Master of Arts in Linguistics

The CU Department of Linguistics has a strong commitment to excellence in teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The Linguistics faculty offers a wide range of research strengthsincluding syntactic theory, socio-cultural linguistics, computational and psycholinguistics, phonetics/phonology and language documentationensuring that students can gain both versatility and expertise in an array of subfields.

The educational mission of the Linguistics department, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, is to provide students with insight into the fundamental design features of languageits sound patterns, its word- and sentence formation devices, its semantic structureand to create awareness of language varieties: the diversity of human languages, the role of language as an index of social identity and the ontogenetic and historical development of language.

Admission requirements are not rigid, and the Department encourages applicants with varying backgrounds. A BA in linguistics is not the most usual preparation for the MA program in Linguistics, nor is it necessarily more desirable than other possible preparations. Linguists traditionally have identified their interest in the field relatively late, successful linguists have come from areas as diverse as teaching, English literature, foreign languages, law, anthropology, history, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science. Applicants who have not taken at least one general linguistics course should work through a modern introductory text on their own before beginning the application. Your statement of purpose should reveal knowledge of the field of linguistics, even if you have not as yet trained in the field.

Applicants must: Hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, or have done work equivalent to that required for such a degree. Show promise of ability to pursue advanced study and research, as judged by the student's scholastic record. Have adequate preparation to enter graduate study in the chosen field. Have at least a 2.75 (2.00=C) undergraduate grade point average. Proof of English proficiency - TOEFL: Applicants whose language of post-secondary education was not English must in addition show evidence of English proficiency by earning a score of 90 or higher on Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). If the IELTS is used in place of the TOEFL, the minimum required score is 7. TOEFL pbt: 550