at the University of Ottawa.
LIN 5302 Laboratory Techniques: Software, Signals and Stimuli (3 units)
Current laboratory techniques in empirical linguistics.
Course Component: Lecture
LIN 5303 Sociolinguistics I (3 units)
Survey of recent and classical literature on variationist sociolinguistics, and the development of skills to locate, extract and interpret variable phenomena in spontaneous speech.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 5304 Psycholinguistics (3 units)
Introduction to the psychological factors governing the acquisition and use of language.
LIN 5308 Bilingualism (3 units)
Variationist perspectives on the linguistic consequences of language contact in stable bilingual communities.
LIN 5310 Dialectology (3 units)
Seminar on methods in dialectology, with reference to modern languages.
LIN 5315 Phonology I (3 units)
Basic phonological concepts; current problems in phonological research; the goals of phonological theory; fundamentals of theoretical and experimental phonology.
LIN 5317 Syntax I (3 units)
Current aspects and goals of syntactic research. Development of contemporary syntactic concepts.
LIN 5318 Semantics I (3 units)
Introduction to formal semantics with emphasis on the composition of meaning; research goals in formal semantics and overview of some current research questions.
LIN 5323 Research in English Linguistics (3 units)
Current issues in English linguistics.
LIN 5324 Research in Sociolinguistics (3 units)
Current issues in sociolinguistic research.
LIN 5921 Recherche en linguistique française (3 crédits / 3 units)
Volet / Course Component: Séminaire / Seminar
LIN 5922 Recherche en linguistique franco-canadienne (3 crédits / 3 units)
LIN 5998 Travaux pratiques I / Guided Research I (3 crédits / 3 units)
Volet / Course Component: Recherche / Research
LIN 5998S Travaux pratiques III / Guided Research III (3 crédits / 3 units)
LIN 5999 Travaux pratiques II / Guided Research II (3 crédits / 3 units)
LIN 5999S Travaux pratiques III / Guided Research III (3 crédits / 3 units)
LIN 6301 Experimental Phonetics: Physiology (3 units)
Physiological aspects of speech production.
Course Component: Laboratory, Seminar
LIN 6302 Experimental Phonetics: Acoustics (3 units)
Fundamentals of speech acoustics.
Course Component: Discussion Group, Seminar
LIN 6315 Phonology II (3 units)
Current issues in formal and experimental phonology.
Prerequisite: LIN 5315
LIN 6317 Syntax II (3 units)
Current issues in syntax.
Prerequisite: LIN 5317
LIN 6318 Semantics II (3 units)
Advanced topics in formal semantics; overview of current debates and technical proposals.
Prerequisite: LIN 5318
LIN 6701 Phonétique expérimentale : La physiologie (3 crédits)
Aspects physiologiques de la production de la parole.
Volet : Séminaire
LIN 6702 Phonétique expérimentale : L'acoustique (3 crédits)
Bases de l'analyse acoustique de la parole.
Volet : Groupe de discussion, Séminaire
LIN 7301 Statistics for Linguistics Research (3 units)
Specialized statistical methods for linguistic analysis, including both descriptive and inferential statistics (e.g. frequency distribution, standard deviation, ANOVA, MANOVA, Regression, Correlation, and T-tests). Training in statistical software. Reading and writing of reports on statistics results. Practical training with linguistic data sets.
LIN 7310 Seminar I (3 units)
Topic to be announced.
LIN 7311 Seminar II (3 units)
LIN 7312 Seminar III (3 units)
LIN 7319 First Language Acquisition I (3 units)
First language acquisition, concentrating on theoretical, experimental and methodological issues.
LIN 7320 Second Language Acquisition I (3 units)
Second language acquisition, concentrating on theoretical, experimental and methodological issues.
LIN 7330 Topics in Theoretical Linguistics I (3 units)
LIN 7331 Topics in Theoretical Linguistics II (3 units)
LIN 7332 Seminar in Theoretical Linguistics I (3 units)
LIN 7333 Seminar in Theoretical Linguistics II (3 units)
LIN 7340 Second Language Acquisition II (3 units)
Current issues in second language acquisition.
LIN 7341 Psycholinguistics II (3 units)
Current issues in psycholinguistics.
LIN 7342 Sociolinguistics II (3 units)
Current issues in sociolinguistics.
LIN 7343 Neurolinguistics (3 units)
Fundamentals of neurolinguistics: concepts, methods and theories.
LIN 7701 Statistiques pour la recherche en linguistique (3 crédits)
Méthodes statistiques appliquées à la recherche en linguistique, incluant les méthodes appartenant à la statistique descriptive et à la statistique inférentielle (distributions, écarts-type, analyse de la variance, analyse de la variance multiple, régressions, corrélations et statistiques t). Apprentissage de l'utilisation de logiciels statistiques. Lecture et rédaction de rapports de résultats statistiques. Formation pratique dans l'étude et l'analyse des données linguistiques.
LIN 7710 Séminaire I (3 crédits)
Sujet à déterminer.
LIN 7711 Séminaire II (3 crédits)
LIN 7712 Séminaire III (3 crédits)
LIN 7913 Séminaire IV / Seminar IV (3 crédits / 3 units)
LIN 7921 Cours de pratique psycholinguistique / Practicum in Psycholinguistics (3 crédits / 3 units)
LIN 7997 Mémoire de maîtrise / M.A./ Research Paper
LIN 8398 Doctoral Seminar
Development of presentational and writing skills (abstracts, articles); the inner workings of the linguistic community (conferences, types of publications, the publication process); the academic job market (applications, interviews); the academic career; the non-academic job market and the transferability of academic skills.
Previously LIN 8998.
LIN 9998 Examen de candidature du doctorat / Ph.D. Qualifying Examination
For more information about undergraduate studies at the University of Ottawa, please refer to your faculty .
For more information about graduate studies at the University of Ottawa, please refer to your academic unit .
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The University of Manitoba campuses are located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Ininew, Anisininew, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the National Homeland of the Red River Métis. More
University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, R3T 2N2
The PhD in Linguistics program is strongly research-oriented. Students in the program will receive advanced training in research and application and pursue original research in a variety of linguistic subdisciplines, including core theoretical areas (e.g., phonology, morphology and syntax) and combined areas (e.g., historical linguistics, sociolinguistics and cognitive linguistics).
Admission requirements.
• Faculty of Arts • Faculty of Graduate Studies
• PhD in Linguistics
The Department of Linguistics offers programs of study leading to a PhD in Linguistics.
Expected duration: 4 years
The PhD program consists of a combination of coursework and a thesis component. Find sample theses and explore areas of specialization within the Linguistics Department's graduate student resources section.
Tuition and fees: Tuition fees are charged for terms one and two and terms four and five. A continuing fee is paid for term three, term six and each subsequent term. (Refer to Graduate tuition and fees .)
In addition to the minimum course requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, found in the Graduate Studies Regulations Section , students must:
Courses are to be chosen in consultation with the advisor and students are encouraged to complete them by the end of the first year of the program.
Visit our graduate student resources section for more information on finding a graduate advisor and the diversity of our research interests.
For full course descriptions, please visit the Academic Calendar .
The following are minimum requirements to be considered for entry into the program. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the program.
Admission decisions are based on the qualifications of the applicant as well as the ability of the Department of Linguistics and the University of Manitoba to serve the applicant’s intended program of study and area of specialization.
In addition to the admission requirements described here, all applicants must meet the minimum admission and English language proficiency requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies .
To be considered for admission to the PhD in Linguistics program, you must have a minimum of a master’s degree in linguistics or equivalent.
This program is strongly research-oriented; admission decisions are, therefore, based only in part on the applicant’s academic record; the department’s resources and interests also play an important role.
The PhD in Linguistics program accepts applications for Fall entry only. Applications must be completed online and include several parts:
Please read the Faculty of Graduate Studies online application instructions before beginning your application.
Applications open up to 18 months prior to start term.
Term | Annual application deadline |
---|---|
Fall (September) | January 15 |
Applicants must submit their online application with supporting documentation and application fee by the deadline date indicated.
Start or continue your application
Our department offers a range of theoretical perspectives and practices and specializes in both spoken and signed language linguistics. Plus, meet our faculty and staff.
Learn about tuition and fee requirements for graduate studies at UM.
Find the variety of awards and funding options available to help you pay for school at UM.
Explore program requirements and detailed descriptions for required and elective courses throughout the linguistics program.
Discover the wide-ranging opportunities in humanities, social sciences and interdisciplinary studies offered by the Faculty of Arts.
Discovery happens here. Join the graduate students and researchers who come here from every corner of the world. They are drawn to the University of Manitoba because it offers the opportunity to do transformational research.
With over 140 programs across multiple faculties, schools and colleges, the University of Manitoba offers more learning, teaching and research opportunities than any other post-secondary institution in the province.
Faculty of Graduate Studies Room 500 UMSU University Centre 65 Chancellors Circle University of Manitoba (Fort Garry campus) Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada
[email protected] Phone: 204-474-9377
Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts 534 Fletcher Argue 15 Chancellor's Circle University of Manitoba (Fort Garry campus) Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 5V5
[email protected] Phone: 204-474-9596 Fax: 204-474-7671
Visit the Department of Linguistics
Meet Linguistics faculty and staff
Regardless of where you are ultimately headed, as a PhD student in Linguistics you will start by acquiring a solid foundation in Formal Linguistics. This will provide you with the tools you need to explore language and linguistics from a wide range of intertwined perspectives.
You can get a sense of the kinds of topics you might work on by scrolling through our recent projects, theses, and dissertations . Our students tackle cutting-edge research questions in many different areas of theoretical linguistics, applied linguistics (language learning and teaching), and Indigenous language documentation and revitalization.
This timeline should serve as a guide to you in completing your PhD, designed to be a 4-5 year program.
Linguistics, program overview.
The Department of Linguistics offers Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs in three fields:
Originating in 1967, the department is part of an energetic academic community that includes numerous linguistic colleagues throughout the University of Toronto and in neighbouring universities.
Domestic | International | |
---|---|---|
Application deadline | MA, PhD: Fall 2024 Entry 05-Jan-2024 | MA, PhD: Fall 2024 Entry 05-Jan-2024 |
Minimum admission average | MA: B+ in final year of bachelor’s PhD:A-minus average in Master’s | MA: B+ in final year of bachelor’s PhD:A-minus average in Master’s |
Direct entry option from bachelor's to PhD? | PhD: Yes | PhD: Yes |
Is a supervisor identified before or after admission? | MA, PhD: After | MA, PhD: After |
If a supervisor is identified after admission (as per question above), is admission conditional upon securing a supervisor? | MA, PhD: No | MA, PhD: No |
Is a supervisor assigned by the graduate unit or secured by the applicant? | MA, PhD: Graduate unit | MA, PhD: Graduate unit |
Are any standardized tests required/recommended? | MA, PhD: No | MA, PhD: No |
Linguistics & languages.
Join our world-class Languages & Linguistics Department to continue your study of language structure, language processing and the neural basis of language in the Cognitive Science of Language PhD Program.
Our courses are so hands-on and application based that you end up developing a unique and valuable skillset, which ends up leading into a variety of career paths that would otherwise have been difficult to grow accustomed to.
Meliha Horzum '20
Honours Cognitive Science of Language
Based in the Department of Linguistics and Languages, the PhD program in Cognitive Science of Language is interdisciplinary and includes faculty from Humanities, Science, and Health Sciences. The program has a strong research orientation with expertise in cognitive science, corpus linguistics, neurolinguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and theoretical linguistics. The program introduces students to the issues in those fields that form the nexus of linguistics, cognitive science and cognitive neuroscience, and trains students in the research methods employed to study them.
A MSc in the Cognitive Science of Language or an equivalent Master’s degree is required for entrance into the PhD program. Some applicants may require additional courses in core areas (e.g. linguistics or cognitive science) in order to be eligible for admission. Each application will be evaluated on an individual basis.
In order to ensure language diversity and breadth, the Department has a second-language requirement for the PhD degree, in addition to the general Graduate School requirement of English proficiency. Candidates should have, as a minimum, intermediate knowledge of a language other than English, defined as having passed the equivalent of two (2) full year courses. Candidates admitted without this requirement will be expected to pass the equivalent of two (2) full year courses or to pass a Qualifying Exam. The Department will evaluate each student’s language preparation at the Admission stage.
The official electronic transcripts should be sent from the issuing institution directly to our department’s email: [email protected]
The online application portal for our graduate program in Cognitive Science of Language unlocks November 1st each year for September admission only.
THOSE WHO SUBMIT THEIR COMPLETED APPLICATIONS (BOTH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL) BY THE JANUARY 31ST DEADLINE WILL HAVE FIRST CONSIDERATION.
Students entering with a MSc in the Cognitive Science of Language are required to complete three half courses plus one pass/fail module. If the following courses were not completed in the MSc program, they must be included in the PhD program of study:
Students entering with a Master’s degree but not an MSc in the Cognitive Science of Language are required to complete seven half courses plus one pass/fail lecture series module as listed below. The Lecture series must be completed in year one of the program.
Required courses:
The Comprehensive Examination is intended to ensure that the student develops competence in a subfield of Cognitive Science of Language beyond the focus of the thesis. In consultation with the supervisory committee, the student will identify a topic for the Comprehensive that is distinct from the thesis topic.
In most cases, the Director of the Comprehensive will not be the thesis supervisor. The student and the Comprehensive Director agree in writing on the nature of the deliverable for the Comprehensive and on interim and final deadlines. At a minimum, the Comprehensive consists of a written paper and oral examination of the topic of the paper. The paper may consist of a literature review, proposal for a research project, report of a research project or report of a teaching project. The scope of the project should be such that it can reasonably be completed within one semester. The paper will usually be 20-30 pages long.
The Comprehensive Director identifies at least one other faculty member; together, the Director and these other faculty members constitute the Comprehensive Exam Committee. (Comprehensive Directors are encouraged to recruit Comprehensive Examiners from beyond the Department of Linguistics & Languages.) The Comprehensive Director advises the student on the preparation of the paper. The Comprehensive Exam Committee determines whether the paper is ready for an oral defense, and conducts the oral examination. The oral examination consists of a brief presentation by the student regarding the content of the paper followed by questions from the Committee. The Comprehensive Exam must be successfully completed within 20 months of entering the PhD program.
All students are expected to attend the talks in the Cognitive Science of Language Lecture Series, where scholars from around the world in the fields of Linguistics, Psychology, and Cognitive Neuroscience discuss their research.
Visit Graduate Studies to learn more about tuition, supplementary fees and everything you need to know about being paid as a Teaching or Research Assistant. Tuition fees are assessed on a term by term basis, depending on the number of courses a student takes or if they are paying by term.
The McMaster Graduate Scholarship (MGS) is the most common form of scholarship support available to graduate students in our program. The MGS ensures that students receive a guaranteed minimum level of scholarship support. Adjustments to the MGS will depend on other available scholarships.
The Faculty of Humanities Adjustments guidelines policy is available for review.
REVIEW THE POLICY
Apply to an PhD Program in Linguistics & Languages
Research your passion in Linguistics & Languages with supervision from our world-class faculty.
Supplemental information.
Graduate Courses in Linguistics and Languages
Course outlines 2023-2024
Winter 2024
Course outlines 2022-2023
Winter 2023
Domestic MSc students usually receive a funding package consisting of a teaching assistantship and scholarship. The total value of the funding package ranges from $16,000 to $19,000 per year.
Currently all domestic PhD students receive a funding package of $23,500 per year, usually including a teaching assistantship of 260 hours plus a scholarship.
McMaster Graduate Studies Scholarship Information
The School of Graduate Studies provides funding to our graduate students so they can devote their time and energy to the successful completion of their studies.
External Graduate Scholarships
All eligible students are also strongly encouraged to apply for external scholarships such as the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and Canada Graduate Scholarships.
Ontario Graduate Scholarship
Note that applications must be submitted directly to the institution(s) where you plan to pursue graduate studies. The deadline is normally in the fall, before the application deadline for graduate school.
Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master’s Program
Graduate Scholarship – As with OGS, applications for the Canada Graduate Scholarship must be submitted through an eligible institution. The deadline is usually December 1, before the application deadline for graduate school.
All applicants and current students will be considered for funding support from McMaster, including TAships.
Department life.
The Department of Linguistics & Languages welcomes scholars from around the world to participate in the Cognitive Science of Language Lecture Series. The lecture series is a forum where all are welcome to attend talks by established researchers on recent innovations and current trends in Language and Cognition.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Research-focused and student-centered. Humanities researchers promote interdisciplinary approaches to local and global leadership. Learn more about our researchers by searching by name or keyword.
The PhD in Linguistics program is reserved for those interested in advanced training in fieldwork and research while developing expertise in an area of their choice.
Our department covers a broad range of research topics, with substantial coverage of syntax, semantics, morphology, phonetics, and pragmatics. We approach these topics from several different research traditions and backgrounds, with particular strengths in formal-theoretical linguistics, experimental and field linguistics, acquisition, and computational approaches to the study of communicative behaviour.
Students in the PhD Linguistics program must complete a minimum of 30 credits of coursework under the following requirements:
First-year graduate students who do not have sufficient background for the first-year graduate courses are expected to take the appropriate undergraduate courses prior to registration in the graduate course.
Here are three sample course sequences that students usually take:
Sequence 1:
Term 1: Breadth: LING 510, LING 520; Depth: LING 503
Term 2: Breadth: LING 508, LING 525; Depth: LING 511
Term 3: Depth: LING 513; Methods: LING 518, LING 531
Term 4: Depth: LING 530; Depth/Methods: LING 532
Sequence 2:
Term 1: Breadth: LING 510, LING 520; Depth: LING 530
Term 2: Breadth: LING 525; Depth: LING 505A, LING 521
Term 3: Depth LING 527; Methods: LING 518, LING 531
Term 4: Depth/Methods LING 532
Sequence 3:
Term 1: Breadth: LING 510; Depth: LING 503; Methods: 3 credits in statistics
Term 3: Depth LING 513; Methods: LING 518, LING 531
Term 4: Depth LING 530; LING 530
Language requirement
In order to graduate, students must have a sound knowledge of one language other than English. They must fulfill this language requirement by the time of their thesis prospectus submission.
The language to fulfill this requirement is expected to be chosen on the basis of its relevance for the student’s research program, in consultation and by approval of the student’s supervisory committee. Relevance can be determined by a variety of factors such as the following:
Students may fulfill the language requirements in various ways:
Qualifying papers
Each PhD student is required to submit two Qualifying Papers, in areas to be established in consultation with and subject to approval by the supervisory committee. Balancing a student’s research interests with attention to research breadth should be a major goal in choosing topics. Each Qualifying Paper is an independently written research paper, developed under the guidance of a faculty member or members, presented orally to the Department, and passed before a faculty committee.
The paper must make a substantive original contribution to current work in the area and exhibit clarity in form of presentation. The desired scale is that of a paper in a conference proceedings, with content considered to be at the level of a one-term second year graduate seminar paper.
As part of the Qualifying Paper process, and before beginning work on the paper, a student must have a short proposal for each paper approved by the supervisory committee. The proposal must establish the specific area and problem(s) to be addressed and cite a few key references from the literature which will be surveyed. The committee will normally respond to the proposal within 2 weeks of its submission. The Qualifying Paper proposal should follow the formatting guidelines of an abstract for the Annual Conference of the Canadian Linguistic Association, with the following addition: without exceeding the one-page length limit, the proposal should include a short budget (if there will be costs associated with completing the Qualifying Paper), budget justification and funding source (faculty member’s grant, outside grant, private funds, etc.). Also note that the content for a proposal will normally be more speculative than a conference abstract. Once approved, the Qualifying Paper proposal should be electronically filed with the Grad Admin and circulated electronically to the Department.
The final paper will be submitted to UBC Working Papers in Linguistics and must follow the UBCWPL style guidelines for length and formatting.
Continuous enrolment
Until their MA thesis prospectus has been approved, all MA students are expected to maintain a regular, active, physical presence in the Department. This can include participation in lab/project/reading groups, attending colloquia, research seminars or other ad hoc departmental events, meetings with their supervisor, committee members or other researchers in relevant areas. Certain circumstances may necessitate a student’s absence during some of this period (e.g. for field work); such absences should be discussed with the supervisory committee.
At all stages of the program, a student and their supervisor should be in regular contact and communication. At the thesis/dissertation stage, such contact should happen at least once a month (again, barring extenuating circumstances), either through in-person meetings, videoconferencing, or communication/reporting over email.
Supervision
A Research Supervisor is appointed for a student before the beginning of their first year in the program. The Graduate Advisor and the Research Supervisor, in consultation with the incoming student, will establish a three-member Temporary Supervisory Committee no later than the end of the first week of the first term.
Prior to registration for the second year, the Temporary Supervisory Committee shall be dissolved and a new Supervisory Committee shall be established. A MA Supervisory Committee consists minimally of the Research Supervisor and two additional members. Normally the members of the supervisory committee are from the Department of Linguistics; if the students committee includes members from outside the Department of Linguistics, a majority must be departmental members. Establishing a Research Supervisor is the joint responsibility of the student and the Graduate Advisor.
Both new and continuing MA students will have a meeting with their Supervisory Committee during the last week of August or in early September. At this meeting students can discuss their course work and other aspects of their program. Incoming students are requested to bring with them copies of the calendars of course offerings from the institutions they previously attended (other than UBC). At the end of April or the beginning of May, all students will meet with their Supervisory Committee to discuss the year’s progress and to plan further work. Any changes in a graduate student’s program must be approved by the Supervisory Committee.
The Graduate Advisor, in advising students, makes every effort to ensure that they have satisfied all the requirements for the degree — language requirements, course work, etc. However, it is ultimately every student’s responsibility to ensure that at the time he/she applies for the degree he/she has met all the requirements. Separate records of a student’s program and progress are kept by the Faculty of Graduate Studies; these records are obtained from information provided by the Graduate Advisor and are used to determine a student’s ultimate eligibility for graduation.
Annual evaluation
The Faculty will meet in April or May each year to discuss the progress of each student in the PhD program. The student’s supervisor will inform them of the results of the evaluation. If a student is not making satisfactory progress, they will either be required to withdraw from the program immediately or will be placed on probation and told what conditions must be fulfilled to obtain a satisfactory standing. If a student on probation has not fulfilled these conditions by the end of the following semester, they will then normally be required to withdraw from the program.
Dissertation
The dissertation marks the culmination of the PhD program. A dissertation should be an original and independent research project which makes some contribution to knowledge in the special area elected by the student.The dissertation marks the culmination of the PhD program. A dissertation should be an original and independent research project which makes some contribution to knowledge in the special area elected by the student.
By the end of a student’s third year, the student must submit to the Graduate Advisor a dissertation prospectus, along with the appropriate approval form signed by the members of the dissertation committee, and circulate the prospectus electronically to the Department. The content of a dissertation prospectus should be along the lines of an NSERC Discovery Grant or a SSHRC Insight Grant; it should have the following components:
Dissertations should be prepared in accordance with the thesis formatting regulations required by Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Dissertations which do not meet the standards specified may be rejected. Documentation should follow the style guide of the Canadian Journal of Linguistics, Language, or the American Psychological Association.
The completed dissertation will be read by a specialist from outside the University, arranged by the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at least three months before the candidate expects to take the final oral examination. The student’s research supervisor and the Graduate Advisor will forward a list of names of specialists who might serve as External Examiner using the Doctoral Dissertation Form. When the dissertation has been approved for submission to the External Examiner, the candidate will take the final oral defence. This is a formal, public examination, chaired by an appointee of the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, and attended by the members of the examining committee and other interested persons.
Students nearing the final stages of thesis writing should familiarize themselves with the timeline to the oral dissertation defense . During the weeks prior to the oral examination, students are strongly encouraged to give a practice oral presentation, ideally during a departmental research seminar slot. Practice orals should follow the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies format, allowing 30 minutes for a presentation, and a longer period for questions. While examining committee members are not prohibited from attending, practice orals should not be viewed as an opportunity to prepare students for specific questions that students will be asked by committee members at the official defence.
The candidate submits an electronic copy of the final dissertation to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. The electronic copy will be deposited in the cIRcle on-line repository, and linked from the department website. The final oral exam may be held at any time of the year (except from mid-December to mid-January) provided that the examining committee can be assembled.
1.1 PhD requirements and timeline
1.2.1 the evaluation paper.
1.2.2 The Evaluation process
1.1 phd requirements and timeline [1].
The official up-to-date requirements of the PhD program are posted on McGill’s website under Programs, Courses and University Regulations (They can be found at https://www.mcgill.ca/study/2022-2023/faculties/arts/graduate/programs/d... ).
The program has recently been revised and all students entering as of Fall 2022 will follow the requirements of the new program. Students who entered the program in the fall 2021 or earlier can still follow the old guidelines, which are still available here . Note that the course load has not changed, the differences between the old and new program lie in which particular courses have to be taken.
Overall, the Ph.D. program requires taking of 10 regular courses (30 credits) in addition to the graduate seminars (Ling 601 and Ling 602, 3 credits each), and the two courses associated with the Evaluation paper (Ling 706 and Ling 707, 0 credits), but students are welcome to take more courses if they want.
Required Courses (6 Credits)
|
|
|
LING 601* | Graduate Seminar 1 (3 credits) | Fall Year 2 |
LING 602* | Graduate Seminar 2 (3 credits) | Winter Year 2 |
LING 706** | Evaluation 1 (0 credits) | Winter Year 2 |
LING 707** | Evaluation 2 (0 credits) | Fall Year 3 |
* Graduate Seminar 1 & 2 offer an opportunity to present on on-going research on the Eval 1 project, and also involve units with relevant professional training.
** LING 706 and LING 707 must be completed before proceeding to thesis research.
Complementary courses (30 credits)
9-12 credits from the following:
LING 630 | Phonetics 3 (3 credits) | Fall Year 1 |
LING 631 | Phonology 3 (3 credits) | Fall Year 1 |
LING 660 | Semantics 3 (3 credits) | Fall Year 1 |
LING 671 | Syntax 3 (3 credits) | Fall Year 1 |
The program therefore requires everyone to to take at least three out of the four 3-level courses. One of these may be offered in the Winter.
18-21 credits to be chosen from among 500-level or above departmental course offerings in consultation with the supervisor(s) and the graduate program director. Courses in other departments may be approved by the graduate program director.
Note that the seminar-style classes can be retaken under a different course number for additional credit, since their content varies from year to year (Ling 735, Ling 765, Ling 775, respectively).
Language Acquisition Program (LAP) option
PhD students in the interdisciplinary PhD Language Acquisition Program option must meet the above requirements (and some additional ones). For information, see http://mcgill.ca/linguistics/graduate/lap and McGill’s website for Programs, Courses and University Regulations.
Evaluation Papers
Before proceedings to thesis research, each student has to complete the PhD Evaluation, which constitute the equivalent of the comprehensive exam in this program. The PhD Evaluation consists of completing and defending two research papers — Evaluation 1 (LING 706) and Evaluation 2 (LING 707) — each focusing on a different sub-field, chosen from the following areas: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, acquisition, computational linguistics, dialectology, neurolinguistics, processing, sociolinguistics. For each Evaluation, candidates will prepare a paper, which presents original research, suitable for presentation at a conference and/or for publication (s ee section 1.2 Evaluation guidelines) . Successful completion of Evaluations 1 and 2 is a prerequisite to further supervised research for the doctoral dissertation. The requirement that each Evaluation paper focus on a different sub-field is motivated by the need to give students sufficient breadth in their education. If there are concerns about whether the topic of Evaluation paper 1 overlaps too much with the topic of Evaluation 2, the issue should be addressed with the student’s supervisor. In cases of doubt, the case may be discussed among the faculty at a Department Meeting.
Timeline and deadlines
In Year 1, students take at least three 3-credit linguistics courses in the Fall and the Winter term, for a minimum course load of 18 credits for Year 1. Course registration for Year 1 is decided before the Fall term and must be approved by the Graduate Program Director. Any deviations from the expected Year 1 course load and/or course selection, as well as any later changes in course registration for the Winter term, require approval by the Graduate Program Director. Course selection in subsequent years must likewise be approved by the Graduate Program Director.
Year 1 | May 15: | Constitution of committee for Evaluation 1 |
Year 2 | April 15: | Submission of Evaluation 1 |
May 15: | Constitution of committee for Evaluation 2 | |
Year 3 | Dec 15 | Submission of Evaluation 2 (Unless Evaluation 1 was submitted for publication to a journal by the end of Year 2 (by August 31), |
Two months after completion of Evaluation 2 | Constitution of dissertation committee | |
Five months after completion of Evaluation 2 | Submission of dissertation proposal | |
Year 4 | Thesis research and writing | |
Year 5 | Thesis research and writing The final draft of dissertations is to be officially deposited by the end of August should be finished by the end of April. We strongly encourage candidates to complete the PhD within 4 or 5 years. Absolute deadline: PhD theses must be deposited no later than the end of PhD7.[ ] |
Deadlines for Evaluation Papers
The defense draft of the first evaluation paper has to be submitted on April 15 of the second year; the defense draft of the second evaluation paper has to be submitted on December 15 of the third year. However, a student can defer the deadline of the second evaluation paper to April 15 of the third year if they submit their first evaluation paper for publication to a journal before August 31 of the second year.
An Evaluation paper is intended to be a product of independent research and analysis. It deals with a topic of significant scholarly interest as determined by the standards in the subdiscipline. It develops an analysis of this topic that centers upon a plausible hypothesis and offers substantial evidence for this hypothesis. It defends the proposed analysis against other potential or already existing ones on conceptual and/or empirical grounds. Of course, while these skills also figure in the writing of term papers, the emphasis here is on the depth and breadth of scholarship and strength of argument and evidence. Thus, for example, an Evaluation paper will be deemed unacceptable if it consists of an analysis already proposed in the literature, even if it has arrived at this analysis independently, or if it does not demonstrate sufficient facility with the range of evidence normally employed in the treatment of some linguistic phenomenon, or if it deals solely with collection and organization of data. The paper should be suitable for publication, allowing for normal revisions.
Length and format
The length of an Evaluation paper should be similar to that of a typical journal article in the relevant subdiscipline. Length is therefore expected to vary in accordance with the subject matter. A useful guideline is an upper limit of 10,000 words, excluding references and appendices. The font size must not be smaller than 12 point. The paper should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and include a list of the references cited in the text. An abstract should be included.
Content of the paper
Knowledge of the literature:
In general, the student must show knowledge of the relevant theory and data. In particular, he or she must demonstrate knowledge of past and present work, empirical and theoretical, pertaining to the topic of the paper. All theoretical claims made in the Evaluation paper must be accurate and up-to-date.
Argumentation:
The essence of empirical theoretical studies is to investigate the truth or falsity of hypotheses with respect to a range of data, formulated in terms of a pertinent theory. Hence, the paper must delineate the hypothesis, theoretical assumptions, and empirical facts. Each of these aspects of the paper must be clearly and accurately presented. More specifically, the theory underlying the assumptions and guiding the hypothesis should be current and accurate. The data should be well organized. It is also important to make the link between the theory and hypothesis, on the one hand, and the data, on the other. Specifically, it must be shown how the data support the hypothesis.
Evidence:
Linguistics is an empirical discipline. The student must therefore demonstrate an ability to marshal data relevant to his or her analysis, ensuring both the (reasonable) accuracy of these data (the appropriate means for doing so varying from paper to paper, and thus best determined in consultation with the student’s committee), and a close relationship between the data and associated theoretical statements. This does not exclude the possibility that the primary focus of a paper might be the elaboration of theory. All research involving human subjects also requires prior approval by McGill’s Research Ethics Board. See Appendix B Guidelines for ethical conduct of research in Linguistics.
Contribution of the student:
The paper must make an original contribution. This may be done in a variety of ways, including the presentation of new data and an appropriate analysis of these data, or a proposed modification of current theory with the evidence and arguments that justify the modification. The student must explicitly indicate what (s)he considers to be original and be prepared to defend the claim to originality at the defense.
Intelligibility of the paper:
Since the paper is part of an examination process, it must be intelligible to all members of the Evaluation committee. In addition, because the paper is expected to be of publishable quality, it must be written so that it is readily intelligible to potential peer reviewers.
Organization and style of presentation:
The paper must be neat, readable, and well-organized. Formatting requirements of articles in the relevant professional journals should be adopted. Students should follow a recognized style sheet in preparing their paper.
There are three stages in the successful completion of an Evaluation paper: (a) selection and approval of a topic; (b) research and writing of the Evaluation paper; (c) the committee’s approval of the paper.
Selection and approval of topic
After the committee is formed (see below), the committee must meet with the student and establish a timeline for the submission of a topic. The topic must be developed in a timely manner. Evaluation research cannot proceed until the topic has been approved. Committee members indicate their approval of the topic by signing a proposal submitted by the student. This proposal must be filed with the Graduate Program Director and becomes part of the student’s official record.
Research and writing of the Evaluation paper
The Evaluation committee must provide active supervision. The student is therefore expected to consult with members of the committee during the research and writing of the paper. All members of the committee are expected to read and comment on drafts of the paper. Students must allow for a reasonable period of time to receive comments on a draft before the deadline for submitting the final version of the paper. The final version must be submitted to the committee by the established deadline (see section 1.1. ).
Defence of the Evaluation paper No later than two weeks after the submission of the Evaluation paper, the committee must meet formally with the student to decide on the acceptability of the paper. The student will be expected to answer questions about the content of the paper (i.e. at a closed defense). The committee may decide:
(a) To pass the paper.
(b) To award the paper a conditional pass, specifying the revisions that have to be made. In this case, the supervisor is responsible for overseeing the revisions. Students will be given up to 4 weeks after the date of the defense to complete and submit these revisions.
(c) To fail the paper.
If the paper is failed, the student is judged to have failed the Evaluation.
The chair of the Evaluation committee will write a letter to the student (with a copy to the Graduate Program Director and Student Affairs Coordinator), recording the outcome of the Evaluation process. The letter will evaluate the quality of the paper and the oral defense and will make suggestions for future research. This letter becomes part of the student’s official record.
Public presentation
After an Evaluation paper has been passed by the Evaluation committee, the Graduate Program Director arranges for the presentation of the paper to the Department. After the presentation, a passing grade for the Evaluation will be recorded on the student’s transcript.
Consequences of missing a deadline
Failure to meet an Evaluation paper submission deadline may result in a failure for the Evaluation. A student who misses an Evaluation paper submission deadline may petition the Department (in a letter to the Graduate Program Director) to be given additional time to complete the paper. If permission is granted, the Department will set a new deadline. Failure to petition before the deadline or denial of petition results in a failure for the Evaluation.
Consequences of failure
A student who fails an Evaluation will be given another opportunity to complete it. The student has four months to submit a new or substantially revised Evaluation paper. A student is permitted no more than one failure in the two Evaluation processes.
The writing and examination of the doctoral thesis is governed by the guidelines laid out by Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Please see the guidelines for information on the requirements of a thesis, its preparation and details around the doctoral defence.
Content of the Thesis
A quote from the program guidelines :
"A thesis for the doctoral degree must constitute original scholarship and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge. It must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate ability to plan and carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner. The research presented must meet current standards of the discipline; as well, the thesis must clearly demonstrate how the research advances knowledge in the field. Finally, the thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain."
Selection of Committee and Dissertation Proposal
The thesis committee should be formed within two months after completion of Evaluation 2 (see section 1.1. for deadlines and section 1.4 for the composition of the committee). The thesis proposal is due 5 months after completion of Evaluation 2 (see section 1.1. for deadlines). The committee and student should agree together on the format and length of the proposal and the proposal should be made in close consultation with the committee. Committee members indicate their approval by signing the proposal or by email. This proposal must be sent to the the Graduate Program Director including the committee in the email and uploaded to myProgress where it becomes part of the student’s official record.
Stage 1: Designated academic adviser
On arrival, each PhD student is assigned to a designated academic adviser (first year adviser). Assignments will be determined weighing areas of expertise, workload and other factors such as sabbatical schedules. There is no commitment on the part of the student or the adviser for this relationship to continue into or beyond the PhD Evaluation stage.
The designated adviser is responsible for:
The designated adviser should also remind PhD students in the second term of Year 1 about the need to find a topic for their first Evaluation.
Stage 2: Evaluation committees
An Evaluation committee shall consist of two or three members. Each committee must contain two specialists. (Where there is only one person working in a particular specialization, the second specialist should be someone with sufficient working knowledge of some aspect of the proposed research to be able to assist in the direction of the content.) One of the specialists may function as the designated supervisor, or two specialists may function as co-supervisors. The department encourages co-supervision. One of the committee members, normally the supervisor or one of the co-supervisors, shall function as the chair. In exceptional circumstances, there can be one committee member that is not currently tenure-stream faculty in the Department of Linguistics. Requests to add such a member will be discussed and approved by the department on a case-by-case basis.
The students must consult with the Graduate Program Director to constitute Evaluation committees by the established deadlines (see section 1.1. ). Prospective committee members must be consulted and must agree to serve. In order to determine the most appropriate committee membership, students are strongly encouraged to draft a brief preliminary proposal and to discuss it with potential supervisors/committee members.
Once the committee has been established, students must fill out the Evaluation Paper Committee Form (available under Forms at https://www.mcgill.ca/linguistics/graduate ). Changes to committees must be approved by the Graduate Program Director.
The Evaluation committee must approve the research topic. The committee provides active supervision during the research and writing process. The student and committee members must therefore meet regularly. All members of the committee are expected to read and comment on drafts of the paper. The role of the specialists is to evaluate the integrity of the paper with respect to the content of the proposal and the accepted standards in the field. The committee must also ensure that the student can present the issues to a non-specialist linguistic audience and understand the broader implications of the work. However, it is not required that these latter goals be met in the written version.
The student and the committee must meet occasionally to evaluate the student’s progress and to resolve any differences of opinion between the student and the committee, should they arise. It is the responsibility of the designated supervisor to ensure that any concerns of the committee are considered and addressed by the student in the final version
The committee must meet formally to decide on the acceptability of the written version of the paper. (See section 1.2 Evaluation guidelines.)
At each stage of deliberation, the decision of the committee is by consensus. If the committee is unable to reach a consensus, the Graduate Program Director or the Chair will be invited to intervene and make a decision in the best interests of the student and the Department.
There is no commitment on the part of the student or members of either committee for their relationship to continue beyond the Evaluation stage.
Stage 3: Dissertation committee
A dissertation committee shall consist of at least three members, including at least two specialists. (In the case where there is only one person working in a particular specialization, the second specialist should be someone with sufficient working knowledge of some aspect of the proposed research to be able to assist in the direction of the content.) One of the specialists functions as the designated supervisor or two specialists function as co-supervisors. As with the evaluation papers, the department encourages co-supervision of theses. In exceptional circumstances, there can be one committee member that is not currently tenure-stream faculty in the Department of Linguistics. Requests to add such a member will be discussed and approved by the department on a case-by-case basis. One of the committee members, normally the supervisor or one of the co-supervisors, shall function as the chair.
The dissertation committee is constituted by the student in consultation with the Graduate Program Director. Prospective committee members must be consulted by the student and must agree to serve. In order to determine the most appropriate committee membership, students are strongly encouraged to draft a brief preliminary proposal and to discuss it with potential supervisors/committee members. Once the committee has been established, students must fill out the Doctoral Thesis Committee Form (available under Forms at https://www.mcgill.ca/linguistics/graduate ). The committee must meet with the student and establish a timeline for the submission of thesis proposal (see section 1.3 for more details about the thesis proposal).
The committee provides active supervision during the research and writing phases. The student must therefore consult regularly with all members. All members of the committee are expected to read and comment on drafts of the dissertation. The role of the specialists is to evaluate the integrity of the dissertation with respect to the content of the proposal and the accepted standards in the field.
The committee must meet occasionally to evaluate the student’s progress and to try to resolve any differences of opinion. It is the responsibility of the designated supervisor to ensure that any concerns of the committee are considered and addressed by the student.
Before the thesis is submitted for evaluation by the examiners and the oral defence committee, the thesis committee must meet with the student to approve the draft for submission. Within one month of receiving the final draft from the student, the thesis committee would normally meet to provide feedback, or provide comments in written form and be available to discuss with the student. If the committee does not approve the draft, within two weeks of the meeting it must specify in writing what changes are required before submission.
(Students hoping to officially deposit the thesis before the end of August should be prepared to submit the final draft to their committee by the end of April, in order to allow enough time for the committee to meet and for any revisions to be made.) At each stage of deliberation, the decision of the committee is by consensus. If the committee is unable to reach a consensus, the Graduate Program Director or the Chair will be invited to intervene and make a decision in the best interests of the student and the Department.
Comments on students’ work
Supervisors and committee members must provide students with comments on their work in a timely manner. In the case of Evaluation or thesis proposals, students may ordinarily expect feedback within 1-2 weeks of submission. In the case of Evaluation papers or thesis chapters, comments should normally be provided within 2-3 weeks of submission.
Department of linguistics.
Why linguistics @ memorial.
The Department of Linguistics maintains strong links between teaching and research, with emphasis on data-driven, theoretically informed inquiry into aboriginal languages, language variation and change, and language acquisition. Our graduate programs provide a strong foundation in core theoretical areas (phonology, syntax, morphology, etc.) and build from there. Research expertise and supervision are offered in first and second language acquisition, speech disorders as well as acoustic and articulatory phonetics, from both theoretical and experimental perspectives.
Languages of specialization include aboriginal languages of eastern Canada (Algonquian, Inuktitut, Iroquoian), as well as local varieties of English and French and their British/European origins. The department is home to several unique research projects, which students are encouraged to consider joining. The Chisasibi Child Language Acquisition Study (CCLAS), focuses on how Cree is acquired as a first language. Allophony in Newfoundland English, a project focusing on speech perception and production across varieties of Newfoundland English, studies the local effects of urbanization and rapid social change. MUSL ( Memorial University Sociolinguistics Laboratory ) provides information about current research projects on language variation and the relationships between language and society. Three dedicated laboratories (MUSL, the Aboriginal Languages Research Laboratory and the Speech Sciences and Language Acquisition Laboratory provides space and resources needed to conduct cutting-edge research in the areas in which we offer expertise.
Languages taught within the Linguistics Department, and on which the department particularly encourages graduate research, include Algonquian (Montagnais/Naskapi, Cree), Inuktitut and Iroquoian (Cayuga). Memorial also offers a full range of courses in English, French, German, Russian and Spanish. Courses in Irish and Japanese are offered within the Linguistics Department.
Researcher (private or public entities), professor/teacher, project manager, editor, publisher, translator, linguistic consultant (software/technology development firms; branding and marketing), diplomat, social/civic servant, entrepreneur
Note: All figures are in Canadian dollars and subject to change. Fees are approved by the University’s Board of Regents. In the event of a discrepancy between the fees approved by the Board and those published on this website, the fees approved by the Board will prevail. Financial policies are enforced through the Department of Financial and Administrative Services. For the complete and official list of all fees and charges, visit www.mun.ca/finance/fees/ .
Degrees offered:.
Graduate diploma, MA, PhD
course, thesis
Graduate diploma: 1 year MA: 2 years PhD: 4 years
January 31 for Fall admission
MA: $8,000 PhD: $12,000
More funding information
Graduate diploma: $420/semester MA: $635-$953/semester PhD: $888/semester
Graduate diploma: $546/semester MA: $826-$1,239/semester PhD: $1,154/semester
Graduate diploma: $710/semester MA: $1,074-$1,611/semester PhD: $1,499/semester
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There are 26 study programs available at 16 schools and universities in the world , according to Erudera.
Erudera aims to have the largest and most updated database of study programs available in the world , and new study programs are being added weekly. You can use the filters to narrow down your search or sort your results based on popularity and top rankings to find more specific study programs. Once you filter your results, you can save your chosen programs to a personal list so you can do more research or contact the universities later.
Here are the best Canada universities for Linguistics :
York University
University of Toronto
University of Moncton
University of Manitoba
Simon Fraser University
University of Ottawa
Laval University
University of Quebec in Montreal
McGill University
University of Alberta
Carleton University
University of British Columbia
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Linguistics didactics of languages.
University of Calgary
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COMMENTS
Students in the PhD Linguistics program must complete coursework under the following requirements: Breadth requirement (9 credits): A minimum of nine credits from the following courses or equivalents: LING 508: Phonetic Theory and Analysis (3 credits) LING 510: Phonological Theory and Analysis (3 credits) LING 520: Syntactic Theory and Analysis ...
Program overview. The School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures offers a rigorous doctoral program in theoretical linguistics, drawing on work in syntax, phonology, phonetics, morphology and more to train authoritative scholars with a comprehensive understanding of the discipline. Our program also has a long tradition of field ...
The Department of Linguistics guarantees funding of $25,500 plus the cost of tuition per annum for the first two years of the MA program and the first five years of the Ph.D. program to all students accepted to our graduate programs.
Program Description. The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Linguistics offered by the Department of Linguistics in the Faculty of Arts is a research-intensive program that emphasizes specialized and well-researched learning opportunities. The program's objective is to equip students with skills in self-direction, visionary thinking, and ...
Find the best PhD programmes in the field of Linguistics from top universities in Canada. Check all 21 programmes.
PhD Program. The PhD program in our Department requires the completion of 18 credits (6 courses) of coursework, selected by students in conjunction with their Supervisor, plus two additional courses (Ling 693-Generals Papers I, and Ling 694-Generals Papers II). Coursework is followed by writing a dissertation prospectus, and an oral doctoral ...
The Department of Linguistics offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of MA and PhD in linguistics. It is possible, through the selection of relevant courses, to specialize in a variety of areas of linguistic research. ... Located in the heart of Canada's capital, a few steps away from Parliament Hill, the University of Ottawa ranks ...
The PhD in Linguistics program is strongly research-oriented. Students in the program will receive advanced training in research and application and pursue original research in a variety of linguistic subdisciplines, including core theoretical areas (e.g., phonology, morphology and syntax) and combined areas (e.g., historical linguistics, sociolinguistics and cognitive linguistics).
Please refer to the Academic Calendar to check the PhD in Linguistics program requirements. Timeline. This timeline should serve as a guide to you in completing your PhD, designed to be a 4-5 year program. Year 1, September - April: Complete bulk of coursework (5 courses total = 7.5 units) Year 1, Summer: Start work on Candidacy paper(s)
The Department of Linguistics offers Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs in three fields: Language Variation (sociolinguistics, dialectology, language variation and change) Psycholinguistics (comprehension and production, language acquisition) Theoretical Linguistics (generative grammar: phonology, morphology, syntax)
Our PhD program is housed in the School of Linguistics and Languages Studies (SLaLS). Emphasizing the central role that language plays in educational, workplace, community, and other social contexts the doctoral program focuses on the following four areas: second and foreign language teaching and learning, including Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL); the nature, learning, and ...
Based in the Department of Linguistics and Languages, the PhD program in Cognitive Science of Language is interdisciplinary and includes faculty from Humanities, Science, and Health Sciences. ... Graduate Scholarship - As with OGS, applications for the Canada Graduate Scholarship must be submitted through an eligible institution. The deadline ...
The School of Linguistics and Language Studies offers a program of study leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies. This program comprises two fields: Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies. Please visit the Graduate Calendar for a list of admission and program requirements.
arrow_right_alt. The PhD in Linguistics program is reserved for those interested in advanced training in fieldwork and research while developing expertise in an area of their choice. Program Overview Our department covers a broad range of research topics, with substantial coverage of syntax, semantics, morphology, phonetics, and pragmatics.
Overall, the Ph.D. program requires taking of 10 regular courses (30 credits) in addition to the graduate seminars (Ling 601 and Ling 602, 3 credits each), and the two courses associated with the Evaluation paper (Ling 706 and Ling 707, 0 credits), but students are welcome to take more courses if they want.
Located in Canada's largest city, the Graduate Program in Linguistics & Applied Linguistics at York University is well known for the excellence of its faculty, students and teaching. Faculty research and supervision interests cover a broad spectrum of areas in the two offered fields of Linguistics & Applied Linguistics. Keele, Glendon and ...
Find the best Ph.D in the field of Linguistics from top universities in Canada. Check all 21 programmes.
Studying Linguistics in Canada is a great choice, as there are 14 universities that offer PhD degrees on our portal. Over 323,000 international students choose Canada for their studies, which suggests you'll enjoy a vibrant and culturally diverse learning experience and make friends from all over the world.
Minimum admission requirements. Graduate diploma, MA - Bachelor's degree in Linguistics (or equivalent). Conditional admission to the MA program may be offered to applicants who do not have a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics. Admission is conditional on successful completion of a designated number of undergraduate courses.
Student from Canada (outside Quebec) Foreign student; Your application Admissions and Program Guide. Back Summer Immersion Program ... Find all the information you need to pursue undergraduate or graduate studies at Université de Montréal. Discover your potential From Canada? Receive an education that is recognized around the world at one of ...
IDP assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this site. We always recommend that you speak to an IDP counsellor to get the latest and most accurate advice. 29 Doctorate Linguistic courses 📖 in Canada. Course price ranging from AUD 19,738 - AUD 79,003 with a max.Hurry the courses start from 06 May 2024.
The Department of Linguistics at the University of Ottawa offers a graduate program leading to the degree of PhD in Linguistics. It is possible, through the selection of relevant courses, to specialize in a variety of areas of linguistic research. These include the following: theoretical linguistics (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax ...
There are 26 Linguistics study programs available at 16 schools and universities in Canada, according to Erudera. Erudera aims to have the largest and most updated database of Linguistics study programs available in Canada, and new study programs are being added weekly. You can use the filters to narrow down your search or sort your results ...