Linguistics

Master of Arts

General Admission Requirements for the M.A. in Linguistics and the M.A. in TESL

Students should consult the Graduate Programs section of this Catalog for the University requirements.

Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 2.85 in the last 60 units of their B.A. degree work and satisfy the University requirements for Graduate Admission.

Candidates with GPAs below a 2.85 for the last 60 units in their B.A. degree work may still apply, but they must email a personal statement and at least one letter of recommendation to the Linguistics and TESL department chair. The personal statement should address the candidate’s motivations for applying to the graduate program and discuss strengths that indicate they are likely to be successful in the program, citing specific examples in support of their claims. Please note in your email that you are submitting supplementary materials for admissions to the graduate program.

Speakers of languages other than English who hold postsecondary degrees from non-English-speaking institutions must have a minimum:

  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 85 (internet-based test, iBT)
  • International English Language Test System (IELTS) Academic score of 7
  • Cambridge C1 Advanced English (formerly CAE) score of 185
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic score of 64
  • International Test of English Proficiency (iTEP) Academic score of 4.5
  • Duolingo English Test (DET) score of 115
  • Jitsuyo Eigo Gino Kentei [Test in Practical English Proficiency] Common Scale for English (EIKEN CSE) score of 2630 (1)
  • Global Test of English Communication Computer-Based Test (GTEC CBT) score of 1275

Meeting the minimum GPA and English proficiency test score does not guarantee admission into the program.

Applicants should file an online application to the University through Cal State Apply. The application period closes July 1 for Fall admission and November 1 for Spring admission. Submissions after this date will not be considered. The Department of Linguistics/TESL does not require a separate departmental application, letters of recommendation or a statement of purpose. For additional information, please consult Admissions & Records and Cal State Apply Graduate.

 

Academic Standards for the M.A. in Linguistics and the M.A. in TESL

A. University Regulations:

Graduate students will be placed on academic probation whenever their GPA falls below 3.0 in all units attempted. To be removed from probation, students must earn sufficient grades in the following semester of enrollment to raise their GPA to 3.0 or above. Failure to do so will result in disqualification from the University. University regulations allow graduate students to repeat up to 6 units of credit in which a grade of “B-” or below has been received. (See Graduate Programs section of this Catalog.

B. Additional Regulations for the M.A. in Linguistics and the M.A. in TESL: 

  1. Students will be disqualified from the M.A. program if they do not pass the graduate project on their second attempt.
  2. No grade below “B-” can be counted in the formal program. Any grade of “C+” or lower must be repeated. If the student does not receive a grade of “B-” or better on the second attempt, the student will be disqualified from the M.A. program. University regulations allow graduate students to repeat only up to 6 units. The repeat grade will appear on the transcript. Students must request departmental approval to repeat a course and file a Course Repeat Request Form with Graduate Studies in order to count the repeat grade for their degree.
  3. Course substitutions: Taking courses outside the department to count towards the required core courses, whether in another department or at another institution, is normally not allowed and may only be done under extenuating circumstances after consultation and prior approval. Courses must be equivalent in content and quality to the relevant courses in the Linguistics/TESL program curriculum. Students must earn a grade of "B" or higher in all courses to be used as replacements for required core courses in the program.
  4. Foreign Language Component: Students must earn a grade of "B" or higher in all foreign language component courses.

M.A. in Linguistics

Requirements for the Master of Arts in Linguistics

Candidates completing the program leading to an M.A. degree in Linguistics will have a fundamental understanding of the core areas in linguistics at an advanced level.

A. Required Core Courses (30 units)

  • LING 404 Syntax (3)
  • LING 408 Semantics and Pragmatics (3)
  • LING 501 Seminar in Phonology (3)
  • LING 503 Seminar in Cognitive Linguistics or LING 505 Seminar in Discourse Analysis (3)
  • LING 506 Foundational Concepts of Phonetics and Phonology (3)
  • LING 510 Foundational Concepts of Linguistics (3)
  • LING 517 Foundational Concepts in Language Development and Acquisition (3)
  • LING 541 Seminar in Sociolinguistics (3)
  • LING 566 Research Methods for Linguistics (3)
  • LING 610 Seminar in Syntax (3)

B. Electives (6 units):

In consultation with the chair/advisor, candidates will select 6 units of electives at the 400-, 500-, or 600-level, as long as the total number of 400-level courses does not exceed 9 units in their program. Coursework may include LING courses or courses in other departments in consultation with the chair/advisor.

Preapproved electives for the M.A. in Linguistics:

  • EED 577 Language Arts and ESL Instruction
  • EED 610 Research Methods in Elementary Education
  • EED 626 Literacy Instruction for English Learners
  • EED 675 Bilingual/Multilingual Teaching Strategies
  • ENGL 653 Literary and Rhetorical Genre Theory
  • ENGL 654A-Z Advanced Topics in Rhetoric and Composition
  • EPC 600 Educational Statistics for Research and Measurement
  • LING 403 Introduction to Morphology
  • LING 411 Introduction to Historical Linguistics
  • LING 427 Languages in Contact
  • LING 447 Bilingualism in the U.S.
  • LING 455 Computational Linguistics
  • LING 495A-Z Selected Topics in Linguistics
  • LING 500 Seminar in Phonetics
  • LING 502 Seminar in Second Language Acquisition
  • LING 503 Seminar in Cognitive Linguistics (if LING 505 counts as required)
  • LING 505 Seminar in Discourse Analysis (if LING 503 counts as required)
  • LING 515 Survey of Applied Linguistics
  • LING 520 Issues in ESL Reading and Writing
  • LING 521 Issues in ESL Listening and Speaking
  • LING 525 English Structures for ESL/EFL Teaching
  • LING 530 Introduction to TESL
  • LING 568 TESL Testing and Assessment
  • LING 578 English for Specific Purposes
  • LING 589 Introduction to Celtic Languages
  • LING 590A-Z Selected Topics in Linguistics/TESL
  • LING 604 Acoustic and Instrumental Phonetics
  • SED 514 Computers in the Instructional Program
  • SED 625ESL Theory and Research in Teaching ESL in Multilingual Classrooms
  • SED 626 Literacy Instruction for English Learners
  • SPAN 400 Structure of the Spanish Language (3)
  • SPAN 401 Language and Culture (3)
  • SPAN 425 Spanish Phonetics (3)
  • SPAN 497 Comparative Structure of Spanish and English (3)
  • SPAN 530 Spanish Dialectology
  • SPAN 600 History of the Spanish Language
  • SPAN 603 Seminar in Romance Linguistics

C. Studies in a Language other than English Component:

Graduate students are required to complete two 3-unit progressive semesters (or the equivalent) of coursework in one language other than English. Students with prior language experience can pass all or part of the language requirement by examination or other evidence, at the discretion of the department. If prior coursework is used to satisfy this requirement, only courses completed within seven years of admission to the program will be accepted.

Students should fulfill this requirement within the first two semesters of enrollment in the program.

D. Culminating Experience (3 units):

In order to complete the M.A. degree in Linguistics, graduate students submit a graduate project, which is comprehensive in nature. Graduate students work on the different components of this project throughout the program; the final project is publicly presented during their last/graduating semester. These 3 units of culminating experience are part of the degree count

Graduate Project

Students during their last semester will enroll in LING 698D. Students on probation or who have remaining incompletes, or who have not completed the foreign language component, will not be permitted to enroll in LING 698D until these issues are all resolved. Students who fail the graduate project a second time are disqualified from the M.A. in Linguistics degree program

E. Unit Count for the M.A. in Linguistics

DescriptionUnits
Required Courses30
Electives6
Culminating Experience3
Total Units:39

M.A. in TESL

Requirements for the Master of Arts in TESL

A. Required Core Courses (30 units)

  • LING 502 Seminar in Second Language Acquisition (3)
  • LING 506 Foundational Concepts of Phonetics and Phonology (3)
  • LING 510 Foundational Concepts of Linguistics (3)
  • LING 517 Foundational Concepts of Language Development and Acquisition (3)
  • LING 520 Issues in ESL Reading and Writing (3)
  • LING 521 Issues in ESL Listening and Speaking (3)
  • LING 525 English Structures for ESL/EFL Teaching (3)
  • LING 530 Introduction to TESL (3)
  • LING 555 TESL Practicum (3)
  • LING 568 TESL Testing and Assessment (3)

B. Electives (6 units)

In consultation with the chair/advisor, candidates will select 6 units of electives at the 400-, 500-, or 600-level, as long as the total number of 400-level courses does not exceed 9 units in their program. Coursework may include LING courses or courses in other departments in consultation with the chair/advisor.

Preapproved Electives for the M.A. in TESL

  • EED 577 Language Arts and ESL Instruction
  • EED/SED 626 Literacy Instruction for English Learners
  • LING 403 Morphology
  • LING 404 Syntax
  • LING 406 Language and Social Interaction
  • LING 408 Semantics and Pragmatics
  • LING 411 Historical Linguistics
  • LING 427 Languages in Contact
  • LING 447 Bilingualism in the U.S.
  • LING 455 Computational Linguistics
  • LING 495A-Z Selected Topics in Linguistics
  • LING 500 Seminar in Phonetics
  • LING 501 Seminar in Phonology
  • LING 503 Seminar in Cognitive Linguistics
  • LING 505 Seminar in Discourse Analysis
  • LING 515 Survey of Applied Linguistics
  • LING 541 Seminar in Sociolinguistics
  • LING 566 Research Methods for Linguistics
  • LING 578 English for Specific Purposes
  • LING 590A-Z Selected Topics in Linguistics/TESL
  • LING 604 Acoustic and Instrumental Phonetics
  • SED 514 Computers in the Instructional Program
  • SED 625ESL Theory and Research in Teaching ESL in Multilingual Classrooms
  • SPAN 400 Structure of the Spanish Language (3)
  • SPAN 401 Language and Culture (3)
  • SPAN 425 Spanish Phonetics (3)
  • SPAN 497 Comparative Structure of Spanish and English (3)
  • SPAN 530 Spanish Dialectology
  • SPAN 600 History of the Spanish Language
  • SPAN 603 Seminar in Romance Linguistics

C. Foreign Language Component:

Graduate students are required to complete two 3-unit progressive semesters (or the equivalent) of coursework in one language foreign to them. Students whose native language is not English and who received a substantial part of their education in a language of instruction other than English can pass all or part of the language requirement with evidence, at the discretion of the department. If prior coursework is used to satisfy this requirement, only courses completed within five years of admission to the program will be accepted.

D. Culminating Experience (3 units):

In order to complete the M.A. degree in Linguistics, graduate students submit a graduate project, which is comprehensive in nature. Graduate students work on the different components of this project throughout the program; the final project is publicly presented during their last/graduating semester. These 3 units of culminating experience are part of the degree count.

Graduate Project

Students during their last semester will enroll in LING 698D. Students on probation or who have remaining incompletes, or who have not completed the foreign language component, will not be permitted to enroll in LING 698D until these issues are all resolved. Students who fail the graduate project a second time are disqualified from the M.A. in Linguistics degree program.

E. Unit Count for the M.A. in TESL

DescriptionUnits
Required Courses30
Electives6
Culminating Experience3
Total Units:39