Introduction
The M.A. degree involves a two-year course of study. 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 combined B.A./M.A. program provides another pathway to the M.A. program.
Every year, UC Santa Cruz undergraduates in the final year of their linguistics or language studies major can apply to be admitted into the graduate program to pursue the M.A. in theoretical linguistics. 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 up-to-date information about the application process, consult the Linguistics Department’s website; and see the graduate coordinator.
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 capstone (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.