Department of Linguistics

What would I get out of pursuing the program?

An Accelerated Masters Degree Program is an excellent opportunity to earn an advanced degree while saving time and money over the traditional route of first finishing a Bachelors degree and then applying independently to a graduate program.

The Masters degree can be useful in several ways: It may provide you with specific skills which you need for your career of choice; it can serve as a stepping stone to an eventual doctoral degree; and holding an advanced degree can enhance your earning potential.

The Linguistics Department at Georgetown currently offers different kinds of Masters:

• Master of Science (M.S.) in Linguistics, with a concentration in:

• Applied Linguistics
• Computational Linguistics
• Sociolinguistics
• Theoretical Linguistics
• General Linguistics

• Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.), in one of the following:

•Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)
•TESL and Bilingual Education (TBED)

• Master of Arts in Language and Communication (MLC)

Students should work with their advisor, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, the Director of Graduate Studies and other departmental faculty to select the right program for them. You can learn the specific requirements of each Masters degree program from our website.

How does it work?

1. The accelerated Masters program allows you to work toward finishing your Bachelors degree and starting a Masters degree at the same time, saving both time and tuition dollars. You apply for the program in the fall of your junior year, and are notified of an admissions decision that spring. If you are accepted into the program, some of the Linguistics courses you take will count toward your Bachelors degree and some will count toward your Masters degree, subject to the requirements listed below. (After you have been accepted into the program, you will meet with an advisor to determine how your courses will be allocated.) Upon completion of all the requirements for the Bachelors degree, the Bachelors degree will be awarded. Upon completion of the requirements for the Masters degree, the Masters degree will be awarded.

2. The accelerated Masters allows you to double-count two courses for both the AB and MS/MAT/MLC degrees, thus saving you six credits of graduate tuition. These courses must be graduate-level courses (numbered LING-350 or above), and must be taken in the junior or senior year. In most cases, "Tier III" courses required for the Linguistics major will meet these requirements and can be double-counted. However, you need to plan ahead to make sure you take two courses which it will be possible and helpful to double-count in order to satisfy particular MS/MAT/MLC program requirements.

3. It may also be possible to apply up to two additional graduate-level Linguistics courses to the accelerated Masters degree. These courses must be above and beyond those required for the AB (both Departmental and College requirements, i.e., 38 courses/120 credits). This may come about if you enter Georgetown with some AP credit, take summer courses, or take more than the normal courseload some semester(s). In general, you will need some early graduate credit of this sort if you are to actually finish the Masters in your fifth year. As with the double-counted courses, courses designated as applying to the Masters degree only must be numbered 350 or higher and must be taken in the junior or senior year.

4. Students in the accelerated program must meet all the coursework and other degree requirements for the Masters program to which they have been admitted (MS, MAT, or MLC). Please consult the Graduate Student Handbook for particular program requirements. Credit for coursework can be earned through a combination of double-counted courses (6 credits), courses above and beyond those required for the AB degree (up to 6 credits), and courses taken after the AB degreee has been completed. There are two exceptions to the coursework requirements:

        a. Students pursuing an accelerated MS or MAT will receive a waiver for Ling 410 (Phonetics/Phonology I). You may take Ling 411 (Phonetics/Phonology II) instead, or, in consultation with your advisor, you may choose to take a graduate-level elective.

        b. Students pursuing an accelerated MLC or MS in Computational Linguistics may not choose the 24-credit option.

Application Procedure

1. This is an honors program. Linguistics majors with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 both overall and in the major are eligible to apply for the program.

2. You should discuss the program with your advisor and/or the Director of Undergraduate Studies. You will need to fill out the regular Graduate School application by the application deadline of your junior year (typically January 1). To download application forms or to apply online, please go to the Office of Graduate Admissions website.

The application consists of: the completed application form, your transcript, 3 letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and a writing sample. You do not need to take the GRE.

3. The Linguistics Department will review your application and send its decision to the Graduate School. Accelerated Masters applications are reviewed in the same pool as all graduate applications.

4. The Graduate School gives final approval and notifies the student of the decision in March. If you are accepted, you will need to work out a detailed plan of study with your advisor and/or the DUS, and both the College and Graduate School deans will have to be notified about which courses are being double-counted and/or withheld from the undergraduate transcript.

Questions?

Please contact Prof. Elizabeth Zsiga (Director of Undergraduate Studies) or the individual concentration heads in the Linguistics Department, or visit our departmental website.