Graduate handbook information is updated and maintained by each program. Graduate handbooks are available within each program's office and online at https://utexas.box.com/v/UTAustinGraduateHandbooks. Please contact the program with concerns or questions.

Master of Arts

The Department of Linguistics only rarely accepts Master's-only seeking students, and only in the area of Computational Linguistics. Students in the Doctoral program are able to acquire a Master's degree on the way to attaining their PhD.

Candidates for the master’s degree must complete 36 semester hours of coursework and submit a thesis or report for approval by a supervising committee.

The following coursework is required. A course used to fulfill requirement 1 or 2 may not also be used to fulfill requirement 3.

1. Linguistics 380K, 380L, 380M, 381M, and 385.
2. Six additional hours of research equivalencies (Linguistics 381K, 381L, 389C, 389D, 389P, 389S, 389V, 395, any advanced course or non-core area course) in the primary area of interest.
3. Six hours in a minor area.
4. Linguistics 398R or 698.
5. The remaining six hours of coursework for the report option, or the remaining three semester hours for the thesis option, must be fulfilled by courses approved by the graduate advisor.

During the first year, students write a first-year paper in conjunction with a research course. During the second year, they write their master¹s report or thesis.

The department has no formal language requirement, but the faculty recommends that students have or acquire some familiarity with at least one language other than their native language.

Doctor of Philosophy

Candidates for the doctoral degree in linguistics must complete the following courses. A course used to fulfill requirement 1 or 2 may not also be used to fulfill requirement 3.

1.  Linguistics 380K, 380L, 380M, 381M, 385, and 397.
2.  At least one research equivalency (Linguistics 381K, 381L, 389C, 389D, 389P, 389S, 389V, 395, any advanced course or non-core area course, including approved courses in other departments) each semester during the first three years.
3. Six hours in a minor area.
4. The remaining 12 hours of coursework must be fulfilled by courses approved by the graduate advisor.

The minor area and research equivalency courses form a core part of the Program of Work which must be approved by the graduate advisor.

The department has no formal language requirement, but the faculty recommends that students have or acquire some familiarity with at least one language other than their native language.

Admission to candidacy. To qualify for admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree, a student must complete 54 semester hours approved for the Program of Work; complete first- and second-year research papers approved for the requirement by the graduate advisor; and submit a qualifying paper and have it approved by a faculty committee.