Students who entered the Linguistics PhD program prior to August 2019 may choose to complete either the requirements listed here, or the new PhD requirements. Students who enter the Linguistics PhD program in August 2019 or later must complete the new PhD requirements.

Old Ph.D. Program Requirements

64 graduate credit hours are required for the Ph.D. in Linguistics. Credit hours which have already been applied to another degree, such as the M.A. in Linguistics, do not count toward this total; nor do preparatory courses taken as a condition on admission.

A. Practicum, Research Paper and Oral Exam (4 hours):

  • LING 504: Practicum (2 hours)
  • LING 590: Special Topics in Linguistics (2 hours)

During their first year in the Ph.D. program (normally the third year overall for students entering from the Linguistics M.A. Program), students must submit an original research paper, and pass an oral examination in which the paper is presented to a committee of faculty members, who may ask questions regarding the research, the written paper, and the presentation. The paper should be completed under the supervision of a faculty member,while enrolled for at least two credit hours of LING 590 with that faculty member as instructor, and also enrolled in LING 504.

B. Area of Specialization:

Students must specialize in a particular subfield of linguistics, and complete the requirements for their area of specialization. The following standard specializations are available; students may also design their own specializations with the help and approval of their faculty advisor.

COMPUTATIONAL LINGUISTICS
Prerequisite:
  • LING 402: Tools and techniques in Speech and Language Processing (or a 200 level CS programming course, or consent of instructor)
Required Courses Recommended
  • LING 406: Introduction to Computional Linguistics
  • LING 506: Topics in Computational Linguistics
  • LING 591: Seminar in Linguistic Analysis (relevant section)
  • LING 490: Corpus Linguistics (corpus construction and annotation)
  • CS 410: Text Information Systems
  • CS 421: Programming Languages and Compilers
  • CS 440 / ECE 448: Artificial Intelligence
  • CS 498: Special Topics in Computer Science (machine learning and natural language sections)
  • CS 546: Machine Learning and Natural Language
  • CS 598: Special Topics in Computer Science (natural language processing sections)
  • CS 592: Advanced Seminar in Computer Science (natural language processing sections)
  • LIS 590: Special Topics in LIS (computational linguistics sections)
PHONETICS and PHONOLOGY
Prerequisite:
  • LING 401: Introduction to General Phonetics
Required Courses Recommended
  • LING 502: Phonology I (required in the M.A. curriculum)

  • LING 520: Acoustic Phonetics

  • a course in statistics to be approved by advisor 

Note: Quantitative Methods I and II are being developed to cover statistics (QM-I) and corpus methods (QM-II) for P&P research.

These courses are currently offered under LING 591. Students should take QM-I, if available, to satisfy the statistics requirement of the P&P specialization

  • LING 410: Historical Linguistics

  • LING 522: Articulatory Phonetics

  • LING 542: Phonology II

  • LING 582: Topics in Phonological Theory

  • LING 591: Seminar in Linguistic Analysis (offerings related to P&P)

 

PSYCHOLINGUISTICS and NEUROLINGUISTICS
Required Courses Recommended
The courses should be chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor.

 

  • Curriculum prerequisite: a course in foundations of second language acquisition, such as EIL 489 (Theoretical Foundations of SLA) or equivalent
  • Two courses on research methodology which provide students with training in both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Possible courses include (but are not limited to):
    • ANTH 471 (Ethnography through Language)
    • EIL 588 (Seminar in Second Language Learning: section on Conversational Analysis)
    • EPSY 575 (Mixed Methods Inquiry)
    • EPSY 580 (Introduction to Statistical Methods)
    • LING 514 (Design & statistics in language study)

 

  • At least two courses from the list of recommended courses. Students are expected to take courses in at least two of the four areas listed under ‘recommended courses’.

 

Language Learning: 

  • EIL 489: Theoretical Foundations of SLA
  • LING 426: Child and Adult Language Acquisition
  • LING 529: Second Language Acquisition & Bilingualism
  • LING 560: Seminar in Bilingualism
  • LING 588: Seminar in Second Language Learning (relevant sections)

Language Use / Conversational Analysis:

  • EIL 487: Topics in Second Language Studies (relevant sections)
  • LING 460: Sociolinguistics II
  • LING 551: Pragmatics
  • LING 588: Seminar in Second Language Learning (relevant sections on Conversational Analysis)

Language Education and Assessment:

  • EIL 445: Teaching Second Language Reading and Writing
  • EIL 460: Principles of Language Testing
  • EIL 511: Task-based language teaching
  • EIL 512: Practicum in Teaching ESL
  • EIL 580: Classroom Language Acquisition
  • LING 588: Seminar in Second Language Learning (relevant sections)

Educational Technology:

  • EIL 587: Seminar in Second Language Studies (relevant sections)
  • LING 402: Tools and Techniques in Language and Speech Processing
  • LING 406: Introduction to Computational Linguistics
LANGUAGE PEDAGOGY and ASSESSMENT
Required Courses Recommended
The courses should be chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor.

 

  • Curriculum prerequisite: a course in foundations of second language acquisition, such as EIL 489 (Theoretical Foundations of SLA) or equivalent
  • Two courses on research methodology which provide students with training in both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Possible courses include (but are not limited to):
    • ANTH 471 (Ethnography through Language)
    • EIL 588 (Seminar in Second Language Learning: section on Conversational Analysis)
    • EPSY 575 (Mixed Methods Inquiry)
    • EPSY 580 (Introduction to Statistical Methods)
    • LING 514 (Design & statistics in language study)

 

  • At least two courses from the list of recommended courses. Students are expected to take courses in at least two of the four areas listed under ‘recommended courses’.

 

Language Learning: 

  • EIL 489: Theoretical Foundations of SLA
  • LING 426: Child and Adult Language Acquisition
  • LING 529: Second Language Acquisition & Bilingualism
  • LING 560: Seminar in Bilingualism
  • LING 588: Seminar in Second Language Learning (relevant sections)

 

Language Use / Conversational Analysis:

  • EIL 487: Topics in Second Language Studies (relevant sections)
  • LING 460: Sociolinguistics II
  • LING 551: Pragmatics
  • LING 588: Seminar in Second Language Learning (relevant sections on Conversational Analysis)

Language Education and Assessment:

  • EIL 445: Teaching Second Language Reading and Writing
  • EIL 460: Principles of Language Testing
  • EIL 511: Task-based language teaching
  • EIL 512: Practicum in Teaching ESL
  • EIL 580: Classroom Language Acquisition
  • LING 588: Seminar in Second Language Learning (relevant sections)

Educational Technology:

  • EIL 587: Seminar in Second Language Studies (relevant sections)
  • LING 402: Tools and Techniques in Language and Speech Processing
  • LING 406: Introduction to Computational Linguistics

 

SEMANTICS and PRAGMATICS
Required Courses Recommended
  • LING 507: Formal Semantics I
  • LING 551: Pragmatics
  • At least 8 credit hours of:
    • LING 590: Special Topics in Linguistics (relevant section); or
    • LING 591: Seminar in Linguistic Analysis (relevant section)

 

  • LING 407: Logic and Linguistic Analysis
  • LING 438: Philosophy of Language
  • LING 514: Design and Statistics in Language Study, or a comparable course in research methodology or statistics
  • LING 541: Syntax II
  • LING 547: Formal Semantics II

 

 

SOCIOLINGUISTICS
Required Courses Recommended
  • LING 450: Sociolinguistics I
  • LING 550: Sociolinguistics II
  • LING 587: Topics in SociolinguisticS
  • LING 514: Design and Statistics in Language Study
  • LING 555: World Englishes
  • LING 560: Seminar in Bilingualism
  • LING 591: Seminar in Linguistic Analysis (relevant sections

 

SYNTAX
Required Courses Recommended
  • LING 541: Syntax II
  • LING 581: Topics in Syntactic Theory
  • LING 591: Seminar in Linguistic Analysis (sections on syntax, morphology)
  • LING 407: Logic and Linguistic Analysis
  • LING 507: Formal Semantics I
  • LING 509: Topics in Cognitve Linguistics
  • LING 547: Formal Semantics II
  • LING 514: Design and Statistics in Language Study
  • LING 551: Pragmatics

 

C. Research/Project/Independent Study Hours (12 hours)

Students must complete at least 12 credit hours of LING 590: Special Topics in Linguistics, or of another independent research course approved by the advisor.

D. Language Requirement:

All Ph.D. candidates must demonstrate knowledge of the structure a language that is neither their native tongue nor the same language that satisfied the foreign language requirement for the M.A. degree. This requirement may be met through LING 516: Field Methods, or courses such as FR 416: Structure of French or GER 465: Linguistic Structures of German, or in other ways approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

E. Thesis Hours Required (32 hours)

Students must complete at least 32 credit hours of LING 599: Thesis Research. Enrollment in LING 599 is not normally allowed before the semester in which the student expects to complete the Preliminary Examination.

F. Seminar Presentation

Each student must make at least one research presentation to the Linguistics Department Seminar.

G. Preliminary Examination

All students must pass the Preliminary Examination, normally in the second year of the Ph.D. program (fourth year overall for students who entered through the Linguistics M.A. Program).

  • To take the Preliminary Examination, first finish all your course requirements. Work closely with your advisor to prepare a written dissertation proposal. Assemble your examination committee, bearing in mind the policies on committee membership set by the Graduate College. Submit your written proposal to your committee at least two weeks before the oral examination, which may be scheduled through the Graduate Student Services Office of the School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics (please fill out the exam scheduling form).
  • The examination consists of an oral presentation of the dissertation proposal before the committee. The committee may ask questions about the proposed research, the written proposal, or the presentation.

H. Final Examination/Dissertation Defense

All students must write a dissertation and successfully defend its thesis in an oral examination. Familiarize yourself early in the process with the Graduate College policies and procedures regarding dissertations.

  • The Final Examination committee is normally (but not necessarily) identical to the Preliminary Examination committee. If it is different, please bear in mind the policies on committee membership set by the Graduate College. Work closely with your advisor and other committee members to be sure the dissertation is satisfactory before arranging for the Final Examination. The completed dissertation must be submitted to the committee at least two weeks prior to the examination, which may be scheduled through the Graduate Student Services Office of the School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics (please fill out the exam scheduling form).
  • The Final Examination consists of an oral presentation of the dissertation and defense of its thesis before the committee. The committee may ask questions about the research, the written dissertation, or the presentation.

I. Dissertation Deposit

Following successful completion the defense, make any revisions requested to the dissertation by the committee, and secure the approval of your advisor. Make sure the dissertation conforms to the Graduate College formatting policies. Deposit the dissertation according to the procedure set by the Graduate College.

 

Applying credit from other institutions

Students who enter the program with previous graduate work in Linguistics from another institution may petition to transfer course credit to the University of Illinois. Transfer of credit is not possible if the courses have already been counted towards a degree at any other institution. Transfer must be requested through the SLCL Graduate Student Services office.

Students are encouraged to attend at least one summer session of the Linguistic Institute of the Linguistic Society of America. Up to 8 graduate hours of credit granted under this program may be transferred, with Graduate College approval.