Linguistics, Special Concentration, M.A.

On April 25, 2022, the CSU Chancellor’s Office issued a memo that GWAR will no longer apply to new and continuing graduate students (regardless of catalog year) at CSULB. Catalog copy has been updated on 07/21/2022 to account for this change.

This program is designed both for students who wish to pursue further graduate study and those seeking a terminal degree. The program seeks to blend theoretical and applied aspects of linguistics and draws from a variety of disciplines. The M.A. offers three options and one concentration:

General Linguistics Option
Language and Culture Option
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Special Concentration

Graduate assistantships may be available to qualified

Prerequisites

A bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 GPA for the most recent 60 units;
18 units of undergraduate coursework (with a grade of “C” or above in each course) as follows:

Fifteen (15) units in Linguistics; the following courses or equivalent:

LING 301 - Introduction to Research Methods (3 units)
LING 325 - Modern English Grammar (3 units)
LING 329 - Introduction to Language Acquisition (3 units)
LING 420 - Phonology (3 units)
LING 421 - Syntax (3 units)

Three (3) units in Language Variation:

LING 379 - Sociolinguistics (3 units)
LING 413 - Language and Culture (3 units)
LING 425 - Education Across Cultures (3 units)
LING 426 - History of the English Language (3 units)
LING 470 - Language and Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective (3 units)
LING 472 - Language and Social Justice (3 units)

Advancement to Candidacy

Satisfaction of the general university requirements for advancement to candidacy, including prerequisites and 3.0 GPA.
Completion of the language other than English requirement: this is satisfied if you are a native speaker of a language other than English. If your native language is English, you can satisfy this requirement in one of three ways:
- 6-unit route: advanced level language courses (typically 300 level courses and above).
- 12-unit route: can take lower-division units (below 300 level courses) to fulfill one year EACH (two years total) in two languages. at least one of which must be non-Indo-European.
- Professional use: this includes students who demonstrate knowledge of a language other than English through service (e.g., Peace Corps, schooling, business, etc.
Completion of six units of course work within the program, exclusive of any classes used to meet prerequisites.
Approval of the candidate’s graduate program by the Graduate Advisor, the Associate Dean for Instructional Programs of the College of Liberal Arts, and any other individuals identified by relevant university policy.
Advancement must take place no later than the semester before the student graduates.

Requirements

A minimum of 33 units of approved upper division and graduate courses for the thesis path or a minimum of 34 units of approved upper division and graduate courses of the comprehensive examination path, including
A minimum of 21 units at the 500 or 600 level;
The completion of requirements of one of the options or the Special Concentration designated in the program;
Completion of one of two culminating experiences (Note: In order to satisfy the culminating activity requirement (thesis, project, or comprehensive examination dependent upon the program), students must earn at least three (3) units and no more than six (6) units related to the completion of the culminating activity.):
1. A thesis and its accompanying oral defense and oral examination (LING 698, 6 units).
2. The comprehensive examination and its accompanying graduate paper (LING 697, take 1 unit).
A GPA of 3.00 on all courses included in the program.

Special Concentration

This concentration is 12-18 units. Students electing this concentration must 1) consult with the Graduate Advisor about their proposal; 2) submit a written justification for the course of study they wish to take, including 3) a list of the classes whichare proposed to meet the objectives of this special program. Both the written justification and the course list are subject to approval. Other requirements of the program (e.g. a five course core, GPA, culminating experiences, etc.) cannot be waived or altered by use of the special concentration. Students wanting graduate credit for certain 400-level courses must consult with the Graduate Advisor before enrolling.

Note: Graduate students are required to register for the higher (500-level) course whenever a course has a double number. Students may not repeat courses by taking them under different prefix designations, numbers or titles unless the course description specifically permits.