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Location: Social Sciences Building, Room 820
Faculty number: 403.220.5469
Fax: 403.282.3880
E-mail address: linggrad@ucalgary.ca
Web page URL:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Master of Arts (MA)

The norm is full-time study, but part-time study may also be arranged. Full-time study is defined as in the Graduate Calendar (“Student Status”) and is not compatible with full-time employment. Status of students with part-time employment will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

In addition to Faculties of Graduate Studies and Arts requirements, the Department requires:

Master of Arts

a) Significant undergraduate training in linguistics, normally including at least one course in syntax and one course in phonology.

b) A statement of purpose specifying the applicant’s research interests and reasons for wishing to pursue a Master of Arts degree at the ��ݮ����Ƶ����.

c) A sample of previous work in linguistics or a related field (e.g., an Honours undergraduate thesis, or a course paper).

d) For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English, a minimum IELTS score of 7.0; OR a minimum TOEFL score of 560 (written test), 83 (Internet-based test); OR a minimum score of 550 (written test), 80 (Internet-based test) AND a minimum score of 5.0 on the Test of Written English (TWE); OR a MELAB score of 81; OR a PTE score of 59.

e) Three reference letters.

Doctor of Philosophy

a) A Master’s degree in linguistics, or a Master’s degree in a related field with significant training in linguistics at the graduate level, normally including at least one graduate course in syntax and one graduate course in phonology, with a minimum grade point average of 3.40 on a four-point scale.

b) A statement of purpose specifying the applicant’s research interests and reasons for wishing to pursue a doctoral degree at the ��ݮ����Ƶ����.

c) A sample of previous work in linguistics or a related field (e.g., a seminar paper or Master of Arts thesis).

d) For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English, a minimum IELTS score of 7.0; OR a minimum TOEFL score of 560 (written test), 83 (Internet-based test); OR a minimum score of 550 (written test), 80 (Internet-based test) AND a minimum score of 5.0 on the Test of Written English (TWE); OR a MELAB score of 81; OR a PTE score of 59.

e) Three reference letters.

Students applying for admission and university scholarships must submit their applications to the department by January 15. All applications submitted by this deadline will also receive full consideration for department scholarships and assistantships. Applications received by January 15 will normally be considered for September admission. Financial support may be limited for applications received after January 15. We strongly encourage individuals to apply as soon as possible.

The applicant must make advanced credit requests as part of the admission process. Credit will not be given for course work taken as part of another completed degree/diploma or for courses taken to bring the grade point average to a required level for admission.

In addition to the Faculties of Graduate Studies and Arts requirements, the Department requires:

Master of Arts

a) A departmental presentation relating to the student's thesis research. Continuation in program is dependent upon this presentation being judged acceptable by the faculty members of the Linguistics Department.

b) A minimum of six half-course equivalents, including Linguistics 611, 613 and 697.

c) Linguistics 600.

d) Knowledge of a language other than English demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Graduate Studies Committee. The following groups will be judged on acceptance to the program to have met the M.A. language requirement:

• Students whose mother tongue is not English and who were required to satisfy the English language proficiency requirements for admission to program.
• Students whose mother tongue is English and who provide evidence of past schooling in another language (e.g., schooling in an immersion program in French, German or a First Nations language).
• Students whose mother tongue is English and who provide evidence of having completed a foreign language secondary school credit such as Spanish Language Arts 30, or French Language Arts 31.
• Students whose mother tongue is English and who provide evidence of at least A1 (“Basic User”) level of proficiency in another language in the Common European Frame of Reference from a certified testing agency or a recognised academic institution (e.g., university or college) or a recognised language teaching organization.

Students whose mother tongue is English and who cannot provide evidence of prior exposure to another language on admission can meet the M.A. language requirement during their M.A. program in the following ways:

• by providing evidence of having received credit for one half course equivalent for a ��ݮ����Ƶ���� language course, e.g. French 209, Italian 201, or Greek 201.
• by providing evidence of having received credit for one of the following courses: Indigenous Languages 205, Linguistics 551, or 605.

It is the responsibility of the student to provide relevant documentation that the M.A. language requirement has been met. It is strongly recommended that this program requirement be met within the first 16 months of program. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that the student meets the deadline for completing this requirement.

Doctor of Philosophy

a) Completion of six half-course equivalents in Linguistics beyond the MA, including Linguistics 611 and 613. Course requirements are normally completed during the first two years.

Note: No more than two half courses can be taken with the same instructor.

b) Linguistics 600 and 697.

Knowledge of a language other than English demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Graduate Studies Committee. The following groups will be judged on acceptance to the program to have met the Ph.D. language requirement:

• Students whose mother tongue is not English and who were required to satisfy the English language proficiency requirements for admission to program.
• Students whose mother tongue is English and who provide evidence of past schooling in another language (e.g., schooling in an immersion program in French, German or a First Nations language).
• Students whose mother tongue is English and who provide evidence of having completed a foreign language secondary school credit such as Spanish Language Arts 30, or French Language Arts 31.
• Students whose mother tongue is English and who provide evidence of at least A1 (“Basic User”) level of proficiency in another language in the Common European Frame of Reference from a certified testing agency or a recognised academic institution (e.g., university or college) or a recognised language teaching organization.

Students whose mother tongue is English and who cannot provide evidence of prior exposure to another language on admission can meet the doctoral language requirement during their Ph.D program in the following ways:

• by providing evidence of having received credit for one half course equivalent for a ��ݮ����Ƶ���� language course, e.g. French 209, Italian 201, or Greek 201.
• by providing evidence of having received credit for one of the following courses: Indigenous Languages205, Linguistics 551, or 605.

It is the responsibility of the student to provide relevant documentation that the doctoral language requirement has been met. This program requirement must be met by the time the thesis proposal is submitted. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that the student meets the deadline for completing this requirement.

None.

At both the Master’s and the doctoral level, with the approval of the Graduate Program Director and the Department Head, a student may take for credit a maximum of two undergraduate half-course equivalents. Normally, only 500-level courses are approved as acceptable, and students must provide evidence that such courses represent a necessary contribution to their program.

Expected completion time is two years for a Master’s degree and four years for a doctoral degree. Maximum completion time is four years for a Master’s degree and six years for a doctoral degree.

Master of Arts

A student is assigned an interim supervisor on admission to the program based on the stated research interests of the student, the disciplinary expertise of faculty members and Departmental capacity. This faculty member commits to serving as the student’s thesis supervisor and to advising and mentoring the student. Since student interest can change while in program, students are free to select a different supervisor after admission to program but must finalize supervisory arrangements by the end of the second term of study (usually April). When a student wishes to change from the interim supervisor to another faculty member, that choice must be made by mutual agreement between the student and the faculty member concerned, in consultation with the Graduate Program Director.

Doctor of Philosophy

A student is assigned an interim supervisor on admission to the program based on the stated research interests of the student, the disciplinary expertise of faculty members and Departmental capacity. This faculty member commits to serving as the student’s thesis supervisor and to advising and mentoring the student. Since student interest can change while in program, students are free to select a different supervisor after admission to program but will normally finalize supervisory arrangements by the end of the second term of study (usually April) and must finalize supervisory arrangements by the end of the second annual registration. When a student wishes to change from the interim supervisor to another faculty member, that choice must be made by mutual agreement between the student and the faculty member concerned, in consultation with the Graduate Program Director.

Once the student has finalized the choice of a thesis supervisor, a supervisory committee is struck. It will normally consist of the supervisor and two other faculty members from the Department. One of the two members of this committee may be external to the department. It is desirable to have at least one committee member with supervisory experience at the doctoral level. The supervisory committee must be recommended by the Graduate Program Director and be approved by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies no later than three months after supervisory arrangements are finalized. This will normally be during the summer of the first year of study, but no later than the third month following the second annual registration. The responsibility for organizing the supervisory committee lies with the supervisor but it should be constituted in consultation with the student.

Doctor of Philosophy

A doctoral student is required to take the Candidacy Examination after completion of all course work, normally within 20 months of their first registration. Doctoral candidacy examinations have a written and an oral component. The written candidacy examination consists of an original research paper in the student’s research area, and a portfolio. The student’s portfolio will normally consists of final papers from 3 of the 6 required courses, their current CV, and presentations and publications (if any). Course papers for inclusion in the portfolio are chosen by the student in consultation with the supervisor. Examination questions for the Faculty of Graduate Studies oral examination will be based on the original research paper and the student’s portfolio papers.

Master of Arts
Students in the Master's program must complete Linguistics 697.

Doctor of Philosophy
Students in the doctoral program must submit a written thesis proposal to their supervisory committee within twenty-four months of the first registration, but not before the student has passed his/her oral candidacy examination. The body of the proposal (excluding bibliographic references) must not exceed ten pages in length.

None.

Financial assistance is normally available to qualified students. Funding is provided to full-time students only. Students are required to inform the department of any part-time employment. Failure to do so will result in revocation of departmental funding.

For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this calendar. Students applying for scholarships must submit their applications to the Department by January 15.

Students whose applications are complete by January 15 will automatically be considered by the Department for Graduate Research Scholarships and Graduate Assistantship support. In addition, faculty members of this Department may have special project funds for research assistantships.

Information on Departmental assistantships is available on the Department’s Graduate Programs web page: .

Students should consult the Departmental Graduate Handbook for further information and regulations governing the graduate program. Copies are available from the Graduate Program Administrator, SS 816; or may be downloaded from the Department’s graduate program web page: .

Current faculty research interests can be found at .