Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, MA


At a Glance: program details



If you're fascinated by language and its many forms and functions in human life, then this degree is for you. Customize a personally relevant study plan from diverse research areas and flexible course options leading to solid foundational training and a culminating research experience that kick-starts your professional career.

Program Description

Degree Awarded: MA Linguistics and Applied Linguistics

The MA program in linguistics and applied linguistics focuses on the scientific study of human language and the application of that study to the human condition.

At the master's degree level, the program provides foundational training and professional development in several interdisciplinary subfields, including discourse analysis, Indigenous American linguistics, language contact and change, language revitalization, language planning, phonetics, phonology, pragmatics, second-language acquisition, second-language learning and teaching, semantics, sociolinguistics, syntax, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, global Englishes and computer-assisted language learning.

Matthew Prior, Director

Samantha Franze, Graduate Academic Advisor

Faculty in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics

Graduate Admissions Procedure

FAQs

The master's degree program in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics addresses the study of human language and the application of that study to the human condition through training in linguistics and applied linguistics.  At the masters' level it provides foundational training in several different areas including second language acquisition and teaching, language change and variation, World Englishes and teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), phonology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics and discourse analysis are also among areas of coverage.



Accelerated Degree Option (4 + 1)

Accelerated master's (previously called 4+1) degree programs combining undergraduate and graduate coursework in your senior year for dual credit, you'll save up to an entire year of schooling and receive both degrees in as little as five years.


Degree Requirements

30 credit hours including a foreign language exam and the required applied project course (LIN 593 or APL 593)

Required Core (3 credit hours)
LIN 515 American English (3) or
LIN 516 Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis (3)

General Linguistics Track (6 credit hours)
LIN 511 Phonetics and Phonology (3)
LIN 514 Syntax (3)

Applied Linguistics Track (6 credit hours)
LIN 511 Phonetics and Phonology (3) or LIN 514 Syntax (3)
LIN 520 Second-Language Acquisition Theories (3) or APL 601 Introduction to Applied Linguistics (3)

Electives (12 or 15 credit hours)

Research (3 credit hours)
LIN 501 Approaches to Research (3)

Culminating Experience (3 or 6 credit hours)
LIN 593 or APL 593 Applied Project (3)
LIN 599 or APL 599 Thesis (6)

Additional Curriculum Information
Students choose one of the two tracks in either general linguistics or applied linguistics.

Electives are restricted based on the student's chosen track. For the general linguistics track, one of the electives must be a 600-level course from the approved course list.

Students who select the thesis option take 12 credit hours of electives. Applied project students select 15 credit hours of electives.

Students must demonstrate evidence of a competent knowledge of a natural language other than modern English, to be selected by the student, subject to the approval of the chair of the thesis committee or the director of the applied project. This requirement may be met by:

  • earning a "B" or better (3.00 on a 4.00 scale) in a 400- or 500-level course in an appropriate (approved) language course
  • demonstrating comparable proficiency by taking a language examination, administered by the School of International Letters and Cultures, in a language approved by the student's supervisory committee
  • demonstrating native-speaker proficiency, as determined by the School of International Letters and Cultures, in a language approved by the student's supervisory committee
  • earning a "B" or better (3.00 on a 4.00 scale) in both ENG 530 Old English and ENG 531 Old English Literature or their equivalents
  • holding a bachelor's degree in an approved foreign language
  • completing two years (four semesters) of college-level coursework (completed no more than six years prior to admission to the degree program) at least at the 100 and 200 levels with a "C" or better (2.00 on a 4.00 scale) for languages which the School of International Letters and Cultures does not offer or does not offer above the 200 level

Any course in which all class meetings are conducted in the approved language satisfies the requirement for a "B" or better in a 400- or 500-level course in an appropriate language; courses conducted in English do not satisfy the requirement. Also satisfying the requirement are GER 550 German for Reading Knowledge, FRE 550 French for Reading Knowledge, SPA 550 Spanish for Reading Knowledge, and ITA 550 Italian for Reading Knowledge. The Department of English does not require its graduate students to write papers in the approved language.


Admission Requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in such related fields as anthropology, applied linguistics, communication, cognitive science, comparative languages and literatures, literature, education, history, law, linguistics, modern languages, philosophy, political science, psychology, religious studies, rhetoric, composition, sociology, or speech and hearing science from a regionally accredited institution.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

  1. graduate admission application and application fee
  2. official transcripts
  3. statement of purpose
  4. resume or curriculum vitae
  5. three letters of recommendation
  6. proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English (regardless of current residency) and has not graduated from an institution of higher learning in the United States must provide proof of English proficiency. Applications will not be processed without valid proof of English proficiency. Please note that official scores must be sent to ASU in order for the application to be processed.

Successful completion of at least one upper-division course in linguistics, language study or a related topic is required.

Applicants must submit a one- to two-page, well-considered statement of purpose in which they explain how their experience and training in language study have prepared them for the master's degree, their aims and purposes in pursuing the degree and plans for the future.

Courses and Electives

The Master of Arts in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics consists of 30 semester hours of graduate courses. Two tracks are available in the program.  The general linguistics track is designed to provide training in core areas of the field including phonetics, phonology, morphology and syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, and discourse analysis.  The applied linguistics track must include a linguistics core and additional training in applied linguistics drawn from different areas in the field, such as second language acquisition, TESOL, English language policy, World Englishes.

Track I: General Linguistics

Core Course (3 credit hours):

LIN 515 American English or LIN 516 Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis

Required Courses (6 credit hours):

LIN 511 Phonetics and Phonology
LIN 514 Syntax

Research (3 credit hours):

LIN 501 Approaches to Research

Electives (12-15 credit hours):

At least one 500-level linguistics course (3 credit hours), for example:
LIN 510  Linguistics (if not taken prior to being accepted into the program)
LIN 513 Semantics
LIN 515 American English (if not taken as part of the core requirement)
LIN 516 Pragmatics and Discourse Theory (if not taken as part of the core requirement)
LIN 517 History of the English Language or LIN 520 Second Language Acquisition Theories

At least one 600-level linguistics course (3 credit hours), for example:
LIN 610 Advanced Studies in Linguistics
LIN 614 Advanced Studies in Syntax
LIN 615 Advanced Studies in Sociolinguistics
LIN 616 Advanced Studies in Discourse Analysis or LIN 617 Advanced Studies in Historical Linguistics

Two or three additional electives (6-9 credit hours), depending on the student's choice of thesis or applied project.

Culminating Experience:

Students may choose between a thesis or an applied project:  LIN 599 Thesis (6) or LIN 593 Applied Project (3) for non-thesis option

Track II: Applied Linguistics: Second Language Acquisition

Core Course (3 credit hours):

LIN 515 American English or LIN 516 Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis

Required Courses (6 credit hours):

LIN 511 Phonetics and Phonology or LIN 514 Syntax
LIN 520 Second language Acquisition Theories or APL 601 Introduction to Applied Linguistics

Research (3 credit hours):

LIN 501 Approaches to Research

Electives (4-5 additional 500 or 600 level courses) 12-15 credit hours, for example:

LIN 510 (if not taken prior to being accepted into the program)
LIN 520 Second Language Acquisition Theories
LIN 521 Methods of Teaching English as a Second Language
LIN 522 Grammar for TESL
LIN 523 Language Testing and Assessment
LIN 524 Curriculum Design and Materials Development
LIN 584 Internship
LIN 610 Advanced Studies in Linguistics
LIN 620 Advanced Studies in Second Language Acquisition
APL 601 Introduction to Applied Linguistics
APL 518 World Englishes
The number of elective courses needed (4 or 5) depends on the student's choice of thesis or applied project option.

Culminating Experience:

Students may choose between a thesis or an applied project:  LIN 599 Thesis (6) or LIN 593 Applied Project (3) for non-thesis option

Note: For both the general and applied linguistics tracks, LIN 510 English Linguistics, or its equivalent, is prerequisite to all of these core courses. It may be taken concurrently with other 500-level courses in the first semester of the program. LIN 501 Approaches to Research should be taken as early as possible in the student's course work.

Thesis Committee Membership

In addition to the departmental expectation that a student's thesis committee chair be a member of the English Department, a linguistics student must have at least one of the English Department's regular linguistics faculty on her/his committee. This linguistics representative can be either the chair or a member of the committee.

Thesis and Non-Thesis Options

THESIS Option: LIN 599 Thesis, carrying six hours of credit, is required. Students will be required to defend this thesis before a three-person supervisory committee. The topic of this research project must be formally proposed by the time the student has completed 18 hours in the program.

NON-THESIS OPTION: LIN 593 Applied Project, carrying three hours, is required. If students choose this option, they will register for Applied Project (LIN 593 – 3 hours) in the last semester of their studies. Students who choose this option will produce a project under the supervision of an Applied Project Director and present their work at the end of the semester to the public at an oral presentation in a conference format along with other students who have chosen this non-thesis option. One additional committee member is required.   Students can choose one of the following: research paper, curriculum design, or professional portfolio. Oral presentations) of the applied project will be public and about 15 minutes in length. The discussion that follows may take 30 minutes. This discussion will involve questions from the Applied Project Director (and from committee members, if the candidate has chosen to have committee members). The candidate supplies an abstract three weeks before the presentation and, if the two readers ask for this, an electronic copy of the Applied project.

Language Requirement

Students must demonstrate evidence of a competent knowledge of a natural language other than modern English, to be selected by the student, subject to the approval of the chair of the thesis committee.

Important Notice to Current International Students: In order for international students to maintain good standing for their VISAs, they must take a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester (i.e., 3 classes), 6 of which should be face-to-face classes.


Flexible Degree Options

Accelerated program options

This program allows students to obtain both a bachelor's and master's degree in as little as five years.
It is offered as an accelerated bachelor's and master's degree with:

BA - English (Linguistics)

Prepare yourself to thrive in a global society by exploring the origin and use of language in a variety of cultures. Enter an exciting field of study that prepares you for a multitude of careers.

Website | Locations: TEMPE


Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. During their junior year, eligible students will be advised by their academic departments to apply.



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Application Deadlines

Fall

Session
Modality
Deadline
Type

Session A/C
In Person
April 15th
Final
Session A/C
In Person
January 15th
Priority

Spring

Session
Modality
Deadline
Type

Session A/C
In Person
September 15th
Final


Learning Outcomes

  • Demonstrate the ability to explain, synthesize, and critique existing scholarship in their research area.
  • Demonstrate the ability to produce written scholarly work at a level expected by the profession and consistent with the degree program.
  • Design and carry out an original research study in their discipline and subdisciplines.

Career Opportunities

Graduates with research expertise in linguistics and applied linguistics work in a variety of professional contexts around the globe, including academia, government, business, health care, legal settings, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, advertising, marketing, publishing and teaching. Many graduates also go on to pursue doctorates in linguistics, applied linguistics, and many other fields and disciplines such as education, speech and hearing sciences, law, information technology, computer science, communication and anthropology.

Career examples include:

  • computer programmer
  • data analyst
  • foreign service worker
  • language consultant or language documentation expert
  • language program director or coordinator
  • language teacher
  • lexicographer
  • materials designer and developer
  • program and curriculum developer
  • teacher trainer
  • translator or interpreter
  • writer or editor

Global Opportunities

Global Experience

With over 250 programs in more than 65 countries (ranging from one week to one year), study abroad is possible for all ASU students wishing to gain global skills and knowledge in preparation for a 21st-century career. Students earn ASU credit for completed courses, while staying on track for graduation, and may apply financial aid and scholarships toward program costs. https://mystudyabroad.asu.edu

Program Contact Information

If you have questions related to admission, please click here to request information and an admission specialist will reach out to you directly. For questions regarding faculty or courses, please use the contact information below.