Program Requirements
Graduate Standing: Classified
Classified graduate standing requires a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics or a related field from an accredited institution with at least 3.0 GPA in the major courses provided that a minimum of 24 units of upper-division coursework is included.
If the student holds a bachelor’s degree in a major other than linguistics, 24 units of upper-division coursework in linguistics with a minimum of 3.0 GPA must have been completed, including:
LING 351 - Introduction to Linguistic Phonetics and Phonology (3)
LING 406 - Descriptive Linguistics (3)
LING 408 - Syntax (3)
LING 430 - Historical Linguistics (3)
A student who has not completed one or more of the preceding four courses may enroll in the required course(s) concurrently with graduate coursework in the program.
If the student lacks the prerequisite number of linguistics courses, they must be made up with at least a 3.0 GPA in such makeup coursework. In the event that the student’s GPA in prerequisite Linguistics courses is less than 3.0, six to nine units of probationary, adviser-approved coursework may be assigned. If the GPA in these probationary courses is 3.0 or better, the student may be classified. Some courses taken to make up qualitative deficiencies may be credited toward the M.A. if completed with a “B” (3.0) or better, and if applicable to the student’s particular study plan. Courses taken to remove quantitative deficiencies may not be applied to the M.A. program.
Knowledge of one foreign language is required (equivalent of Modern Languages 317 course). Students without coursework in a foreign language may demonstrate proficiency by a score of average or better on the MLA-ETS Proficiency Examination for Advanced Students. Work toward fulfillment of this requirement may be taken concurrently with graduate work in linguistics.
Modifications of certain prerequisite requirements may be permitted in exceptional circumstances.
Requirements
Descriptive and Historical Linguistics (15 units)
LING 501 - Research Methods and Bibliography (3)
LING 505 - Phonological Analysis (3)
LING 507 - Grammatical Analysis (3)
LING 508 - Theories of Syntax (3)
LING 530 - Graduate Seminar: Historical Linguistics (3)
Concentration (9 units)
Course work selected from any one of the following five areas of specialization, including other courses in the university with the approval of the adviser:
Applied Linguistics
The Applied Linguistics concentration allows students to focus on applying linguistic knowledge, including the description of other languages and teaching English as a second language.
FREN 466 - Introduction to French Linguistics (3)
JAPN 467 - Japanese Language and Society (3)
LING 416 - Anthropological Linguistics (3)
LING 599 - Independent Graduate Research (1-3)
SPAN 466 - Spanish Phonology and Dialectology (3)
SPAN 467 - Spanish Morphology and Syntax (3)
SPAN 468 - Spanish/English Bilingualism and Language Contact (3)
SPAN 599 - Independent Graduate Research (1-3)
TESL 500 - Fundamentals in TESOL (3)
TESL 509 - Advanced Principles of TESOL: Listening/Speaking Focus (3)
TESL 510 - Advanced Principles of TESOL: Reading/Writing Focus (3)
TESL 515 - Pedagogical Grammar in TESOL (3)
TESL 527 - Second Language Acquisition (3)
TESL 532 - Technology in Second Language Learning (3)
TESL 560 - Second Language Assessment (3)
Other relevant courses may be selected with adviser approval.
Anthropological Linguistics
The Anthropological Linguistics concentration allows students to focus on all aspects of language
and culture.
ANTH 599 - Independent Graduate Research (1-3)
LING 416 - Anthropological Linguistics (3)
LING 442 - Changing Words: History, Semantics, and Translation (3)
LING 492 - Linguistic Fieldwork (3)
LING 599 - Independent Graduate Research (1-3)
Other relevant courses may be selected with adviser approval.
Analysis of Specific Language Structures
The Analysis of Specific Language Structures concentration allows students to focus on the structure of a specific language or languages. Typically, students focus on languages taught at CSUF – such as Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish or Vietnamese – but any human language can in principle be selected.
ENGL 599 - Independent Graduate Research (1-3)
FREN 466 - Introduction to French Linguistics (3)
JAPN 466 - Introduction to Japanese Linguistics (3)
JAPN 468 - Japanese-English Contrastive Analysis (3)
LING 599 - Independent Graduate Research (1-3)
SPAN 466 - Spanish Phonology and Dialectology (3)
SPAN 467 - Spanish Morphology and Syntax (3)
SPAN 468 - Spanish/English Bilingualism and Language Contact (3)
SPAN 510 - Graduate Seminar: Advanced Structure and Style (3)
SPAN 530 - Graduate Seminar: Historical Linguistics (3)
SPAN 599 - Independent Graduate Research (1-3)
Other relevant courses may be selected with adviser approval.
Communication & Semantics
The Communication and Semantics concentration allows students to focus on language as a communication tool, exploring the nature of inherent and contextual meaning, cross-cultural differences in the expression of meaning and more.
ANTH 599 - Independent Graduate Research (1-3)
COMD 599 - Independent Graduate Research (1-3)
LING 416 - Anthropological Linguistics (3)
LING 417 - Psycholinguistics (3)
LING 442 - Changing Words: History, Semantics, and Translation (3)
LING 599 - Independent Graduate Research (1-3)
Other relevant courses may be selected with adviser approval.
Disorders of Communication
The Disorders of Communication concentration allows students to focus on language and speech disorders, including fluency disorders, voice disorders and craniofacial disorders.
COMD 461 - Audiology and Audiometry (3)
COMD 472 - Voice and Craniofacial Disorders (3)
COMD 475 - Fluency Disorders (3)
COMD 599 - Independent Graduate Research (1-3)
LING 417 - Psycholinguistics (3)
LING 599 - Independent Graduate Research (1-3)
Other relevant courses may be selected with adviser approval.
Language & Mind
The Language and Mind concentration allows students to focus on language as a property of the human mind, investigating the place of language in the brain, the relationship between language and cognition, the distinct ways that children and adults learn languages, and more.
LING 413 - Language Acquisition
LING 417 - Psycholinguistics
LING 469 - Language, Sex roles, and the Brain
LING 599 - Independent Graduate Research
CPSC 481 - Artificial Intelligence
PSYCH 414 - Cognitive Neuroscience
PSYCH 415 - Cognitive Processes
Other relevant courses may be selected with adviser approval.
Language & Society
The Language and Society concentration allows students to focus on the social and cultural aspects of language, for instance: investigating regional and social dialects; language policy and standardization; in what way our social identities are encoded in our languages; and more.
ENGL 410 -Language and Power in African American Culture
LING 412 - Sociolinguistics
LING 416 - Anthropological Linguistics
LING 442 - Changing Words
LING 492 - Field Methods
LING 599 - Independent Graduate Research
Other relevant courses may be selected with adviser approval.
Linguistics or a Related Field Elective (3 units)
Linguistics 597 Project (3 units)
A minimum of 15 units in 500-level courses is required. Satisfactory completion of a written comprehensive examination is required at the conclusion of the program. The examination may be repeated only once. A reading list for the examination and specifications for the project are available in the program office.
For further information, consult the graduate adviser.
