Introduction
The Master of Arts (M.A.) graduate program in linguistics at the University of California, Santa Cruz is a small, focused program in linguistic theory. The research interests of faculty and students draw mostly on the framework of generative grammar, with a primary focus on theoretical and experimental approaches to morphology, phonetics, phonology, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, semantics, and syntax. Research strengths also include the study of various languages, computational methods, and field methods.
While committed to training in theoretical depth, the program makes possible an unusual breadth of theoretical and experimental understanding. Research in syntax focuses on ways in which generative theory and language-particular analysis inform one another. Faculty expertise covers principles and parameters theory, minimalism, and experimental syntax. Research in phonetics and phonology is pursued in various current frameworks, including both formal and laboratory methods. The issues covered range from phonetics and the phonetics-phonology interface to prosodic theory, prosodic morphology, and the syntax-phonology interface. Research in semantics applies formal, model-theoretic techniques to illuminate the interface between syntactic structure and interpretation and the role of semantic competence in the pragmatics of utterance interpretation. Experimental research in these areas reaches out to a broad range of issues in psycholinguistics and cognitive science.
The faculty have expertise in a diverse range of languages, including Chamorro, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Irish, Japanese, Kaqchikel, Uspanteko, Latin, Northern Paiute, Persian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Mongolian, and Zapotec.
The M.A. degree involves a two-year course of study, though it may be completed in one year by students who have a B.A. in linguistics from UC Santa Cruz and who have taken a number of the core graduate courses during their undergraduate career. (The contiguous B.A./M.A. pathway provides another pathway to the M.A. program for UC Santa Cruz undergraduates.) From the beginning of their studies, students are engaged in original research and critical evaluation, since the program aims to provide sophisticated training as a foundation for a career in academic research and teaching or industry. The program begins with a sequence of foundation courses in phonology, syntax, and semantics, addressing both formal and experimental approaches. Subsequent coursework emphasizes depth; it is increasingly centered around the master’s student’s independent research, culminating in the completion of a thesis.
Undergraduate Preparation
Applications are invited from students who have completed an undergraduate linguistics major or who have demonstrated excellence in some related discipline (e.g. psychology, mathematics, computer science, anthropology) and have the equivalent of a minor in linguistics. A student applying for admission to this program should, at a minimum, have a good foundation in at least one of the following: phonetics, phonology, psycholinguistics, morphology, semantics, or syntax. Students entering the program without prior coursework in one or more areas may need to take appropriate undergraduate courses at UC Santa Cruz during the first year of graduate study.
UC Santa Cruz undergraduates in the final year of their linguistics or language studies major can apply to be admitted into the M.A. program. Interested students should discuss the possibility with one or more faculty members and formally apply online to the graduate program during the fall quarter of the senior year.
For more information on applying and admissions, please consult the Linguistics Department website.
Requirements
Course Requirements
A minimum of 45 credits of graduate-level work.
In addition to the requirements outlined below, students must enroll in the following courses:
- LING 240 (The Pedagogy of Linguistics), to be taken in the fall quarter of years 1 and 2.
- LING 296 (Linguistics Colloquium), to be taken each quarter in the program.
LING 240 and LING 296 do not count toward the required 45 credits.
The following courses must be taken by all students.
All students are required to take two additional core courses drawn from the following list:
Students must take the third core course from the above list of 'B' courses, or one course from the following list:
Electives
Additionally students must take three electives that form a coherent plan of study, as determined by the student’s advisor in consultation with the student. These electives are typically drawn from graduate courses offered by Linguistics and other related disciplines and independent study courses with Linguistics faculty.
The nine required courses must be taken as 5-credit courses.
Foreign Language Requirements
Reading competence in one foreign language, to be demonstrated by examination at the end of the first year of study.
Master's Thesis
Students in the master’s program complete a master’s thesis in accordance with the thesis (Plan I) curriculum. This thesis often grows out of a promising term paper written by the student, and is read by a committee composed of three faculty members in linguistics. Preparation for research projects should begin far in advance. In general, a good goal for those working on their M.A. thesis is to approach a possible thesis chair by the end of their first academic year.
In consultation with the thesis chair, a committee to read and evaluate the M.A. thesis is appointed by the department, and the department notifies the Graduate Division of the committee's members by the end of the second week of the quarter in which the degree is to be granted. The majority of the three-member thesis reading committee must be members of the Santa Cruz Division of the Academic Senate.
After the student defends the M.A. thesis, they must submit a copy of the completed thesis to the Graduate Division by the last day of the term in which the student expects to receive their degree. The thesis must be formatted according to UC Santa Cruz specifications (see Dissertation and Thesis Preparation Guidelines).
Applying for Graduation
See the Graduate Student Handbook for administrative requirements.
See the Academic and Administrative Calendar for Announcement of Candidacy dates.
Note: The completed master’s thesis, and cover sheet, should be submitted to the Graduate Division and a pdf copy of the thesis, and cover sheet, should be submitted to the graduate coordinator.