Doctor of Philosophy

During the first year, doctoral students are expected to take 15 units each quarter of the academic year. Beginning in the second year, students are expected to take 10 units each quarter of the academic year until they reach TGR status. Summer quarter enrollment is determined by the summer activities the student will be engaged in, as well as by the number of units required to ensure timely progress to TGR status.

Doctoral students are required to take nine basic courses. This requirement is designed to guarantee that each student becomes familiar with a range of subfields in linguistics. The basic courses are divided into Groups I, II, and III, and Groups I and II are divided into sets representing subfields. To ensure that students achieve breadth across subfields, there is a cap on the number of courses in any subfield that can be counted towards the basic course requirement; however, students may take more courses in any subfield as additional courses.

The nine basic courses should meet the following criteria:

a. One two course set from Group I.

b. One two course set from Group II.

c. One additional two course set from either Group I or Group II.

d. One additional course from the group with only one set; it should not be from a set used to fulfill items (a)-(c).

e. One course from Group III.

f. One more course from any group; it should not be from a set used to fulfill items (a)-(c).

g. 7 of the 9 basic courses, including two of the three Group I/II sets, must be taken prior to candidacy.

h. All nine basic courses must be taken for a letter grade and completed with a grade of B or better to fulfill the basic course requirement.  Most of these courses should be taken for 4 units; no course may be taken for less than 2 units.

Any amendments to the curriculum must be approved in advance by the DGS and the student’s advisor. Students must receive such approval before the second year’s Autumn Quarter Preliminary Study List deadline.

In order to gain experience in carrying out independent, original research before embarking on the dissertation, each student must complete two qualifying research papers in different subfields of linguistics; each paper is discussed with a faculty committee at an oral defense of the qualifying paper. The first qualifying paper is due at the end of Autumn Quarter of the second year, and the second qualifying paper is due at the end of Autumn Quarter of the third year of the program.  Each paper must be a substantial original research paper that shows the student's ability to carry out all stages of a research project independently and to present the project effectively in written form. More details about the qualifying paper requirement and related procedures can be found in the Department of Linguistics PhD Handbook.

Teaching is core to the academic and professional training of doctoral students in Linguistics. All students are required to complete 3 quarters of teaching experience by the end of their fourth year in the program regardless of their financial support. Students may complete more than the required number of teaching quarters as part of their professional training and financial support.

Research is core to the academic and professional training of doctoral students in Linguistics. All students must complete one quarter of mentored research regardless of financial support to fulfill degree requirements. This requirement is completed in the Winter Quarter of the first year in the program; students register for LINGUIST 396 (Research Project in Linguistics) with their faculty supervisor during this quarter.

Advancement to candidacy is a prospective judgement by the faculty of a doctoral student’s potential to successfully complete the requirements of the degree program. Students are expected to complete qualifying procedures and to apply for candidacy by the end of their second year in the program. Qualifying procedures in the Department of Linguistics include (i) completion of a prescribed portion of the basic course requirement, (ii) completion of one qualifying paper, (iii) an approved plan for completion of the language requirement, and (iv) a topic for the second qualifying paper. Students are reviewed at the end of the second year in the  doctoral program. Additional details on qualifying procedures can be found in the Department of Linguistics PhD Handbook.

In the Department of Linguistics, the oral exam is a defense of the dissertation presented upon the completion of an acceptable pre-final draft. This draft will include a clear presentation of the dissertation’s principal empirical and theoretical contributions, and most chapters of the dissertation will be in a final or near-final state. Students consult with their dissertation advisor and reading committee members on the timing of the defense. Students are expected to complete this milestone by the end of their fifth year in the program. Additional details on the format and scheduling of the oral exam can be found in the Department of Linguistics PhD Handbook.

Doctoral students are required to submit an approved dissertation that makes an original contribution to the field of linguistics. The dissertation should demonstrate that the student can complete a substantial piece of research work, articulate the results of this work appropriately for the linguistics community, and illustrate the work’s significance in the general field of linguistics. Students are expected to submit the dissertation by the end of their fifth year in the program. Additional details on the dissertation can be found in the Department of Linguistics PhD Handbook.

Students may take up to 15 Units of Optional Dissertation Research Coursework:

Doctoral students in Linguistics must demonstrate an explicit in-depth knowledge of the structure of at least one language other than standard English by completing a research paper on that language. This requirement may be satisfied by one of the two qualifying papers on that language or by a research paper other than a qualifying paper. This requirement must be completed by the end of the third year of graduate study. Additional details on the language requirement can be found in the Department of Linguistics PhD Handbook.