Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars

Linguistics

Supported Degree Objectives

  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
  • Master of Arts (MA)
  • Non Degree

Required Supporting Documents

English Proficiency Requirements

  • This program accepts the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars basic requirements as described on the English Proficiency Requirements page.

Master's Degree Program Requirements

  • Cumulative Grade Point Average from most recently conferred undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree:
    • 3.4 or equivalent (A=4.0)
  • Writing Sample:
    • Applications for graduate study in Linguistics at the M.A. level should include a course paper or other work that the student feels represents his/her general writing ability. The writing sample should be written in English. If the student does not have a writing sample in English (e.g., international students from non-English-speaking countries), the student can submit a writing sample in the language she/he is seeking to concentrate on (Spanish, French, German or Japanese). If the student has writing samples written in English and in the foreign language seeking to concentrate on, both writing samples will be welcome.
  • Digital Portfolio:
    • Students interested in concentrating in Spanish Linguistics, German Linguistics, or Japanese Linguistics must submit a Digital Portfolio (5 minutes max) The digital portfolio includes a language sample in English and in the foreign language they wish to concentrate. The students can talk about who they are, where they come from, research/teaching interests, why they wish to study at Purdue among other topics. The English and foreign language samples can be recorded in the same audio file. Digital portfolio files can be emailed to the program graduate coordinator at the email address below.

Doctoral Degree Program Requirements

  • Cumulative Grade Point Average from most recently conferred undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree:
    • 3.4 or equivalent (A=4.0)
  • Master's Degree Completion:
    • Not required before admission. However, it must be completed during the first two years of the doctoral program with a 3.6 GPA or equivalent.
  • Writing Sample:
    • Applications for admissions to the Ph.D. program must include a writing sample relevant to Linguistics. This writing sample may be something written specifically for the application, a term paper for a previous course, M.A thesis, or published work.
    • The writing sample at the Ph.D. level should show your general writing ability and also that you have a sufficient understanding of Linguistics to enter at the Ph.D.
    • The writing sample should be written in English. If the student does not have a writing sample in English (e.g., international students from non-English-speaking countries), the student can submit a writing sample in the language she/he is seeking to concentrate on (Spanish, French, German or Japanese). If the student has writing samples written in English and in the foreign language seeking to concentrate on, both writing samples will be welcome.
  • Digital Portfolio:
    • Students interested in concentrating in Spanish Linguistics, German Linguistics, or Japanese Linguistics must submit a Digital Portfolio (5 minutes max) The digital portfolio includes a language sample in English and in the foreign language they wish to concentrate. The students can talk about who they are, where they come from, research/teaching interests, why they wish to study at Purdue among other topics. The English and foreign language samples can be recorded in the same audio file. Digital portfolio files can be emailed to the program graduate coordinator at the email address below.

Application Deadlines

  • Fall Spring Summer
    December 3 No Entry No Entry

Program Contact Information

  • Name Aimee Mansfield
    Phone 765-494-7161
    Email aholdcra@purdue.edu
    Web Program Website
    Address Graduate Coordinator
    Department of Linguistics
    Purdue University
    100 North University Street
    West Lafayette, IN 47907-2098
    USA

Additional Information

  • Purdue's Department of Linguistics offers a wide range of courses leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. M.A. and Ph.D. curricula encourage students to tailor their linguistics studies to their interdisciplinary interests. We offer a thorough grounding in the foundations of linguistics and opportunities to develop research and teaching skills, while also allowing students to specialize in an area of interest. One of the main strengths of the program is the analysis of bilingual language systems. The program provides advanced training in the analysis and characterization of the linguistic and psycholinguistic development of bilingualism, broadly construed, in young children and adults. How does the bilingual mind process, develop, and maintain multiple linguistic systems? What characteristics do these systems have and why; how do they affect each other and relate to each other in the lifespan of bilingual speakers? What tools can be used to assess the degree of language acquisition and to facilitate language learning? These are vital questions in current linguistic research and the Purdue Department of Linguistics is uniquely situated to address them.
  • We welcome applications from students interested in all areas of linguistics, as well as in language specific areas including Hispanic linguistics, German linguistics, and Japanese linguistics. Students can be admitted at the M.A level, Ph.D. level or in the dual M.A./Ph.D. track for those students without an M.A. degree completed.  Students should specify in their applications which program or track they seek admission into.
  • Admitted students will be provided with tuition remission as well as funding in the form of TA-ships or RA-ships. Students will be housed in the Department of Linguistics (School of Interdisciplinary Studies), but they will have the opportunity to complete course work and conduct research with a vibrant group of faculty members housed in various departments and schools including the English Department, the School of Languages and Cultures, the School of Communication, the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences.
Purdue West Lafayette campus