Project-based MA

Complete 35 units: 29 credits of coursework and 6 credits of project.

MA Project students must take all of:

  • Ling 880 Advanced Linguistic Research for Professional Development (3) –second year.
  • Ling 890 Graduate Seminar I (1) – must complete in first year.
  • Ling 891 Graduate Seminar II (1) – must complete in first year.
  • Eight additional graduate course of their choosing (24) *Consultation with supervisor recommended.

After students have completed the above course requirements, they can then enroll in:

  • Ling 893 Linguistics MA Project (6).

Project MA students are expected to complete most of their coursework by the fourth semester. Research and writeup for the project take place in the fifth and sixth semesters. For a list of current linguistics graduate courses, visit our courses page. 

The nature and scope of a project should be determined in consultation with the faculty supervisor. Examples might include:

  • Linguistic analysis of an understudied language.
  • Language documentation resource.
  • Linguistics teaching module or curriculum.
  • Meta-analysis of the scientific literature in a particular sub-field of linguistics.
  • Digital media project.
  • Literature review.
  • Written report – which should be longer and/or more comprehensive than a typical final paper in a graduate course.  

Unlike a thesis, a project does not need to be defended, but it should be reviewed and approved by a second reader and presented to the Department in a colloquium or similar event.

Typical MA Project Academic Schedule