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The Ph.D. program provides both a broad grounding in linguistics and the opportunity for specialization within the broad areas of formal linguistic theory, second language acquisition, and language variation and change. The programs of study constructed by individual students and their advisory committees focus on two specific fields of concentration within these broader areas. The programs of study also may include courses or research projects in related disciplines such as computer science, philosophy, or in the history or structure of a specific language or languages. Students must fulfill all requirements of the Graduate School for the Ph.D. degree, including the residence requirement and time limits (see the Graduate Bulletin). (The requirements below go into effect in Fall 2012. For students who matriculated prior to Fall 2012, click here for the old Ph.D. requirements. Students who matriculated earlier but who have not completed their degrees before Fall 2012 may choose to follow either the old or new degree requirements.) Degree Requirements A. Coursework The Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 45 hours of coursework for students who enter with only a bachelor's degree (as described in 1 below) or 30 hours of coursework for students with a relevant M.A. (as described in 2 below). 1. Ph.D. in Linguistics (45 hours) Students entering the Ph.D. program with a B.A. or B.S. degree will take 45 semester hours of coursework (15 courses) plus a one-hour proseminar (LING 8100, graded S/U, to be taken in the first semester) and at least three hours of Linguistics Colloquium (LING 8101, graded S/U). Any particular course requirement may be waived for students who have had an equivalent course at the graduate level at another university. However, any such waiver will not reduce the total number of courses required for the degree; students will take additional elective courses in place of the courses that would have satisfied any waived requirements. Required courses: (a) LING 8100 Proseminar (1 hour, S/U) (b) LING 6021 Phonetics & Phonology (c) LING 8150 Syntax (d-e) Two of the following courses (formal linguistic theory):
(f) One of the following courses (language acquisition, variation, and change):
(g) LING 8101 Linguistics Colloquium (3 hours, S/U) (h) LING 9300 Doctoral Dissertation (3 hours) Elective courses: Primary and secondary areas of concentration: According to Graduate School policies, the program of study for a student who bypasses the master's degree must contain 4 semester hours of University of Georgia courses open only to graduate students in addition to 16 semester hours of 8000 and 9000 level courses. Doctoral research (9000), independent study courses, and dissertation writing (9300) may not be counted in these 20 hours. 2. Ph.D. in Linguistics (30 hours) Students who enter with a relevant M.A. degree (including one from UGA) must take at least an additional 30 semester hours (10 courses) plus a one-hour proseminar (LING 8100, graded S/U, to be taken in the first semester, if this was not part of the M.A. program of study) and at least three hours of Linguistics Colloquium (LING 8101, graded S/U). It is expected that students will have already had introductory graduate-level coursework in phonetics, phonology, and syntax as part of their M.A. program of study; if not, they will be required to take the appropriate courses in addition to the coursework outlined below. Any particular course requirement may be waived for students who have had an equivalent course at the graduate level at another university. However, any such waiver will not reduce the total number of courses required for the degree; students will take additional elective courses in place of the courses that would have satisfied any waived requirements. Any student who enters with an M.A. in hand but who cannot meet the following Ph.D. requirements within 30 semester hours will be required to take additional courses beyond 30 semester hours. Required courses: (a) LING 8100 Proseminar (1 hour, S/U) (b) One of the following courses (formal linguistic theory):
(c) One of the following courses (language acquisition, variation, and change):
(d) LING 9300 (3 hours) (e) LING 8101 Linguistics Colloquium (3 hours, S/U) Elective courses: Primary and secondary areas of concentration: According to Graduate School policies, the program of study must contain 16 or more hours of 8000- and 9000-level courses in addition to research, dissertation writing, and directed study. B. Other degree requirements 1. Research skills requirement Ph.D. students must achieve two research skills, as described in the Linguistics Graduate Student Handbook. Courses taken to satisfy this requirement cannot be counted among the courses on the student's Program of Study if they are undergraduate courses. 2. Comprehensive examination The comprehensive examination covers two different areas of linguistics (normally corresponding to the student’s primary and secondary areas of concentration) and consists of written and oral components. The written comprehensive may consist of two research papers, two closed-book or take-home exams, or some combination of these. At least one of the two papers or exams should deal with a core area of linguistic theory. The format of the written examination will be determined by the student’s Advisory Committee on the basis of the student’s areas of concentration. Students who pass the written examination should proceed to the oral portion of the comprehensive within two weeks. Details specific to the different formats of the exam are given below. a. Written comprehensive exam Research paper format: The first research paper will normally be a revised and expanded version of a paper written for a course (usually no more than 25 pages). The paper should be approved by the major professor then submitted to the other members of the committee. Once the paper has passed, a 30-minute oral defense will be scheduled, the purpose of which is to test the student’s understanding of the material covered in the paper and to give the student practice for the oral comprehensive examination. The second research paper should be more original and more comprehensive than the first and must be of publishable quality (usually at least 25 pages). While it may also be based on a paper written for a course, it should go well beyond the original course paper in depth and/or breadth. The paper should be approved by the major professor then submitted to the other members of the committee. Take-home exam format: The candidate will prepare two reading lists with the help of the major professor. After the two lists have been approved by the major professor, they will be e-mailed to the other two professors on the student’s committee. It is the responsibility of the student to provide the two finalized reading lists to all three professors on his/her committee at least two weeks in advance of the exam. The student will write a separate exam on each reading list, and may refer to items on the reading lists or other published sources. Each exam will be given to the student at 5:00 pm on a regular operating day of the university and must be turned in at 8:00 am on the third day following (e.g., from 5:00 pm Friday until 8:00 am Monday). The student will write the exam in a format determined by the Advisory Committee and e-mail it to all committee members by the deadline. On each exam the student must demonstrate a good understanding of the subject matter and provide a level of detail and quality of argumentation commensurate with the time and resources allowed. Closed-book exam format: The candidate will prepare two reading lists with the help of the major professor. After the two lists have been approved by the major professor, they will be e-mailed to the other two professors on the student’s committee. It is the responsibility of the student to provide the two finalized reading lists to all three professors on his/her committee at least two weeks in advance of the exam. The student will sit a separate 3-hour examination on each reading list on two different days. The exam may be written by hand or using a computer, at the discretion of the committee. On each exam the student must demonstrate a good understanding of the subject matter and provide a level of detail and quality of argumentation commensurate with the time and resources allowed. b. Oral comprehensive exam The oral comprehensive exam lasts for 90 minutes. It will begin with an oral defense of the second research paper or a consideration of the student’s performance on the written exams, but after this questions may range over any material on the exam reading lists and/or the student’s program of study. Written and oral exams will be graded on the scale High Pass/Pass/Fail. Two passing votes are required to pass each portion of the exam. Students who fail any portion of the exam may retake it once, no sooner than two weeks after the first attempt but within one additional semester. Students who fail this portion of the exam a second time will be dismissed from the program. 3. Dissertation Prospectus Within one semester after passing the comprehensive examination, the student should submit, and the Advisory Committee approve, a dissertation prospectus. The prospectus should propose a problem for a doctoral dissertation, ascertain the originality of the idea with reference to the available literature, and demonstrate the availability of means and materials required to solve the problem. The prospectus need not be lengthy, and should not exceed 5,000 words. When the student, major professor, and Advisory Committee agree that the prospectus is complete, a copy must be filed with the program Director. The Director will submit the prospectus to the Linguistics Program Executive Committee, which may accept the prospectus or return it to the student and Advisory Committee for modification. The Executive Committee must accept the prospectus before the student writes the dissertation. The Director will publish for the faculty and students at least once per year a list of dissertation topics currently in progress in the program, along with the names of the students and their Advisory Committees. Click here for more detailed instructions regarding the dissertation prospectus. 4. Dissertation and oral defense Upon approval of the prospectus by the Advisory Committee, the student will prepare a dissertation. The dissertation is based on original research which makes a significant contribution to knowledge in some area of theoretical and/or applied linguistics. Previous linguistics dissertations of the department are available for students' consideration. Students must present a bound copy of the completed dissertation to the department. Theses and dissertations will be submitted electronically to the Graduate School. Consult the UGA Graduate School Policies and Procedures regarding electronic theses and dissertations. The student will defend the dissertation in an oral examination of approximately 90 minutes, and at most two hours. When the student and major professor agree that the dissertation is complete, it must be circulated to the other members of the Advisory Committee at least three weeks before the date of the defense. The defense itself must be scheduled at least one week before the deadline for submission of the completed thesis to the Graduate School prior to graduation.
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