Master's Program

The linguistics program is one of the concentrations of the MA in English offered through the NC State English Department.

The MA concentration in linguistics at NC State has gained a national and international reputation as one of the outstanding sociolinguistic programs in the nation. Within four years of its inception, the program was cited in The Real Guide to Graduate School (Lingua Franca, 1997) as one of the top five sociolinguistic programs in North America. NC State is the only MA-level program in the list, which includes well-established, longstanding PhD programs in sociolinguistics such as the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University.

The graduate M.A. program requires 15 semester hours in linguistics out of a 33 semester-hour requirement for a Master of Arts in English and a research thesis.

Requirements

Note the changes below which began in Spring 2008

(32 credits)*

Distribution Requirements (6 credits)
  • Any 2 literature courses

Concentration Requirements (21 hours)
  • 5 courses in linguistics
  • 2 electives

Research (5 credits)
For students enrolled prior to Spring 2008:
  • ENG 669: Bibliography & Methods (2 credits)
  • ENG 695/699: Thesis (at least 3 credits)

For students first enrolling in Spring 2008 and thereafter:
  • ENG 669: Bibliography & Methods (2 credits)
  • ENG 676: Master's Project in English (3 credits)

Further Requirements
  • Reading competency in 1 foreign language
  • Oral defense of thesis or presentation of capstone project

Must have:

• At least 32 credit hours in total
• Permission of Concentration Director

Contact:
Erik Thomas
Walt Wolfram

*Teaching assistants are required to enroll for additional credits that do not count toward the degree.

More information about assistantships can be found at the Master's Degree Admissions page.

MA Requirement Planning

Download a planning sheet to help keep track of your progress in completing the Master's requirements:

Download arrow Download [ Word document 41KB ]

Protocol for M.A. Theses in the Linguistics Concentration

In the semester preceding the one in which the student wishes to defend his or her M.A. thesis, the student should consult with faculty members in the Linguistics Concentration. A thesis committee with three faculty members needs to be assembled, with one member of the committee serving as Chair. Karen Lacey has a form that needs to be filled out and signed by the student and by each committee member.

The student should then consult with the Chair of his or her committee and establish a timetable for completion of individual chapters of the thesis and of the thesis as a whole. During the writing of the thesis, the student should give individual chapters to the committee Chair and to any other committee members who would like to see drafts of each chapter. The assumption is that the Chair will supervise the writing of individual chapters, whereas the other committee members will read and provide feedback on all the chapters once the whole thesis has been written.

At least two weeks (10 working days) prior to the date of the defense, the student will turn in a draft of the entire thesis to all three members of his or her committee. The committee will return this draft (with comments) in a week's time. The student will then distribute a re-revised draft to committee members at least three days prior to the date of the defense.

At the defense, the student should prepare an overview (lasting approximately 15 to 20 minutes) of the subject, methodology, and conclusions of the thesis. The student can either present this overview extemporaneously or else read from a portion of the written text as a script. Handouts are encouraged. In other words, the student's presentation should simulate the kind of oral presentation that would be given at a scholarly conference in the field. During the second part of the defense, committee members (and others in attendance) will ask the student questions based on his or her presentation.

Prior to turning in the thesis, the student should check the graduate school's guidelines for formatting theses. Karen Lacey has a copy of the guidelines, and they can also be purchased at the university bookstore. Further, the student can check with Karen Lacey about the option of submitting theses electronically. In addition, M.A. candidates need to schedule a meeting with the graduate school's thesis editor before they turn in the final version of their theses.

Links:

Graduate School calendar

Graduate School thesis and dissertation guide

English Department home

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	Course Offerings Admissions Information Sample Course Syllabi Master's Program The linguistics program is one of the concentrations of the MA in English offered through the NC State English Department. The MA concentration in linguistics at NC State has gained a national and international reputation as one of the outstanding sociolinguistic programs in the nation. Within four years of its inception, the program was cited in The Real Guide to Graduate School (Lingua Franca, 1997) as one of the top five sociolinguistic programs in North America. NC State is the only MA-level program in the list, which includes well-established, longstanding PhD programs in sociolinguistics such as the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University. The graduate M.A. program requires 15 semester hours in linguistics out of a 33 semester-hour requirement for a Master of Arts in English and a research thesis. Requirements Note the changes below which began in Spring 2008 (32 credits)* Distribution Requirements (6 credits) • Any 2 literature courses Concentration Requirements (21 hours) • 5 courses in linguistics • 2 electives Research (5 credits) For students enrolled prior to Spring 2008: • ENG 669: Bibliography & Methods (2 credits) • ENG 695/699: Thesis (at least 3 credits) For students first enrolling in Spring 2008 and thereafter: • ENG 669: Bibliography & Methods (2 credits) • ENG 676: Master's Project in English (3 credits) Further Requirements • Reading competency in 1 foreign language • Oral defense of thesis or presentation of capstone project Must have: • At least 32 credit hours in total • Permission of Concentration Director Contact: Erik Thomas Walt Wolfram Teaching assistants are required to enroll for additional credits that do not count toward the degree. More information about assistantships can be found at the Master's Degree Admissions page.* MA Requirement Planning Download a planning sheet to help keep track of your progress in completing the Master's requirements: Download [ 41KB ] Protocol for M.A. Theses in the Linguistics Concentration In the semester preceding the one in which the student wishes to defend his or her M.A. thesis, the student should consult with faculty members in the Linguistics Concentration. A thesis committee with three faculty members needs to be assembled, with one member of the committee serving as Chair. Karen Lacey has a form that needs to be filled out and signed by the student and by each committee member. The student should then consult with the Chair of his or her committee and establish a timetable for completion of individual chapters of the thesis and of the thesis as a whole. During the writing of the thesis, the student should give individual chapters to the committee Chair and to any other committee members who would like to see drafts of each chapter. The assumption is that the Chair will supervise the writing of individual chapters, whereas the other committee members will read and provide feedback on all the chapters once the whole thesis has been written. At least two weeks (10 working days) prior to the date of the defense, the student will turn in a draft of the entire thesis to all three members of his or her committee. The committee will return this draft (with comments) in a week's time. The student will then distribute a re-revised draft to committee members at least three days prior to the date of the defense. At the defense, the student should prepare an overview (lasting approximately 15 to 20 minutes) of the subject, methodology, and conclusions of the thesis. The student can either present this overview extemporaneously or else read from a portion of the written text as a script. Handouts are encouraged. In other words, the student's presentation should simulate the kind of oral presentation that would be given at a scholarly conference in the field. During the second part of the defense, committee members (and others in attendance) will ask the student questions based on his or her presentation. Prior to turning in the thesis, the student should check the graduate school's guidelines for formatting theses. Karen Lacey has a copy of the guidelines, and they can also be purchased at the university bookstore. Further, the student can check with Karen Lacey about the option of submitting theses electronically. In addition, M.A. candidates need to schedule a meeting with the graduate school's thesis editor before they turn in the final version of their theses. Links: Graduate School calendar Graduate School thesis and dissertation guide English Department home
	NCSU Linguistics Program \| Tompkins Hall \| Campus Box 8105 \| Raleigh, NC 27695-8105 919/515-4151 \| wolfram at social dot chass dot ncsu dot edu