Bachelor’s-to-Master’s in Linguistics
Bachelor’s-to-Master’s programs are linked bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in which the two degrees are conferred sequentially. The Bachelor’s-to-Master’s Program in Linguistics is designed for exceptional students who wish to obtain a master’s degree as well as a BA through additional intensive study in Linguistics.
Students in this bachelor’s-to-master’s program must complete all bachelor’s degree requirements before enrolling as master’s students, although they may take graduate courses while enrolled as undergraduates. Students must register for and earn a minimum of 24 units while enrolled as master’s students. Students may apply up to 8 units (500 level or above) from the undergraduate degree to the master’s degree, subject to any conditions described below. For this bachelor’s-to-master’s program, the bachelor’s degree is conferred by the College of Arts & Sciences and the master’s degree is conferred by the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Students should consult with the Financial Assistance office to learn how entrance into this bachelor’s-to-master’s program might impact their financial aid.
Learning Outcomes
Specifically, on completing the BA in Linguistics, students are expected to demonstrate:
- An understanding of the fundamental questions that drive modern linguistic research concerning formal structure, universals, acquisition, historical change, variation, and social dimensions of use, along with foundational knowledge in the core areas of linguistic theory.
- The ability to identify and describe with precision the empirical patterns found in sets of language data, and to construct well-reasoned linguistic analyses by formulating, testing, and refining hypotheses about these patterns.
- Experience in presenting their own research and/or reviewing the literature through written papers and oral presentations.
On completing the MA in Linguistics, students are expected to demonstrate:
- The ability to think critically about fundamental issues in the study of language structure, universals, variation, change, acquisition, and social dimensions of language use, and a sophisticated command of several core areas of linguistic analysis.
- The ability to analyze the empirical patterns found in sets of language data, and to construct well-reasoned linguistic analyses by formulating, testing, and refining hypotheses.
- The ability to formulate a testable research question, grounded in the prior literature, to carry out the relevant research, analyze the findings, and construct argumentation to support the conclusions.
Requirements
Students must complete all requirements for the BA in Linguistics and all requirements for the MA in Linguistics.
Students may apply up to 8 units from the undergraduate degree toward the MA.
Students participating in both the Linguistics BA honors program and the BA-to-MA program in Linguistics must complete the thesis option within the BA honors program and may not include additional directed study courses as part of the MA degree.
Admission
Information about application requirements and deadlines for bachelor’s-to-master’s programs can be found at the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences’ Bachelor’s-to-Master’s Programs web page.
Ordinarily, only those students who will have completed CAS LX 301 Phonetics & Phonology, LX 321 Syntax, and LX 331 Semantics & Pragmatics by the end of their junior year, and who have a cumulative grade point average through the end of the junior year of 3.5 overall and 3.65 in CAS LX Linguistics courses will be admitted.
For more information, please visit the Linguistics Department website.
